Sex or violence..whats worse?

[RobertScorpio]

Star Trek is coming into another century. Which means it will have to evolve eventually to appeal to fans, new fans.

Here in the USA there is conception that it is okay to subject children to violent images as they grow up rather than tasteful sexual ones...If you had to live in one of the societies listed in this poll, which one would you want to live in...oh, and no whimpy third choice..this is cut and dry...

Rob
Scorpio
Resident social expert

 

[Haytil]

Violence is about hurting people. Tasteful sex is about loving someone.

How is the choice not clear?

 

[MiralParis]

Well, this wasn't an option, but I'd say 'sexual violence' is worse. I can't imagine a more heinous type of violence than that of a sexual nature.

 

[sbk1234]

Tough choice. There really isn't a good answer, since any answer rules out the other one. I agree that tasteful sex isn't really a problem, but depending on a child's age and maturity, it can be just as harmful for a child to be exposed to sexual content.

 

[Joshua Howard]

Both are equally detrimental. One society produces murderers and wife beaters, the other rapists and prostitutes. Which is better? I cannot cast a vote.

The theme behind either is the idea of a product that encourages the lack of self-restraint. A show that says that sex should be unfettered and given to animalistic instinct isn't any better or worse than a show that insinuates that animalistic barbarism is the solution to human issues.

That being said, neither sex or violence is something that should - logically - be inerrently avoided on the screen; but it should be noted that if you're going to be covering issues of violence, you should be emphisizing the virtue of peace... and if you're going to be covering issues of sexuality, you should be emphisizing the virtue of love.

 

[-Brett-]

I would have been about ten when I watched pulp fiction. Don't see anything wrong with it.

Superbad's certainly no worse. I doubt most ten year olds would "get it" completely, but I can't see any harm done.

 

[Jono]

Shouldn't this be in General TV & Media?

 

[Deckerd]

I would rather live in a country that does neither.

 

[Timo]

...Except that you wouldn't, as sex is a prerequisite for you existing.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Philo]

Yeah, exactly what's wrong with sex now?

I would think that sexual repression is worse for a culture than tasteless or unrestrained sexual content. Of course, unrepressed sexuality is probably less likely to be tasteless.

 

[Deckerd]

...Except that you wouldn't, as sex is a prerequisite for you existing.

Timo Saloniemi

The two choices were specifically allowing children access to inappropriate TV. In what way does preventing this endanger the future of the human race?

 

[Timo]

I'd see role models as important for the sexual development of any person. Deprivation of such models would appear to automatically lead to perverted development, be it a biased description of sexuality in TV (which in many other ways is unbiased and lulls the kids into accepting it as reality) or a conspiracy of silence on the part of the parents.

Sexuality in TV is inappropriate? I fear it isn't a long leap from there to saying that sexuality is inappropriate, period. Which means no more Deckerds.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Deckerd]

Sexuality in TV is inappropriate? I fear it isn't a long leap from there to saying that sexuality is inappropriate, period. Which means no more Deckerds.

Timo Saloniemi

You're being deliberately disingenuous. The question is specifically 10 year-olds and under. It it wasn't 'sexuality' it was sexual content (which I took to mean the sex act). Sexuality, as you well know, is something else.

 

[Timo]

Sexuality, as you well know, is something else.

Actually, I don't, not really. What is sexuality if not the dealing with the fact that we're built for copulation and procreation?

Anyway, I'm far from convinced that it would be a bad thing for those under ten to witness consensual copulation, be it on TV or in the bedroom of their parents. Mankind managed for thousands upon thousands of years without the dubious benefit of separate copulation rooms, after all.

And by deliberately issuing an omerta on sex acts, TV would certainly be implying that sex acts are bad, driving all sorts of perverse notions into those impressionable little heads.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Deckerd]

I guess you don't have kids Timo. You'll just have to take it as read that parental sex is non-existent when you do.

It's up to parents to decide, of course, when their children receive their sex education but I suspect the vast majority of them don't want their 10 year-olds to 'find out' by watching some soft porn on TV; for the sheer hyperbole alone if nothing else.

 

[Kegek]

The former... just because I'd rather kids watched Pulp Fiction than Superbad. Really no other reason. (Didn't Pulp Fiction have sex in it, though?)

Timo is being a little disengenuous. The absence of sexuality on TV doesn't really effect children; puberty kicks in sooner or later and that has a considerably greater effect. Saying otherwise is overrating the omnipotence the box.

 

[greenmystik]

I guess I'm going with having them watch sex rather than violence. This is a tough poll though. While I don't think I would want my 10 year to watch either, if he did see any on TV I prefer it be sexual rather than violent.

 

[Geoff]

I guess you don't have kids Timo. You'll just have to take it as read that parental sex is non-existent when you do.

Buh? I assume you mean that parental sex is non-existent from the viewpoint of the children. There is, after all, such a thing as being discreet.

Otherwise... damn, you have my sympathies.

 

[Carpe Occasio]

What about no graphic violence or explicit sex? Hitchcock movies had none, but were still great films. Hitchcock use to say that the audiences imagination was much better than anything he could put on screen. And yes, I know what you're thinking. What about Psycho? In reality you saw almost nothing. You never actually saw Janet Leigh nude (at least not the important parts). You never saw the knife go in. All you saw was a little black and white blood going down the drain.

 

[Captain Kate]

Pulp Fiction is an odd choice for this purpose, if memory serves there's some weird sexual stuff in there as well. You need to pick a more straightforward gory action movie.

That aside, there's loads of pretty violent kids' shows etc, but you don't generally see graphic sex in programmes for the ten-and-under market.