Fantasy Is Not Reality

I'm listening to Michael Savage right now (why do I do this to myself?) and he is talking about the lack of values in the West. Well, you might ask, what does this have to do with movies, TV shows; i.e., the usual stuff I write about.

It's an issue for this site, because he brought up Harvey Weinstein, the movies he produces, and his stance on the Second Amendment. Basically, Weinstein is anti-Second Amendment. He has said that there should be no guns in America. He has also produced numerous violent films (e.g., True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, the Halloween remake) many of which feature guns. Lots of guns. Savage - and others - have said Weinstein's stance is hypocritical because of the the movies he produces.

Do these critics understand the difference between reality and fantasy? There is no inconsistency between Weinstein's politics (which I disagree with, incidentally) and the movies he helps make. The violence in film is not real. People who criticize pop culture - whether it is conservatives go after Weinstein, liberals going after video games, etc - have their own problems differentiating between what is real and what is not.

If a person is inspired by a movie or game to commit some act of violence, there is already something wrong with them. They are just looking for a catalyst. In the case of Savage vs Weinstein, there is no inconsistency in producing films that involve the use of guns and being opposed to guns in real life.