Yet Another Tragedy – Will There Be A Movie?

My heart and prayers are with those who were injured and killed, with their families and those who love them. This kind of senseless violence is happening all too often these days.

While many will rush to use these broken and blistered lives to rail against the second amendment and call for a ban on all sorts of weapons, let me be the first to defend the first amendment.

It is quite clear that we all have the right to say anything we wish, particularly when it comes to political speech. We have the right to produce any piece of writing we choose, produce any song or video. We have the right to create any kind of film.

Before we launch a full out blistering attack on assault weapons, however, it might behoove us to consider the effect the non-stop violence we see in today’s popular culture has on our youth. It is everywhere, in the movies, in our music, in our books, and on the news.

Many, some of them the very same people who would like to ban guns, will immediately say that movies and television shows aren’t reality, and people aren’t influenced by them. I would hasten to point out that they will then spend scandalous amounts of money on thirty-second commercials because they KNOW advertising influences people.

This writer would be the very last to advocate any form of censorship. The first amendment is one of the most important rights we have. It is the sacrosanct principal which allows this piece to be published.

Perhaps though, upon reflection about this tragedy and so many others in recent times, those of us who produce media in all forms might take a moment to ponder what effect our products have on those who provide our livelihood.

Is it possible for us to create more works that are uplifting? Could we tone down the anger a notch? Could we possibly think about the caring qualities of mankind, those qualities that bring out the hero in us all? Could we endeavor to highlight those qualities in our entertainment product? Perhaps we could think to ourselves, “My son or daughter may see this.” It would be a nice change.