Film and its impact on reality

Film and Its Impact on Reality

As I listened to the radio over the weekend it was joked about by the two hosts of the show that there were many Walter White copycats appearing, particularly, in the USA. Published on multiple websites including USAtoday.com[1], gawker.com[2] and crimewire.com[3]. The problem of copycat criminals is one of the most obvious by-products of consuming popular media[4]. The manifestation of the values demonstrated throughout the medium are echoing crimes and behaviours of a fictional world through the reality which birthed such fiction. The most recent and obvious of these fiction-made-reality waves of, what could be considered extreme role play, is that of the mimicking of the actions of anti-hero Walter White from the television series “Breaking Bad”[5].

(Stills from the show Breaking Bad and photos of convicted copycats)[6]

The trend of mimicking the actions of fictional characters and situations has long been part of the culture surrounding audio/visually aided media. The release of films such Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film A Clockwork Orange and David Fincher’s 1999 film Fight Club provide some of the most explicit examples of the relation between criminal influence through media. The mass distribution and access to the content of these films has allowed for the effects of audio/visual mediums to become exposed in their truest forms. In 1974 Kubrick withdrew his film from circulation after receiving many death threats due to the malicious and extreme content of his film as well as the increase in teenage rape and violence which was mirroring the situations of the film.[7] The same is true of Fight Club which saw the emergence of many privately regulated illegal fight clubs established on the same premise as that presented in the film.

(Still image from YouTube video of a Union Square Spartans fight)[8]

The history of film is littered with examples of people who connect with film media and its characters on all sorts of levels. The engagement one has with film and television content has been studied extensively and it has been noted that the exposure to violence from early ages produces

                (a) more positive judgments of violence as a solution to solve problems, and

(b) less advanced moral reasoning[9]

The question which must be raised is then; how should a society function? Through prevention of crime through censorship or the harshening of ramifications when crimes are committed in a copycat fashion. The restriction of one’s ability to engage with audio/visual media opens a door to censorship of all other elements of expression.

Avoiding mass censorship it is easily deduced that the behaviours acted out by the characters of these films and television programs are obviously inappropriate for the cohesion of a society. It is the context in which these activities are placed that create an element of acceptability within ones moral consciousness. With reference to the columbine massacre Simon wrote that there was much chance of similar events now occurring as this notion of a fad could emerge from the perception of the actions.

A fad is a type of imitative behavior carried out by numerous individuals within society, usually independent of each other.[10]

Thus, is it the behaviour itself, or the inability to truly regulate a sense of lawful morality against the influence of popular media. The battle facing society is that the question of free will to access media potentially undermines, and can actively encourage anti-social/criminal activity to erupt, especially within the younger community.  The active idolization of criminals such as Walter White and Tyler Durden (of Fight Club) present a challenge to the legal system and its foundation. The moral foundation of what is right for optimal social cohesion is undermined by the film and television industry and as a result a lesser respect for the society, and the legal system, we exist in is created. The action of role play is slowly becoming more popular as people retreat in into the fictions societies they desire to apart of.[11]

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[1] Ryan, Patrick (2013). Real-life crimes echo 'Breaking Bad'. Available:http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/09/19/breaking-bad-real-life-crimes/2782635/. Last Accessed Date:04/05/2014.

[2] Lange, Maggie (2013). Just Like Walter White: All the Breaking Bad Copycats. Available:http://gawker.com/just-like-walter-white-all-the-breaking-bad-copycats-650018326. Last Accessed Date:04/05/2014.

[3] Welter, Ashley (2013). 7 Breaking Bad Copycat Crimes. Available:http://blog.instantcheckmate.com/7-breaking-bad-copycat-crimes/. Last Accessed Date:04/05/2014.

[4] Felson, Richard B.  (1996).Mass Media Effects on violent Behaviour. Annual Review. 1(22), 117-118.

[5] Breaking Bad 2008, television broadcast, AMC, USA, 20 Janurary. Presented by on AMC channel

[6] http://gawker.com/just-like-walter-white-all-the-breaking-bad-copycats-650018326

[7] Kathy Marks (1993). Trial fuels 'Clockwork Orange' controversy. Available:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/trial-fuels-clockwork-orange-controversy-1471070.html. Last Accessed Date:05/05/2014.

[8] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2447677/Nepresent w-York-fight-club-earns-YouTube-fame.html

[9] Krcmar & Valkenburg referenced by: Krcmar, Marina & Curtis, Stephen (2006).Mental Models: Understanding the Impact of Fantasy Violence on Children’s Moral Reasoning. Journal of Communication. 53(3), 464.

[10] Simon, A. (2007).The Application of Fad Theory To Copy Cat Crime: Quantative Data Following the Columbine Massacre. Psychological Reports. 100(1), 1234-1235.

[11] This concept is epitomised in the notion of cosplay which see individuals legally assuming the temporary identity of fictions characters:

Authors: Rahman, Osmud Wing-sun, Liu Cheung, Brittany Hei-man (2012).“Cosplay”: Imaginative Self and Performing Identity. Berg Journals. 16(26), 317-342.