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United States News Title: Hollywood Movies Push Messages, And They’re Rarely Morally Sound (Suzanne Venker, Washington Examiner) There is more than one culprit, and more than one reason, for the moral decline of this nation. But of all the offenders, the entertainment industry and the smut it produces is at the top of the list. There was a time, believe it or not when filmmakers were literally bound by contract to produce films that were morally and ethically sound. Even Hollywood producers knew the messages people absorb via film, television, and music are hugely impactful – and they took their influence seriously. As a consumer of media, you’re not supposed to be a passive observer of the films and programs you watch. You’re supposed to identify with them. Almost everything that’s sold to the public, in any arena, is sold based on appealing to people’s emotions – and this is especially true in movies. The industry’s power (and its revenue) depends entirely on getting viewers to connect to the characters in their stories. It’s a deliberate and calculated move. In light of this, I’d love to know what message the producers of the new Argentine film Desire, which is currently available on Netflix, an online streaming platform available to anyone of any age, wanted to convey by opening their film with a 9-year-old girl masturbating to the point of orgasm in front of her friend while watching a John Ford cowboy film. No, really. What, exactly, was the point of that scene? When the Parents Television Council, a media censorship advocacy organization, demanded that Desire be removed from Netflix on the grounds that it constitutes child pornography, the filmmaker, Diego Kaplan, responded this way: “We work in a world of fiction; and, for me, before being a director comes being a father….Of course, this scene was filmed using a trick, which was that the girls were copying a cowboy scene from a film by John Ford. The girls never understood what they were doing, they were just copying what they were seeing on the screen. No adult interacted with the girls, other than the child acting coach. Everything was done under the careful surveillance of the girls’ mothers.” Oh, well then. That changes everything. The girls’ mothers were there! While I support the goals of the PTC, whether or not Desire technically falls under the category of child pornography is a sidebar. It may, or it may not. But it absolutely falls under the category of “completely inappropriate.” It absolutely falls under the category of “Is nothing off-limits anymore?” It absolutely falls under the category of “Can we show some decorum, please?” Filmmakers stopped being classy or entertaining decades ago. Now the entertainment industry is just toxic. That this film is available to stream with no cultural interference, save for the PTC, speaks volumes about how far we’ve fallen as a nation. There’s only one antidote for a morally corrupt entertainment, and that is for parents to not allow it into their homes. Even films that appear innocuous, such as Frozen and Beauty and the Beast, have a message for kids. The prettier the package, the more insidious the message. The message of Frozen was that a woman doesn’t need a man. The message of Beauty and the Beast is no different, except the recent remake added a gay subplot. One of its characters, notes the director of the film, explores his sexuality, leading to a “delicious payoff” where the character will engage in an “exclusively gay moment.” Notice how innocuous those examples appear now in light of the film Desire? Hollywood will continue to push the buttons as far as you’re willing to let them. Of course, if your values line up with Hollywood’s, what I’m saying won’t resonate. But if they don’t, my suggestion is to find another outlet for family entertainment or stick with the classics. If that makes you feel like a stick in the mud, so be it. Rest assured, there’s nothing wrong with you. But there’s something very, very wrong with Hollywood. Suzanne Venker (@SuzanneVenker) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’ s Beltway Confidential blog. She is an author, speaker ,and cultural critic known as “The Feminist Fixer.” She has authored several books to help women win with men in life and in love. Her most recent book, The Alpha Female’s Guide to Men & Marriage , was published in February 2017. Suzanne’s website is www.suzannevenker.com. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Deckard (#0)
(Edited)
To clarify: The two girls were sisters and were in bed watching the cowboy movie. Both sisters mimic the cowboy scene on TV by sitting on pillows and pretending their pillow is a horse. One of the girls, to her surprise, has what appears to be an orgasm and ends up on the bed in the fetal position. The other sister, not knowing what happened, calls the mother who takes the girl to the hospital thinking she had a seizure, leaving the viewer unsure of what they witnessed. This is the opening scene, so we don't know the girl's history. It's not until later in the movie that the girl, now grown, informs the audience what actually occurred. But, in my opinion, it's still child porn. The girls are made up like JonBenét Ramsey ready to compete in a beauty contest.
If you don't like it, don't watch it and don't let your kids watch it. I don't want people who could only get government jobs to decide what books get written and what movies get made.
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