Delta4Embassy
Gold Member
Watching a for-tv version of 1984's "Revenge of the Nerds" last night it occured to me that there was a lot more nudity and sexual content in movies not too long ago than there is now. And far more graphic violence. Being a devotee' of Dr. Prescott and his work studying the link between violence and sexual repression, what he wrote back in the 70s seems prophetic now.
"These figures again raise the question of the special relationship between sexuality and violence. In addition to our rape statistics, there is other evidence that points to preference for sexual violence over sexual pleasure in the United States. This is reflected in our acceptance of sexually explicit films that involve violence and rape, and our rejection of sexually explicit films for pleasure only (pornography). Neighborhood movie theaters show such sexually violent films as Straw Dogs, Clockwork Orange, and The Klansman, while banning films which portray sexual pleasure (Deep Throat, The Devil in Miss Jones). Attempts to close down massage parlors are another example of our anti-pleasure attitudes. Apparently, sex with pleasure is immoral and unacceptable, but sex with violence and pain is moral and acceptable."
Article: Body Pleasure and the Origins of Violence
Indeed movie trailers for violent films appear all over tv, yet not one for a purely sexual film. And even the 'softcore' adults-only films on Cinemax, The Movie Channel, Showtime, and HBO show less frontal female nudity than regular films of the 80s. And none of them show a man's penis. Yet premium channel series like "Spartacus" and "Game of Thrones" do show male nudity but also a great deal of graphic violence. It's hard to imagine such a series coming out that was strictly sexual pleasure-based though Showtime's "Masters of Sex" comes close.
Is it then merely coincidence that we have such a violence problem in the USA. The research suggests it isn't. The research in fact proves conclusively as violence increases, pleasure decreases, both in the brain itself, and in practice.
"Laboratory experiments with animals show that pleasure and violence have a reciprocal relationship, that is, the presence of one inhibits the other. A raging, violent animal will abruptly calm down when electrodes stimulate the pleasure centers of its brain. Likewise, stimulating the violence centers in the brain can terminate the animal's sensual pleasure and peaceful behavior. When the brain's pleasure circuits are 'on,' the violence circuits are 'off,' and vice versa. Among human beings, a pleasure-prone personality rarely displays violence or aggressive behaviors, and a violent personality has little ability to tolerate, experience, or enjoy sensuously pleasing activities. As either violence or pleasure goes up, the other goes down."
Some hope looming though perhaps as states legalize soothing drugs like marijuana. Long-known for inducing calm peaceful states.
"Another way of looking at the reciprocal relationship between violence and pleasure is to examine a society's choice of drugs. A society will support behaviors that are consistent with its values and social mores. U.S. society is a competitive, aggressive, and violent society. Consequently, it supports drugs that facilitate competitive, aggressive, and violent behaviors and opposes drugs that counteract such behaviors. Alcohol is well known to facilitate the expression of violent behaviors, and, although addicting and very harmful to chronic users, is acceptable to U.S. society. Marijuana, on the other hand, is an active pleasure-inducing drug which enhances the pleasure of touch and actively inhibits violent-aggressive behaviors. It is for these reasons, I believe that marijuana is rejected in U.S. society. For similar reasons heroin is rejected and methadone (an addicting drug minus the pleasure) is accepted."
One might argue then, that one of the simplest ways to combat our nation's violence issues is to legalize marijuana across the board. Faced with further futile restrictions on guns, conservatives would likely support such legislation if they could keep on playing Rambo, and liberals would support it being perhaps the biggest pro-marijuana demographic anyway.
But eventually we're going to have to choose which we want, a violent depraved society that's cruel, or a happy and peaceful one not as repressed about sexuality as we are now.
"These figures again raise the question of the special relationship between sexuality and violence. In addition to our rape statistics, there is other evidence that points to preference for sexual violence over sexual pleasure in the United States. This is reflected in our acceptance of sexually explicit films that involve violence and rape, and our rejection of sexually explicit films for pleasure only (pornography). Neighborhood movie theaters show such sexually violent films as Straw Dogs, Clockwork Orange, and The Klansman, while banning films which portray sexual pleasure (Deep Throat, The Devil in Miss Jones). Attempts to close down massage parlors are another example of our anti-pleasure attitudes. Apparently, sex with pleasure is immoral and unacceptable, but sex with violence and pain is moral and acceptable."
Article: Body Pleasure and the Origins of Violence
Indeed movie trailers for violent films appear all over tv, yet not one for a purely sexual film. And even the 'softcore' adults-only films on Cinemax, The Movie Channel, Showtime, and HBO show less frontal female nudity than regular films of the 80s. And none of them show a man's penis. Yet premium channel series like "Spartacus" and "Game of Thrones" do show male nudity but also a great deal of graphic violence. It's hard to imagine such a series coming out that was strictly sexual pleasure-based though Showtime's "Masters of Sex" comes close.
Is it then merely coincidence that we have such a violence problem in the USA. The research suggests it isn't. The research in fact proves conclusively as violence increases, pleasure decreases, both in the brain itself, and in practice.
"Laboratory experiments with animals show that pleasure and violence have a reciprocal relationship, that is, the presence of one inhibits the other. A raging, violent animal will abruptly calm down when electrodes stimulate the pleasure centers of its brain. Likewise, stimulating the violence centers in the brain can terminate the animal's sensual pleasure and peaceful behavior. When the brain's pleasure circuits are 'on,' the violence circuits are 'off,' and vice versa. Among human beings, a pleasure-prone personality rarely displays violence or aggressive behaviors, and a violent personality has little ability to tolerate, experience, or enjoy sensuously pleasing activities. As either violence or pleasure goes up, the other goes down."
Some hope looming though perhaps as states legalize soothing drugs like marijuana. Long-known for inducing calm peaceful states.
"Another way of looking at the reciprocal relationship between violence and pleasure is to examine a society's choice of drugs. A society will support behaviors that are consistent with its values and social mores. U.S. society is a competitive, aggressive, and violent society. Consequently, it supports drugs that facilitate competitive, aggressive, and violent behaviors and opposes drugs that counteract such behaviors. Alcohol is well known to facilitate the expression of violent behaviors, and, although addicting and very harmful to chronic users, is acceptable to U.S. society. Marijuana, on the other hand, is an active pleasure-inducing drug which enhances the pleasure of touch and actively inhibits violent-aggressive behaviors. It is for these reasons, I believe that marijuana is rejected in U.S. society. For similar reasons heroin is rejected and methadone (an addicting drug minus the pleasure) is accepted."
One might argue then, that one of the simplest ways to combat our nation's violence issues is to legalize marijuana across the board. Faced with further futile restrictions on guns, conservatives would likely support such legislation if they could keep on playing Rambo, and liberals would support it being perhaps the biggest pro-marijuana demographic anyway.
But eventually we're going to have to choose which we want, a violent depraved society that's cruel, or a happy and peaceful one not as repressed about sexuality as we are now.
