The Human Condition

Hey - ho! Again, I seem to get further and further away from the topic of my sad ex-love life with another completely different post. This one is based on the fascination that people have on gore and extreme violence as entertainment, and what it is that draws our attention.
I jes' got back from the flicks, and as usual saw something with a considerable amount of gore and violence. As disturbing as it was, it was also entertaining. WHY?????
It's sick, grotesque and morbid, but yet I was entertained, even more so because it was in 3-D. As a human being, why do I delight in watching other human beings being dismembered, hacked to bits and vaporized? It never really never dawned on me until tonight, that we as a society are seriously disturbed! Why do we wanna see that shit?
I started watching horror movies from a young age, and the horror genre has always been a favorite of mine. But why is that? Why am I drawn to watching some one being butchered as entertainment? And I know I'm not the only one. We all seem to be drawn to it.
Admit it, when ur cruising down the highway and you see an accident, u slow down and try and sneak a peek of what's going on. You wanna see the severed head laying on the side of the road. You wanna see white sheets with red stains on them.
We all love to go to the movies and see blood and guts, especially 'round Halloween. I build my Halloween celebrations 'round jack lantern's, junk food and horror movies, the bloodier the better. We all have this fascination, whether you wanna admit it or not! We're all morbid little bastards!
You want proof? Statistics show that horror movies make more money by far than any other genre, whether it be in the theatre or in DVD form. Check out ur local video store, there are scads of movies in the horror section that haven't even been seen the big screen, but on those shelves are all of the Oscar winners to the underground movie buff. Other than the morbid goodies u'll find at ur local video shop or movie theatre, there are websites, magazines, novels and comic books, all dedicated to horror. Blood and guts is big time, both for the consumer who wishes to partake in the macabre, and to the industry which produces it. We are a society that loves to see our own kind slashed and gashed.
At first, I thought it might be the fact that for the lot of us, it's the thrill of being scared that draws us to it. That rush we get by having the bejesus scared out of us. The racing pulse, the deepened breaths, the moment of sheer excitement of being scared. But then I thought further on the subject and found something that jes' might blow that theory right outta the water. Horror films in general aren't that scary.
Maybe I'm jaded from watching them from such a young age, but when you really think about it, are they really that scary? I'll bet your answer will be, "not really". And what about action/adventure films? There's plenty of blood, guts, and violence in them, and they aren't even meant to be scary in the slightest.
And when we're on that proverbial highway and see that accident, are we scared by it? Prolly not. In fact, rather than being saddened by the loss of life and showing respect by not gawking at the arms and legs being gathered up by a shovel, we crane our necks to see what ever else there is to see.
So therefore, it obviously isn't the "scare factor", that drives us to find blood and gore entertaining, it's something within us that leads us to seek it out and be entertained by it.
So, what is it about said topic that interests us? Truth is, I haven't the foggiest idea. I can't ever hypothesize a reason as to why. It's jes' how we are. It's the human condition. It doesn't legitimize our morbid curiosities, nor does it explain them. I guess the whole world has been so jaded by seeing so much blood, death, and destruction, that it doesn't really disturb us. It somehow peaks our interest, and the rest has already been said.
And are we able to control our urge to see such depraved carnage? Who knows? But maybe, jes' maybe, we can try. Well, that is until the next time we see an ad for a new movie filled to the brim with brain splatter, that entices us back to the theatre, then off to races we go once again. It's just our human condition. God help us all!!!
Until next time, sleep tight!