Presumed shooter: James Holmes appears in court, July 23.
Movies Reflect
Violence in Society - Not the Other Way Around (SueddeutscheZeitung, Germany)
“America will once
again debate concerns and allegations that have grown up around violence in
movies or video games, and the all-too-easy access to firearms. … The dispute
could be more aggressive this time, amid the crisis atmosphere of a demoralized,
polarized America. The film reflects the brutal truth: the exhibitionism of
violence it displays is taken directly from society.”
On Friday night, shortly after midnight, terror returned to
Denver, Colorado. In 1999, it was a massacre at Columbine High School in
Littleton, a town near the city. Now comes a brutal shooting in Aurora, a
suburb of Denver. Twelve people have been killed, dozens more wounded. America has
grown accustomed to seeing such extreme acts of violence.
But this one is more frightening than those of the past, as it
took place in a cinema during the screening of a film: The Dark Knight Rises,
the final chapter in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. The terror began
on-screen, with the hijacking of an airplane. Shortly after this scene, the
off-screen terror began.
Posted by Worldmeets.US
The Dark Knight is the big summer movie event, and
the mood is hot. There were packed midnight performances across the country –
and many fans came in costume. The potential for empathy and compassion is
enormous.
America will once again debate concerns and allegations that
have grown up around violence in movies or video games, and the all-too-easy
access to firearms.
The dispute could be more aggressive this time, amid the
crisis atmosphere of a demoralized, polarized America. The film reflects the brutal
truth: the exhibitionism of violence it displays is taken directly from
society.
