IS sex worse than violence?

[MrsMo]

In July, after word got out that the video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" could be fitted with an online update to make some of its scenes explicitly sexual, an 85-year-old grandmother in New York sued the company, Rockstar Games, for having failed to rate the game AO (adults only, age 18 and up) to take account of the modification. However, Florence Cohen apparently freely purchased the M-rated version (age 17 and up) for her then-14-year-old grandson, even though it invites players to murder, steal and engage in gang violence and attacks on police. She complained only when she found out that the M version's unexplicit sex and partial nudity could be made explicit. [MSNBC-AP, 7-27-05]
Obviously the Grandmother thinks sex is worse than violence... What do you think?

[Rikku]

I'd have told the old bag where to go, I respect Rockstar games, they do a hell of a job, and its these kind of acts of violence etc. that makes the game sell! People like that really piss me off, nobody is forcing them to look, if she feels its wrong she should just take the game away from the kid or whatever!

[Arlene]

Hmm, boobies or splatered brains, for me I know I pick the latter as being a little more harmfull. Then again, maybe because of all the violence on TV/media people have become so accustom to it that violence on video games for kids means nothing, but the boobies...my god not a lot of that on prime time so society has yet become accustomed to it or to tuning it out.


Or maybe I just love the word boobies...I mean dead cop, gang bang...not fun words to say but boobies...come on!!! So I may be a bit bias in this post...

A

[Rikku]

mmmm....boooobies :p

[Kitz E Kat]

She ain't got much ground's for complaint, as she bought a game for over 17's and knowingly gave it to a 14 year old, she was in the wrong.

For over 17's perhaps the content is OK, but for your general question is sex worse than violence, that depends !

A well constructed sex scene is not objectionable, however that would not cut it with a game such as this!
Where sex is portrayed in a violent manner,then sex and violence are one of the same.

[Arlene]

See I know nothing of video games, never had one never want one so i guess the question I now have, do they show violent sex/rape scenes?
A

[Kitz E Kat]

I think you'll find they do , yeah !

This shit ain't "Alice in Wonderland" :-)

[Arlene]

Then forget boobies and violence, why the hell would you get that crap for a kid! No wonder youth crime is on the rise and these little kids are a moral at best!!!

[Kitz E Kat]

Why would you get stuff like that for a kid ? Most parent's just think its a "game" ! It keep's them quiet, and all their friend's have it , that's why !

If you view any aspect of society , let's say the movie's, a movie that was "contorversial" ten or twenty year's ago is considered "funny" or "cute" or whatever now.

Same applies to clothing, it's a lot more "revealing" than it was 10 year's ago, violence in movie's is a lot more violent now than some year's back.

It's a snowball effect, the real quesion is not what is worse sex or violence , but rather exactly where do we draw the line and say , that's it , we don't cross that , well i think we have crossed that line a long time ago, but nobody really noticed.....

I ain't no prude , but i can tell ya i would hate to try bring up a child in this society , i had to mind a neice for a week , pure hell !!!

I found myself in a new role , that of a "censor" not easy or funny , trying to explain to a 9 year old why i would really prefer her not to buy that magazine , the one with the "horny night's sex article" or some such , clearly aimed at 9 year old's and up , was a fuckin nightmare !!!!!

It was very cleaverly thought out , the cover was just awesome, no 9 year old could resist it , hell it had a free something or other that she "just had to have" , it was really neat marketing , but damm scary for me !!!
The sexual content was way out of her league...

But apperantly not ?

[TreeFrog]

It is an odd one isn't it.
We can market something very specifically at someone who we say should not have it. And perhaps they should not have it, at least not have it shoved in their faces.

In terms of marketing it is OK for us to lean against and really take advantage of fact that a group of people "cant have" something. It is almost as though if the "cant have" aspect was not there then the whole thing would disappear and no one would market at them any more. Millions could be "lost" because these people would no longer hunger for things they cant have, but told they want.

I dont know if it would work or not but the dynamics would change completely.

Think of it.. After a time of everyone getting sick to death on the sweets in the sweet shop, a few would nibble a little every now and then.
It wold be like everyone after the Christmas dinner. "No more.. Please.. No more."

If it was Is sex better than violence:
I would say Yes.. I much perfere a good swing of the cat (pun intended at Kits E Kat for humor only) than a swing of the fists (with or without a cat)

***Please note no animals were harmed or used in this..swing of the cat is an abstraction of a figure of speach relating to having sex.***
PETA eat you heart out. lol


In terms of which is worse:
I have to say it is the combination of sex and violence that really makes me uncomfortable. There is some bad shit in the world, that's just the way it is, but that is one bit of bad shit we could do without
That's my opinion anyway.

