I was deluged yesterday by the news of 71 people shot and 12 dead in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The movie-goers had paid hard-earned money to see a midnight premiere showing of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. The long-anticipated movie was described by one commentator as “incredibly violent.” And the audience flocked to the theater, some wearing costumes, some even carrying small children.
When the gunman, dressed all in black and carrying weapons, entered the theater, one survivor recalled, “I thought it was a joke or part of the show…and then I knew it was real.”
So where is the disconnect? Why is incredible violence on the screen considered entertainment? But when it is real, it becomes a horrific tragedy?
This is truly a horrible and tragic event. But why, when we celebrate and even encourage extreme violence in movies and video games, are we horrified when it happens in real life?
Indeed, after the carnage, the young man boasted to the police as he was arrested that he was “the Joker.” He assumed with a sense of pride the dark identity of a comic book character, emulating not a noble hero of what is good and right, but a villain who was consumed by arrogant wickedness.
Continual exposure to violence fades the line between fantasy and reality. A visual image produces a deep imprint on the brain, a remembrance written in permanent marker. That is what makes movies and video games so impactful, never to be forgotten. And the extreme tragedy that happened yesterday was the result of those images taking root and bearing logical –and tragic --consequences. On the surface, it was promoted as fun and games. “It’s just a movie.” “It’s all just for fun.” “It’s not REAL.”
But this time, it was.
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