Does the portayal of sex violence offend you more in TV/Movies?

It is certainly awkward watching some movies/TV shows with my family because of the sexual content. My family really hasn’t cared about violence on television or in movies but they don’t like any sexual content. I know where you’re coming from.

Shouldn’t we be more concerned with our children witnessing violence than seeing a loving act? Personally, I’ve been careful not to expose my children to either one, until they are old enough to handle it.

I just have no idea why the sex is more offensive than the violence. Why is the violence so awesome and the nudity so awkward? Violence is worse, and a little bit of nakedness never hurt anyone (provided its not too cold). It just doesn’t seem to make sense. What was the big deal about the Janet Jackson Super bowl thing?

Garbage in. Garbage out. I’d love to see a study in psychology where subjects are restricted to a certain genre of film and see how it affects their lives.

Because America was founded by a bunch of Puritans and not much has changed since.

It’s funny you should bring that up. Mom loved horror movies and there was never any censorship from her end if the scenes got violent.

On the other hand,flash a pair of breasts across the screen…

I think it stems here in the states from our puritanical roots (sex bad), our nearly constant stream of war (violence necessary), and a really bad Ward and June Cleaver hangover from the fifties (you’ll go blind).

I think @tinyfaery is right. A lot of it is just us being American. I don’t think the same ‘problem’ exists (or not nearly to the extent it does in America) in Europe.

If nudity or sex is included in part of a movie and it is done tastefully, then I don’t really have a problem with it. If sex and violence are intertwined (rape, sexual assault, etc.), I am very unconfortable with that and I don’t see it as having any place in film or anywhere else for that matter. As for violence on it’s own, I’ve never made a comparison to that and nudity and I don’t think one is exceptionally different over the other.

As far as children and teenagers viewing this type of material, it is incumbent upon the parents to talk, educate, and monitor what type of material they have access to and what they are watching.

Only when there isn’t enough of it.

Sex, that is.

I’m more offended by violence.

After thinking about it I think part of it is how close the subject you feel. Sex is intimate, violence is sort of the opposite, so I think we can distance ourselves more from movie carnage and so feel more ok with it.

I just get tired of seeing pools of blood. And, I see a lot of those on my favorite crime scene shows. Guess I am wanting a little less realism in my fiction TV.

I was just thinking about this the other day when deciding whether or not to let my kids watch a movie. My 6 year old is the “hard” one so if it involves shooting, killing, blowing up, or cussing then he doesn’t flinch and I don’t mind him watching it… to some extent. However, if there’s sexual innuendo I tend to steer him away from it, or say the typical, “cover your eyes” which he’s usually already done.

Mostly I do this not because of the sex itself but because he’s a huge pervert. He STOPPED humping things and people when he was 5. Around the same time he would run up, drop his pants, and rub his dick on people then run away laughing. He’s a handful character.

But your question states “sex violence.” I wouldn’t let the kids watch that. Myself, on the other hand, would be front row with popcorn oil.

When my son was younger, what bothered me most was the commercials… whether for Viagra or a program that was being broadcast later that evening, or a movie spot. This is common during sports broadcasts. I understand That the demographic is prime for erectile dysfunction meds, but there are families watching.

@AugustIan: Violence vs. a “loving act” is one thing. But MOST sexual content in films and TV has absolutely nothing to do with love. When 13 year old girls brag about being able to fist themselves, and 14 year old girls are OK with sending pornographic images of themselves via camera phone to 15 year old boys, it is obvious to me that they are being exposed to way too much. (and yes, that is the truth from things I witnessed with my son) Until the Grand Theft Auto and similar video games appeared, most violence that was rated for kids and young teens was self-defense in the classic superhero taking out the bad guys sense. I was fine with that because those are timeless good vs. evil themes.

I’m going to cross my fingers and hope that this doesn’t turn into a “video games are bad” lecture. I really don’t want to get into all that since I think it’s a ridiculous topic.

@Sakata: Not from me. I have purchased and played such games. However, I did not allow my son to play them until I was certain that he was psychologically capable of understanding the fantasy of it… and that does not happen once a certain age is reached. Every person is different, so every parent must be involved and know each child and assess them individually to determine what they can handle. Sadly, most parents in our society are too self-absorbed, so they give the brats whatever they whine for to shut them up. don’t get me started!

i’m more comfortable with violence in movies as in i’d rather see something violent with, say, my mother. but in general, i definitely find violence more – i guess offensive? – than sex in movies. i mean, violence is just negative all around. sex isn’t bad, just not something i want to watch in a movie with a family member or like elementary schooler haha.

Trust me I’m in that hard spot to. I don’t see why they can show a violent scene and then cut away when a guys head is being bashed in or shot, but they can show practically porn later in the same movie. What bothers me even more is when the rating system fails to let you really know whats going to be in the movie and then 13 year old kids see a woman doing a strip tease, think its funny, and end up thinking its okay. It makes me so uncomfortable sitting there watching a 3 minute sex scene and makes me feel like they are testing my intelligence. Why can’t they cut away when they look like they’re about to have sex, do they really think we’re stupid enough that we have to watch the whole thing to get what they are about to do. Unfortunetly people do like it or go because they don’t care and that is why the movies are still going to do it and it sucks. I’m with you I don’t see why is so bad seeing violence when the news is on everyday with images of the war but they have to show a woman topless. Worse of all have you noticed its usually the women who is naked and not the man. Why is that. Why is it such a less of a deal that a woman get naked and not a man. Most men say its because “down there” is all they have while we have two reproductive “genitalia” which is the stupidest argument ever. It’s disrespectful and discriminative and I’m tired of going to see a movie and that happening. Movies are far more better with out it if you ask me.

The portrayal of violence offends me. The portrayal of sex doesn’t, I think violence is wrong, however sex isn’t. I would have no problem with my children seeing a loving act, rather than seeing people being mean to each other. It really bugs me when people ask things and put sex and violence together

Fact from fiction, truth from diction. In the US that is one of the biggest long-standing hypocrisies, especially since the 80s. When it comes to sex the US is like a man before the mirror that forgets what he looks like the moment he turns away from it. Sex is officially outwardly seen as evil and heinous, thus the Janet Jackson Super Bowl snafu, or the constant complaints about Hooters. It is like sex is to be scorned, don’t look at it but it is OK to reference when selling anything from shoes, burgers, breath mints, men’s hair coloring, etc, plus it is almost a staple when setting up a sitcom joke or punch line. And with a wink and a nod you have to be getting tons of it because of no one see you as desirable enough to boink you must be a geek, troll, mud duck, or worse. Your worth seems to be tied up in how much someone wants to boink you. It is also strange that those who are OK seeing the bodies in the correct position doing the correct motion but just covered with a sheet are so put off by seeing it with out the sheet and all the action up close and personal, nothing left to the imagination.

Violence on the other hand is OK, we are a nation that was comfortable with the gun fight, slaughtering people etc, long before we were comfortable showing a naked stomach or belly button. This nation was raised with the gun and the violence it produced so violence had a head start.

People say there should not be sex on TV because we have to protect the children’s innocence. That is a bogus claim because some of the dialogue in Prime Time sitcoms would have caused an uproar in my childhood days. Lucy and Ricky never said the world pregnant, you never seen anyone in bed unless they were sick or it was bed time, and references to masturbation, booty calls, and the likes you never heard. You would not see what look to be a woman giving a man a knob job caught on a traffic cam as part of a show. The words boobs and vagina? Never would you have heard those. There is so much sexual context on TV and in the movies because people want to skirt around it because they think of it about once ever 4 minutes just seeing it in all its glory is bad.

Censorship offends me.