Treefrog.

[MrsMo]

I had not considered the violent sex aspect. In that case, the two are equal - just different pictures of violence on the screen. I think the way this is being presented is along the same lines as the whole Janet Jackson boobie (I like the word too A) thing. Everyone was screaming about seeing a pretty girl's boob on prime-time TV (Oh, poor little Johnnie was traumatized!) instead of screaming about the implied violence of having the top torn away.

I also wonder if it's just the American public with their psudo puritanism (advertise using sex, imply sex in everything but DON'T show nudity because our poor virgin eyes will pop out of our heads and our brains will boil) or if it's this way around the world.

[TreeFrog]

Humm.
Sex is an act. A boob is not sex. I like boobs.
They may be found sexy but again that is part of the marketing dynamic. You cant get it so it is something you want. There is defiantly an underlying natural aspect of it but the cant have, cant see, makes it a useful part of the marketing we subject ourselves to.
With the intense atmosphere generated by the images we subject ourselves to the whole thing gets to the point where a boob is a big deal. Also it helps woman feel more special if they have something more personal that is wanted by others. The more it is wanted the better..
I'm sure I'll get flamed for that last point but it stands to psychological reason.

A history of public nudity and the bathing costume:
Before the Victorian time in England it was normal to bath in the river. Bath naked. Half the village or at least most of your friends and family would be there. Naked.
Nothing wrong with it. That is just the way it was. Then came a time when it became fashionable to take a "Holiday" to go to the beach.. people started to do it en mass. Somewhere along the way a few people started to get shy about their bodies. It became polite to ware something. Not for you but for the few that thought it not nice to see flesh. The fashion industry such as it was at the time, was looking for new ways to make money out of its foreign investments in the cotton industry. So the bathing costume was born. And we now carry the baggage of what started out being a money making fashion spin.

This along with the influence of the Catholic church we are led to being as prude/shy/obsessed as we are now.
From the point of view of the Catholics.. well life is scared.. all of it. but if the Catholic empire was to ever go anywhere they had to consolidate some of the wealth. The campaign of sex is bad or however it started was a way to implement a form of contraception.
I think we are in some way less prude now then 30 years ago or even longer but it has a distinct flavour of something else now.
There is an aspect of nudity that is much more shocking than it should be for just seeing a human body. We use it on each other. Marketing is just one place but very often our clothing is part of that use too.

We and our past generations have much to answer for in terms of the baggage we now carry in relation to many things.
Just think... if it was not so shocking to see a boob. how much less fun it would be. how much less we would open our eyes to it. how little it would influence us and our thoughts and actions. Why even Ms Jones would not have anything to complain about when little George sees a boob on prime time TV.

As for Violence.. well it rules.. as in Might is Right. To a large extent it is used to compensate for the inadequate feeling many of us have. There is certainly a natural aspect of a human to want to impress themselves on the world physically but the rest is MIGHT IT RIGHT type of stuff.



But back to boobs that is a much more interesting thing to talk about. lol

[Arlene]

Okay I am now having an issue (who knew):

First I cannot believe that video games show sex, violent sex and general violence. I am amazed at any one who would buy a child that crap and question would you pull for your kid booze and smokes too? No, but video games! To me all three are the same...though I do like to booze and smokes as an adult on occasion, I am making that choice knowing the coniquence of my action, ssame for anything 'diffrent' in the bedroom. I do not think that a child is able to make that choice (though I know some are more aware than others).

Now I have an idea! my g/f caught her son with porn. The normal reaction throw the filth out (he was 13). In stead she sat him down and pointed out that some women do this because they are sure of their bodies and all that, others because they have no other options, these women need to be respected for their desire to work in what ever industry they choose, but that they are someones mother sister daughter. Do not look at them as an image to do things too, but keep in mind that there was a reason they chose that work and money is a hard thing to get a hold of in this day and age. I wonder if we could do the same with video games, the people who make them want money, but have the in ability to treat people as people so they objectify them in cartoon form....or something like that....

What do you think?
a

PS no issues with a boob or peinis falling out cause end of the day, that is just funny and realistic....yes I wore a crapy dress once and something lept out...very funny...never saw someones head blown off so I dont think that is worth a giggle...

