The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > Shooting down arguments against tough gun laws > Comments

Shooting down arguments against tough gun laws : Comments

By Andrew Leigh, published 26/6/2014

In the decade up to 1996, Australia averaged one mass shooting every year. Places like Hoddle Street, Queen Street, Strathfield, Surry Hills, the Central Coast and Port Arthur all became synonymous with killings in which five or more people died.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. Page 6
  8. All
Continued

Now to your claim that Rambo was not really violent because only one police officer was indirectly killed by Rambo.

In First Blood, Rambo...

Viciously attacks several police officers in the movies opening and escapes from lawful custody. He subsequently stabs another police officer, uses a ruse to make another police officer shoot another one, impales another on panji stakes, causes another to fall from a helicopter where he is killed, ties another officer to a tree, bashes another on the head, shoots a civilian dog handler and kills his three dogs, assaults a bystander and steals his motorbike, runs two police vehicles off the road (one is seen to explode after impact with a safety fence) throws a National Guardsman from a moving truck, commits two serious acts of arson, steals government property, possesses an illegal weapon, shoots up many shops in a town with an M-60 machine gun, and breaks, enters and steals from a gun shop.

What a man! No wonder "Rambo" knifes became so popular. Like so many products advertised on the screen, the manufactures know that many people in movie audiences are desperate to model their lives on their on screen role model heroes. Any product associated with the role model hero is sure to sell.

The problem is, that some will try to emulate the on screen role models behaviour as well.

Two weeks ago in Canada, two police officers were ambushed and shot dead. I wonder what grievance the perpetrator felt he was avenging over that massacre?
Posted by LEGO, Sunday, 6 July 2014 6:42:16 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Reality check Lego! I was responding to your line “...but today's violent movies where heroes shoot down the people they despise all over the place (including the police in the "Rambo" FIRST BLOOD movie)...,” With emphasis on “…where heroes shoot down the people…”
Spare me the straw man argument “…your claim that Rambo was not really violent because…”

My sole argument was that in First Blood, Rambo (the hero) shot down no one, and only caused the death of one, and that in self-defence.
Neither I, nor Wikipedia, are aware of him shooting the Dobermanns’ handler, and using the body of someone with intent to harm you, as a shield from further harm, is not “shooting someone down”. In war you never blame the enemy for instances of friendly fire.

Also the challenge was to name a film, not to give arguments against violent films.
To paraphrase what I said earlier, please read these posts without any preconceived notions of what you are expecting to read.
Posted by Edward Carson, Sunday, 6 July 2014 12:03:18 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Apologies for the tardy reply, Edward Carson, but I have been unwell lately.

I have a copy of "First Blood" and I watched it while I responded to your last post. I stand by everything I wrote in my last post describing the killings, shootings and stabbings in the movie. You seem to be suggesting that you have never seen it, and had to use WIKI in order to get a summary of the action. I forgot in my last post, that Rambo also shot down the small town police chief with an M-60 machine gun, and is about to finish him off when his former CO intervenes.

Modern societies are incredibly complex. There are entire law libraries laws governing nearly every aspect of human civilised behaviour. There are tax laws, company laws, criminal laws and a host of civil laws enacted by every layer of government. Within such a controlled environment, it is not hard to understand how many people can have a sneaking admiration for those individuals who completely flout any law or convention, and do as they please. This public admiration for on screen role model heroes is what the movie industry capitalises on. Of course, mature and well socialised people with average intelligence understand that the on screen heroes complete lack of legal and civilised behaviour is simply for entertainment. But people exist who are not any of these things, and violent role model heroes who are publically acclaimed as Real Men, give these immature, poorly socialised and not real bright individuals a script on how to behave in order to get the recognition and respect they crave.

Do you think it is right to shoot, stab and assault police officers, or kill them by running them off the road? If we as a society say "no!", then why do we allow the entertainment industry to produce movies like "First Blood" which justifies revengeful lethal violence towards police officers, as well as a plethora of other serious criminal activities, by an on screen role models hero?
Posted by LEGO, Tuesday, 8 July 2014 7:42:32 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. Page 6
  8. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy