More Than A Movie: Ethics In Entertainment

One does not necessarily have to cluck in disapproval to admit that entertainment is all the things its detractors say it is: fun, effortless, sensational, mindless, formulaic, predictable, and subversive. In fact, one might argue that those are the very reasons so many people love it. At the same time, it is not hard to see why cultural aristocrats in the nineteenth century and intellectuals in the twentieth hated entertainment and why they predicted, as one typical nineteenth century critic railed, that its eventual effect would be to over turn all morality, to poison the springs of domestic happiness, to dissolve the ties of our social order, and to involved our country in ruin." said Neal Gabler, the author of Life in the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality. I agree with this quote, that entertainment is mind numbing and lessen the values of our society. Back in the nineteenth century, entertainment was something that actually stimulated their minds,

In 2017 a top selling movie was released, by the name The Greatest Showman. The movie is an original musical that show how a man from nothing was able to create a spectacle show. In a flashback to P.T. Barnum childhood, we see him and his father Philo, a tailor who works for the Hallet family. During this time Barnum becomes to fall in with their daughter, Charity. She is sent off to finishing school, Barnum reminds her that they will not be separated. During this part Barnum and Charity are singing “A Million Dreams.” (Showman,5:11-11:15). The two of them eventually get married and have two kids of their own. Barnum loses his job as a clerk, this is when he dreams to open up a museum, called Barnum American Museum. It wasn’t looking so good

1. Sobchack’s argument pertaining to on -screen violence that she wrote thirty years ago was that any violent acts portrayed in movies back then was to emphasize the importance of an element in a story, an emphatic way of engaging the viewers and forcing them to feel what the movie was about. It gave them a sense of the substance of the plot which would allow them to feel for the characters and yearn for good to overcome evil. In other words, the effort made to engage audiences through depictions of violence created violence that was artistic and well done, or as Sobchack writes, violence was “aestheticized.” Violence was incorporated into film in a stylistic

Society has been subjected to many violent acts over the course of its history. Although violence is immoral and wrong, somehow people everyday condone and commit violence for countless reasons. Many Hollywood films glorify mindless violence to their advantage and captivate audiences through its entertaining shock value and rake large box office profits. Car chases, crashes and glorified gladiator sword fights are all familiar scenes in which violence is portrayed in an unrealistic glamorised manner.

During the film Antwone Fisher (Black, Haines, & Washington, 2002) the therapist who worked with Antwone seemed to have Antwone’s best interest at heart, but still managed to violate some ethical codes. One of the first violations that I noticed was when he tried to terminate therapy with Antwone after only three sessions. Whereas he initially informed Antwone that he was only required to see him for three sessions, as the sessions progressed it seemed obvious to me that Antwone may need more, and even asked to come back for a fourth session. According to the 2014 American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics, A. 11.c. Appropriate Termination, “Counselors terminate a counseling relationship when it becomes reasonably apparent that the client no longer needs assistance, is not likely to benefit, or is being harmed by continued counseling.” I think that the therapist trying to terminate therapy with Antwone after three sessions was an obvious violation of this ethics code as it was not in Antwone’s best interest, especially given how much distress it caused him.

In his book, More Than a Movie: Ethics in Entertainment, F. Miguel Valenti examines nine “hot buttons” of violence – “creative elements that filmmakers use to manipulate viewers’ reactions to onscreen violence.” (99) These elements, posited by researchers conducting The National Television Violence Study (Valenti, 99) are “choice of perpetrator, choice of victim, presence of consequences, rewards and punishments, the reason for the violence, weapons, realism, use of humor, and prolonged exposure” (Valenti, 100) .

Neal Gabler’s 1998 book, Life the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality, brings up controversial questions about the necessity or unnecessary want of entertainment. Scholars may claim that entertainment breaks family bonds, undermines community, and decreases people’s integrity. Certainly, entertainment in the 21st century in the form of movies, video games, and social media are more widespread than ever. However, not all forms of enjoyment are obscene; sports, television shows, and fan conventions can promote social involvement, reduce stress, and improve collaboration skills.

In the movie A Better Life, the Main Character Carlos Galindo is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who started working as a day labor worker when he first arrived in the country, however he has had steady work from Blasco Martinez who owns a gardening business which he tries to convince Carlos to buy from him as he says he is moving. The idea of being self employed is very appealing to Carlos but he knows he can never afford to do so and the risk of getting caught and deported is very high. Carlos has a son Luis who is reluctant to go to school on a daily basis and gets into trouble as he is influenced by his friends who are part of the

When we think of pop culture, especially in movies we think of celebrities, fashion, and tag lines. While Do the Right Thing (DTRT) by Spike Lee has maybe one of those, but its powerful themes, characters and presentation turned it into one of the most notable films ever. It heavily employs the interactionist approach by showing different cultures interacting with one another, and making major points of their own stereotypical racial biases, bigotry and degrees of discrimination, as well as the initial signs of gentrification which culminate into series of ever intensifying events that forever change the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Sty). DTRT utilizes metaphor of heat and pop culture themes of music, fashion and racial conflict, to address real social, economic, institutional and political inequities that still plague our society today.

Quentin Tarantino is well known and often criticized for his depiction of violence in his films. Although at times graphic, Tarantino’s violence holds a purpose. This paper will look at two films, Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction, and their depiction of violence and the aesthetics used. It will also look at classic film conventions and ultraviolence aesthetics used by Tarantino.

Despite the controversy created by the game show Twenty-One for being rigged, I believe it is not a matter of ethics but rather a matter of "what you don't know wont hurt you." It is not unreasonable for networks to want to produce a show that is exciting for its audience. In a world where ratings mean everything, you have to have a show worth watching, something that keeps people interested. I understand lying is wrong and it was definitely unfair to the losers of the show but I really don't understand why it was such a big deal. Of course this is because I live in a different time. My generation of TV is filled with lies, but lies sell! One really good example of this is shows like Long Island Medium, it's clearly fake but there are tons

Now more than ever, we are susceptible to the influence of these atrocities and we choose to let them over power the glimmer of dignity that those with morals cling to. This became exceptionally clear to me when on the way to church camp, our driver began to sing along to one of these over-sexed songs. There's nothing quite like hearing the woman who would later lead your Bible study wailing "blow my whistle" to open your eyes to societal ruin. With the ideas and behaviors hinted at in movies, music, and television filling the gaping holes where the traditional values of previous generations once solidly stood, it's implausible to honestly say that there is nothing wrong with state of humanity.

Social institutions such as that of family, religion, education, economic and political standings, are set standards or patterns of governing within society. In many cases, this is used to rule over others, in matters of wealth and hierarchy. These social institutions are important because they provide some structure for society. However, not all forms of structure are appropriate. Many of these behaviors are used to control

The arguments presented in this book are clear and organized in a logical manner. Among the different writers whose works are featured in the book, they offer different examples to explore the genre of horror films from different perspectives. The writers also attempt to explain the how modern day horror film are related to certain themes of blood and gore, and the relationships between pornography and horror film among other things.

The film, Fight Club exemplifies various ethical dilemmas relating to cultural standards, organizational structure, and ethics systems.  These ethical dilemmas are presented through both personas of the main character, Tyler Durden.  The situations that he faces can be related to real-life ethical issues that are relevant today.  Fight Club illustrates many ethical notions that tie strongly to the culture of the organization and the situations that arise.