[Kitz E Kat]

With all due respect Arlene , when a bloke see's a tasty lady , naked in a magazine, they do not think "this is some mothers daughter" , no way , she is a naked lady with big boobs , and worthy of attention :-)

I just don't buy that as an argument , cos it just won't work , cos i know !!

To try tell a man that you should not look at that image as an image "to do thing's to" but rather view it as something else is just not gonna cut it, the hormone's prevent your view from taking root ....

Ain't nothin we can do about that.

Id take a different approach, id say to the young man , hey she got paid to do that , don't go around thinking that every lady you see is gonna do what she does, that ain't reality , it's just like the movie's it ain't real.

Sure enjoy the picture's for what they are , but don't get them in any way mixed up with real life , normal women just don't pull their clothes off when you click your fingers, would be great if they did ! , but they don't :-(
Till that day arrive's ( i always live in hope !!) , you best respect them, or your gonna land yourself in a whole lot of trouble , and rightly so ....

That may work !

[Arlene]

Understand and accept, I go to the gym for the hot football players and to watch them...hmmmm....football players....hot new zeland rugby player....mmmm, hot andrew....anywho...but as a child, curious child, you can instill a bit of repect and understanding of who the person is your drooling over. That is a person and rape is not something women like or want that scene on the tv is fake and that person is acting, that cartoon was created, in real life that is horrable behavior and not right. i think that a lot of children are lacking the ability to understand that waht they see is not how they should act. don't mouth the cop of when they pull you over, dont feel up a waitress ass and all that. The CBC had a great documentry about sex and society a few months ago. There was one young man, 21, and they asked hom about it, he admitted it was horrible for him, when he lost his virginity he 'sort of' forced himself on his g/f but thought that was okay because they had been together sinse they were 13. Hmm, it was a documentry out of Quebec i cannot remember the name. The guy stated he thought it was suposed to be fast quick and hard and he wiched someone would have talked to him about it.

Off to feed a mates house cats
Arlene

[=BB=]

Maybe the heart of the original news item wasn't really about sex or violence. Some grandmother's are extremely possessive of their grandsons.

My paternal grandmother was very close to me, we were sort of "kids" together, and she took it very hard when I became interested in girls. One memorable night she got a pot of hot water to throw on a couple of neighbourhood girls who were outside calling my name. When my granny got to the front lawn the girls were gone, so she poured the water on an innnocent cocker spaniel named "Prissy".

I think maybe the granny in the story didn't want to see her grandson growing up and away from her. Pretending to blow shite up is no threat to her relationship with the kid, but an interest in cyber boinking could hasten the end of their season of special friendship.

Granny don't mind G.I Joe cheers!

[maryjane]

Maybe the heart of the original news item wasn't really about sex or violence. Some grandmother's are extremely possessive of their grandsons.

My paternal grandmother was very close to me, we were sort of "kids" together, and she took it very hard when I became interested in girls. One memorable night she got a pot of hot water to throw on a couple of neighbourhood girls who were outside calling my name. When my granny got to the front lawn the girls were gone, so she poured the water on an innnocent cocker spaniel named "Prissy".

I think maybe the granny in the story didn't want to see her grandson growing up and away from her. Pretending to blow shite up is no threat to her relationship with the kid, but an interest in cyber boinking could hasten the end of their season of special friendship.

Granny don't mind G.I Joe cheers!
Wow, your Granny had issues!

[SyntaxHeir]

The original Old Grandma Hardcore.

[=BB=]

Actually my grandmother and the grandmother in the story were quite unaware of their own motivation, which by-the-by is rather common in mothers and grannies. Women who are feeling old and unwanted often attach themselves to a son or grandson with all the ardor of a lover - it is pretty easy to understand. That is the reason many mothers are so hard on their daughter-in-laws.

until the spell is broken cheers!

[Kitz E Kat]

I am just a little concerned here , this thread is, "is sex worse than violence" and were talking about =BB='s granny :-)

It's just not right !!!

[=BB=]

I am just a little concerned here , this thread is, "is sex worse than violence" and were talking about =BB='s granny :-)

It's just not right !!!

Oh really? I thought it was predicated on this article posted by the thread's author (Mrs. Mo):

". .an 85-year-old grandmother in New York sued the company, Rockstar Games, for having failed to rate the game AO (adults only, age 18 and up) to take account of the modification. However, Florence Cohen apparently freely purchased the M-rated version (age 17 and up) for her then-14-year-old grandson, even though it invites players to murder, steal and engage in gang violence and attacks on police. She complained only when she found out that the M version's unexplicit sex and partial nudity could be made explicit."

