Lately, I have been seriously bothered by one specific question. What is the reason violence is so much more accepted in our culture than sex? And don't tell me it isn't. Yes, most people agree violence is bad and sex is normal. But where we encounter the problem is publicity. Ryan Gosling, who was one star of the movie Blue Valentine, mentioned something along these lines in an interview and it got me thinking. Blue Valentine barely avoided an NC 17 rating because of sex scenes. As Ryan said, why is it that you can show a woman being beaten, or even raped, and get an R rating no problem, but as soon as you show her getting pleasure, they try to slap you with an NC 17? And not just violence against women, but violence in general. Movies starting at PG warn against violence, even if it's just "cartoon" or "fantasy" violence. Look at some of the video games kids play. And as most people what they'd rather see: A person being beat on the street or two people having sex on the street, and I'm sure most people would pick the former.
To me, that's weird. Beating someone is an act of hate, an act of violation, something destructive. Sex, when consensual, is something natural and loving and the essence of creation. Why is it more acceptable to see people fight than see people have sex? Wouldn't we rather expose our children to love instead of hate? Now, I'm not saying all children should be told to watch porn or anything like that. But, in my opinion, I'd much rather my children see a sex scene than a war movie.
But maybe that's just me.
