jerry

Jerry: I’m not going to debate with you about the merits or demerits of watching R rated films.

I think we both agreed that was not the crux of the comments, but we should not be self-deceived that our (the Church’s) participation in these events has no effect on society as a whole.

You are free not to watch them, I am free to watch them.

I already indicated that I watch R movies from time to time.

I guess it just goes to show that no matter what the plot or how bad the dialogue I will tune in to a film where the bad guys get eaten up by .50 caliber machine gun bullets, in a variety of ways, and the hero lives (Oh, and where a once pacifist Christian grows a set and bashes in the head of a child of Babylon).

I still see lot’s of luv for vicarious violence in your original post but am still missing any intended sarcasm even after the 3rd read.

As this was basically a stream of consciousness post I understand we should take it for that and not a thesis on any given topic, per se. But this is the inherant danger with “mind dumps”. But I don’t think any casual reader could get sarcasm out of the Rambo section. Anyhoo, where is that dead horse graphic from a few months ago when you need it, eh?

Peace.

I think you are reading way too much into my statements. Films are critiques on culture as much as reflections of culture. I watched Rambo at home. I knew what I was getting into. But if you are going to persist in your line that I am a hypocrite for watching it and then decrying it then I am going to insist that you didn’t read everything I wrote concerning what I watched or why I was writing in the first place–which was, to ‘cast all my anxiety on him because he cares for me.’

I’m trying to nicely say that you are missing the point of my post if you focus only on that one paragraph. You are correct though: It is hard to get sarcasm from a printed word and since you don’t know me that well, you are likely to miss it.

Furthermore, my motivation for watching the film is beside the point. I’m not going to debate with you about the merits or demerits of watching R rated films. You are free not to watch them, I am free to watch them. Period.

PS–I watched it for the humor.

jerry

I am as guilty of this as anyone, but we decry the violence in our society and yet we constantly watch are are entertained by vicarious violence; i.e, we (myself included) are a part of the problem. Did you go to the Rambo movie for entertainment or to critique it for others?. Did you not know an R rated Rambo movie would contain significant violence before you went to see it?

PS–I nowhere suggested that I was deriving vicarious pleasure from watching the movie. It actually filled me with significant horror and sadness.

Jerry, I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but how does one get that flavor from:

The film wasn’t the best Rambo I have ever seen: the dialogue was full of cliche, too fast, too predictable. Furthermore, I tend to disagree with the idea that nothing changes–even though I have argued otherwise here and elsewhere in the past. But the violence and horror and blood: Oh, it was glorious!

As we cannot read your thoughts, only what is written, what is the logical conclusion the average reader would draw from your statement: “it wasn’t the best Rambo I have seen . . .but oh violence and horror and blood: Oh, it was glorious”?

Anyway, again, I do the same thing but at some level we have to realize we (the church) are a part of the problem.

Oh and I read my Bible… umm that too.

“I don’t really want to get into the whole R rated movie thing. I see some R rated movies (usually the sci-fi kind) myself. But I think we do have to realize the vicarious pleasure and/or entertainment we derrive from watching violence in film is not Christ-honoring and that we as a society (myself included) have become desensitized from all the violence we do see on a regular basis.”

I think this statement is to miss the point I was making, but that’s OK, you are entitled to your opinion even if your opinion misses the target of the conversation.

jerry

PS–I nowhere suggested that I was deriving vicarious pleasure from watching the movie. It actually filled me with significant horror and sadness. (I guess your explanation also explains the huge success of the Passion of the Christ. That is, the only reason people watched it was to derive vicarious pleasure.)

I’m sorry. Was that off topic?

no, just delicious.