Still looks like a granny jealously protecting her beloved grandson from the onset of puberty and the distraction of "adult" matters.

just below the surface cheers!

[Kitz E Kat]

Just taking the piss :-)
It's an Irish thing !!!

[maryjane]

Oh really? I thought it was predicated on this article posted by the thread's author (Mrs. Mo):

". .an 85-year-old grandmother in New York sued the company, Rockstar Games, for having failed to rate the game AO (adults only, age 18 and up) to take account of the modification. However, Florence Cohen apparently freely purchased the M-rated version (age 17 and up) for her then-14-year-old grandson, even though it invites players to murder, steal and engage in gang violence and attacks on police. She complained only when she found out that the M version's unexplicit sex and partial nudity could be made explicit."

Still looks like a granny jealously protecting her beloved grandson from the onset of puberty and the distraction of "adult" matters.

just below the surface cheers!
Geez, what happened? Did somebody strike a nerve? Man-o-man, it was just a little mild joking! Take something for that, would you?

[=BB=]

Geez, what happened? Did somebody strike a nerve? Man-o-man, it was just a little mild joking! Take something for that, would you?

:confused:???

It's all good . . KK is a good guy, no problems at all. Just responding as though we were on-topic.

no sex worse than anything cheers!

[SyntaxHeir]

I thought we learned from Bush [the band] back in '94, there is no sex in violence?

Sixteen Stone? Everything Zen? Anybody remember?

[Taffy]

Granny love ROCKS! =BB= knows them old ones is great when they takes out the teeth and gives a gum-job.

As Benny Hill said:

"They don't yell and they don't tell,
And they're grateful as hell,
Give me an older woman every time".

However their so wrinkeled that you gotta dip em in flour to find the wetspot, eh =BB=. Do many sleepovers at grannies house?

[Radical Ed]

u speek verry bad thing ur sick man taffy
we respect old people here cos they are many good people
Thanks

[Taffy]

Ed -- I speek yore lingo. I not sick. Granny need luv 2. =BB= luv granny long time. Granny like young =BB=. Granny happy now, granny make =BB= very happy 2. =BB= stop wanking and sneeking up on cat at night.

Me gud fella. You like my granny, Ed? I sell cheep.

[Kitz E Kat]

Holy shit !!!!

[Arlene]

Um have I missed the boat on this topic!!??!?!

As for Granny's mine is evil, so my take on the grandmothers is a little, tainted to say the least. My opinion the Grandmother here needs to step back, and think...she bought the game prob. because the kid was hounding his parents/guardians for it and they would not get it, so granny being a granny got it for him thinking eh whats a little violence, its just a game...then OMG boobies sex and violence.....
Arlene

[=BB=]

You haven't missed the boat, Arlene, you have skillfully steered it back on course.

One theory we haven't considered is the money angle: "An 85-year-old grandmother in New York sued the company, Rockstar Games."

Since the U.S. is the most litigious country on earth*, and suing companies over spilled coffee is like buying a lottery ticket, how unlikely is it that the old lady hoped to score a little scrilla?

Still not really about sex or violence, is it?

if the attorney is late you must cremate, cheers!

*"The U.S. has the highest number of lawyers per capita of any nation in the world." -http://oldfraser.lexi.net/publications/books/econ_free/countries/united_states.html

[MrsMo]

Good point BB, I had not considered the money aspect either. I get a chance to watch some of the "judge" shows from time to time and I am always amazed when people start adding in imagined hurts as a compensable injury. (She kicked me out of the apartment just because I hadn't paid my rent in 3 months. I'm suing for my security deposit, lost time from work and loss of self respect!) Fortunately, I haven't seen any of the shows award money for "emotional distress" but that's because they have one rational judge making the decisions. Put that same case in front of a jury against a large corporation and chances are you'll walk out singing "We're in the money..."

BTW -- the kid suing for loss of self respect walked in with his mother and and they had the same haircut. I couldn't help but think the he caused the "loss of self respect" to himself. :110:

[Kitz E Kat]

@Yeah =BB= , you may be on to something there !
85 year old's gotta eat to :-)

She could have just complained to some authority about the game, no need to sue.


@Mrs Mo , the little i see of that "court TV" thing is really funny , daughter sue's mother over stain on blouse that "ruined" her night , or some such trivial shit , fun to watch :-)

Judge Judy rock's :-)