Notes from Socratic Seminar-Unnatural Killers

FROM STEVEN:
•Murders were supposedly provoked after the persons involved went to a movie theater.
• Subject says that she saw a demon and that’s when she shot.
• Many recorded killings after the movie
• A focal point of the discussion revolved around a movie that many think prompted the killers to act.
• “The more you are exposed to something and you are around it, the more likely you are to act.”
• Some cannot distinguish between entertainment and reality.
• Author of article believed that there were only 2 ways to avoid problems:
o Boycott
o Place responsibility on Hollywood
• Many are entertained by movies, therefore boycotts do not always work
• “Filmmakers don’t say ‘oh, how twisted can we make this movie’… They say ‘how entertaining can we make this movie’”
• “I wonder why our culture is so attracted to murder”
• Curiosity about killing
• Producers of movies aren’t trying to do anything but make money. We are endorsing these movies by buying tickets to see them.
• If one producer is sued, people will try to sue every moviemaker because every movie can be tied to violence.
• “How many murders have been caused by alcohol and drugs, but we aren’t shutting down the breweries.”
FROM KELLY:
The discussion is about movies that make people want to kill after watching the video. Horror movies are for entertainment instead of ideas from the movie to commit murder. People who watch movies and go and kill are people who already had the idea of killing in their head before the movie they just get the idea from the movie to kill sooner than there braking point.