To jump sixty years would mean skipping the youth movement of the 1960s-1970s, a time when violence became depicted in a more off-hand way. Thankfully for me, there has been no shortage of moral panic from the 90s onward. The rise of filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and David Fincher saw violence and curse words thrown to maximum. The era of edgy kids had yet to abandon us, only by this point their clothing sagged beyond what should be considered normal human capacity. They went to see Pulp Fiction in 1994 and… found their people? I would hope not. 

What they hopefully found instead was an endless supply of memorable lines, compelling characters and gripping monologues. According to certain parents, however, the level of violence was simply too much. Depictions of murder, heroin use and rape run rampant. What has often been referred to as ‘gratuitous violence’ quickly became a trademark in Tarantino’s filmography and remains so to this day, prompting endless debate over whether or not his films pose a danger to impressionable minds. Upon Pulp Fiction’s release, even US presidential candidate Bob Dole felt the need to condemn Tarantino as “a purveyor of mindless violence” (1).

When asked, Tarantino always responds similarly: “Whenever there’s a problem in society, blame the playwrights: ‘It’s their fault; it’s the theatre that’s doing it all’” (1). Once, when asked why he insists on implementing gratuitous violence, he responded by proclaiming: “Because it’s so much fun!”. 

Despite him clearly intending to create an escape through his use of cartoony violence, there still remains debate surrounding the danger of his films. This debate differs from past moral panics, including the one surrounding the gangster genre. It is one that has fizzled out slowly as onscreen physical violence slowly became accepted to a degree – although it still remains a nuanced debate. 

As to whether concerns surrounding film violence are justified or irrational, it turns out I’m not too sure. This was certainly a much broader topic than I thought it would be. I was so ready to go with the irrational route and leave, but without the myriad of evidence I was expecting, it became a complicated question once I reached the 90s.

I attempted to improve upon my pitch by bringing in a clearer focus – by honing in on two periods of moral panic, rather than all of them. Through the blog structure, I hoped to also convey my mindset as I trudged along, building up to an answer I eventually came to realise I don’t have a definitive grasp on.

In short, I’m never going into politics with these debating skills.

Bibliography

Drew, C. 2022. “17 Famous Moral Panic Examples (2022)” HelpfulProfessor.com, 2 Apr https://helpfulprofessor.com/moral-panic-examples/embed/#?secret=DYeVpVhFV5#?secret=ZWFFeEGJIC

Jones, E. “Joker and the Long History of Movie Moral Panics” JACOBIN https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/09/joker-and-the-long-history-of-movie-moral-panics

(1) Doyle, J. 2014. When ‘Pulp Fiction’ Bloodied American Cinema, OZY, 10 Oct https://www.ozy.com/true-and-stories/when-pulp-fiction-bloodied-american-cinema/35295/

Reinberg, S. 2019. Movie Violence Doesn’t Make Kids Violent, Study Finds, Health Day, 18 Jan  https://consumer.healthday.com/public-health-information-30/violence-health-news-787/movie-violence-doesn-t-make-kids-violent-study-finds-741747.html