I think that violence is a way to support the argument that technology has a limit and should not pass it. When technology becomes too strong, it will destroy the person who created it. It is seen through this movie by Max becoming almost like a machine. He kills people without any feeling of remorse. Machines do not feel the same way that humans do. Humans take time to heal and feel the pain. There are many parts where Max will have bullet holes or huge openings in his body and he will recover from those in seconds. This shows the difference because he cannot feel the pain or have to deal with it because it will just go away.
Violence is a good way to make people actually listen or force them to do things. If someone just told Max to kill people, he would have done it. Through the use of violence, it intrigued him to watch a show that would soon take over his body and control him. It controlled Nikki’s sexual behaviors because she was fascinated or “turned on” by violence. Her sexual pleasures were controlled by violence, such as the cuttings or cigarette burn to hear skin. Also, violence also allows audiences to focus on the issues. People are normally disturbed by humans hurting other humans. It is a classic way to get emotion out of a person watching what is happening before their eyes. If things are not as direct, people will not take them seriously. But with the type of violence that Videodrome showed, it definitely makes me think because I have never watched violence for fun or for any reason actually. I don’t like it unless it is completely fake, like cheesy violence. It definitely strikes a nerve because it is different, and that is why we had extreme class reactions to the movie. And that is why Max was fascinated because it was so different.
This infection part of the question is a little hard to grasp. I guess that Videodrome was an infection because once someone was exposed to the video, they would be controlled by it. This is very much a typical type of infection on literal terms.
Overall, these ideas combine to show the true problems with technology. Technology became too strong and people were killed. This shows the negative side of technological advancements. There is a limit.
About Me
- Aubrey
- San Francisco, CA, United States
- Public Relations Professional and The University of Texas Alum - Hook 'em! I am a recent graduate from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Public Relations.
1 comment:
I really liked a lot of points you made! Firstly, the fact that Cronenberg is trying to say technology should have a limit. I thought he was just associating negative emotions with the idea of the body and technology, but I agree it is also a limit. He is not saying that television in general is bad, he is just saying that what is shown on it should be limited or regulated because "tv is the retina to the mind's eye." Secondly, the idea that violence is a way to get people's attention. Personally, I feel that we are okay with "cheesy" or fake violence because we know it is not real, which is the exact point Max makes. We can play video games and "kill" people because we know we are not really killing them. I believe that because Videodrome shows a scene that actually has happen and does happen in our world we are affected and want to turn away. In my opinion, the fact that Max could watch it and engage in such acts with Nikki, even after he found out it was real, is what makes it infectious. It infects those that know what it is and don't turn away in disgust.
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