Saturday, April 25, 2009

Is It Just Me Or...

...does anyone else think that this trailer (actually there are several all rather similar)...

...in any way glamourises violence?

For those who can't see the footage (or don't want to) - it shows convicted criminals discussing their own strength and the horrid things they've intimidated and terrorised their victims with. In the background rock music plays and funky editing splices in scenes of urban landscapes, guns being handled and rippling muscles. How will the victims of these horrible men feel watching their assailants bragging about their crimes on TV? The show is called Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men.

To make a complaint through Ofcom, click here. The show starts on Bravo on Mar 31st and the trailer is already on Bravo and other channels.

1 comment:

JENNIFER DREW said...

No 'it is not me' rather such portrayals of violent men are commonplace. One need only take a casual look at mainstream films made by and for male consumption to see how male violence is excused, justified and most importantly glamourised/eroticised.

But this is a documentary and so it will be 'objective.' What better way of glamourising and excusing male violence and simultaneously promoting it as violence being an inherent aspect of masculinity.

Violent men are commonly portrayed as 'heroes' because they oppose societal attempts to contain and restrict their 'so-called' rights. But going to the root of the issue - male violence is all about enactment of power over other human beings (predominantly women) who are viewed as inferior and subordinate.

There is nothing 'glamourous' or 'erotic' about violence but like fairy tales, it is far more exciting than understanding violence is messy and it destroys lives. So documentary should have sought to examine reasons why so many men enact violence against women and why male violence is eroticised and glamourised. Not give a platform for violent men to boast about their violent acts and prove they unlike violent men are 'real men!'