Are people drawn to violence?
I don't mean the age-old wives tale that video games cause violence. I mean... after examining much of the entertainment available to us, there is a trend of violent behavior that lurks beneath every story.
This is something I've been contemplating for a while. One of my family member's favorite TV shows are The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. On the basis of those alone, my question still stands. Are people drawn to violence? Specifically, are people more likely to watch a movie or TV show, or read a book if they know someone is going to die? Both of these examples had built-in fanbases before they got their start on TV, and from what I understand, The Walking Dead had an incredibly intricate story in which death was not the main focus, but more of an occupational hazard of living in that world. Whenever it made it's transition into TV, however, the material strayed far from the graphic novels and is basically now violence porn. Yet people still tune in religiously. The same goes for Game of Thrones, although after reading the first two books in comparison to the first two seasons alone, the amount of violence is pretty similar. Yet people have been reading the books for years.
The unofficial motto for Game of Thrones fans is don't get too attached. Author George R.R. Martin is famous for killing off beloved characters, and the show's directors/producers seem just as bloodthirsty. The difference is, The Walking Dead (TV show) amplified the amount of gore each season so as to outdo themselves from the season before. Game of Thrones has always been saturated in violence, both on the page and on the screen, yet it's television fanbase keeps growing. It's so natural and expected that we're desensitized to the horror of it.
I'm not exempt from this either. One of my favorite shows is Supernatural. As of I think it was season twelves, with twenty-three to twenty-four episodes per season, there are something like five episodes in which someone does not die. Meaning it is more unusual for no one to die in an episode than it is for someone, even an unimportant side character, to wind up dead. For me, I know I'll probably continue watching because I've learned to love these characters and admire their development. Is it the same for the other shows? There's, like, a dozen people from the first season that are still alive in the current season. *Spoiler* That's including ones who have died and been brought back to life. Yeah. Wrap your head around that for a second.
I know this has turned into a rant, but at times it disturbs me the levels of dehumanization we are willing to endure in order to be entertained.
-Grace
