If we compare today’s movie and TV shows content to those in the past, it is obvious to see that it is getting much more brutal and violent. Yet, there has been no outcry, no petition to stop it, we are actually consuming more content than ever before and loving it. It is evident in TV shows such as Game of Thrones or movies like Saw that the violence we are seeing and consuming is only going to get more and more brutal and disturbing, however we do not bat an eye at it. Even the very real violence we see on the news or on the Internet hardly makes us blink. But why is this so? Why are we so used to these levels of violence even though they are new to us?
One of the primary reasons is our desensitization to violence.
We see violence everywhere in our lives, whether that be the daily news reporting on violence across the globe, to movies and TV shows that almost glorify violence. We are so used to seeing it that we do not bat an eye at the next violence movie or TV show that comes out.
With this desensitization, we are able to induce a feeling of excitement, thrill and/or suspense when we see violence. These feelings are what make us keen to see movies with more violence, to up these feelings to the next level, and to feel the action.
Violence in movies and TV show is no special thing and has been around forever, however it is getting much more prevalent and brutal. People love to see it because we are desensitized and it provides us feelings of excitement, thrill and suspense that we usually cannot get in our own normal everyday lives.