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Why are people typically attracted to Gore and Violence?

Wake

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Examples of gore is SAW and Final Destination.

Examples of violence is, strangely, most video games. It seems everything's about a battle this or a fight that.

Why is this?
 
It's human nature, and isn't a new occurrence. Just examine art throughout history, and it is just as violent as those movies.
 
I am not into that stuff. I hated SAW..
 
Ring around the rosey,
A pocketful of posies.
ashes, ashes.
We all fall down.

It's a children's rhyme today, but that's pretty gory.
 
Ring around the rosey,
A pocketful of posies.
ashes, ashes.
We all fall down.

It's a children's rhyme today, but that's pretty gory.

This is true.

If it were possible I'd want to know why it's in our human natures. When I watched SAW 2, I felt compelled to watch the others even though it was intensely disturbing gore. Ugh..
 
Please don't spam. Instead, why not discuss this issue maturely? It would definitely save your credibility.
 
I find that most violence in film is so exaggerated that it's as much of an escape as any other hyper-reality genres. Take Final Destination- it's not to be taken seriously in any way, I spend the entire film trying to guess when a death will happen. That said, the 'horror' gener isn't one of my favourites, I tend to prefer... well, characters and interesting plots.
 
I too like characters and interesting plots. This subject is tricky imo because it's unrealistic to remove all violence and gore from society, whether real or not. It's also unrealistic to further control such aspects. One thing that does bother me is that if gore and violence on video is not real and therefore wrong, then can't that sam principle apply to rape, sex (already does), and other such things?
 
Violence, at least the threat of violence, generates adrenaline and endorphins in the brain that give us pleasure. There's nothing wrong with it. That's why people get on roller coasters and bungie jump. Watching violence on TV or the movies gives us a safe means for generating those endorphins. We get the positive effect without any risk of injury, plus we know that what we're seeing on-screen is fake and no one had to be actually harmed to give us the experience.

It's harmless and a part of being human. Don't worry about it.
 
I like violence, but not gore. Violence, to me, is a conflict. A really intense fight between two opponents. Especially a sword fight. I love that stuff. A violent conflict is the clash of two opposing wills, attempting to gain supremacy until the ultimate victory where one triumphs over the other. But gore is about pain. Gore is the damage to a person's mind or body. The torture that is depicted in movies like Saw or Hostel are not the conflict of two wills, but one will mercilessly destroying the other. I like conflict and dislike suffering.
 
I like violence, but not gore. Violence, to me, is a conflict. A really intense fight between two opponents. Especially a sword fight. I love that stuff. A violent conflict is the clash of two opposing wills, attempting to gain supremacy until the ultimate victory where one triumphs over the other. But gore is about pain. Gore is the damage to a person's mind or body. The torture that is depicted in movies like Saw or Hostel are not the conflict of two wills, but one will mercilessly destroying the other. I like conflict and dislike suffering.

That's reasonable. In fact, I agree.
 
I recommend realing "A Terrible Love of War" (James Hillman), and the study of human psychology. We are naturally conflicted due to our dual natures. It's a natural part of our psyche, and balances out its opposite trait.
 
Look at what we know about the evolution of humans. We went from essentially being in the wild as hunter gatherers - which involved chasing game, forming hunting teams, and contests of strategy and prowess - to domesticated urbanites within less than 10,000 years. We are naturally going to have those survival mechanisms left over that need to be expressed. Expressing them is natural and necessary. I believe this so much that I think a lot of the dysfunctional and deranged behaviours that we see in densely populated areas is partially linked to lack of proper outlets for our basic natures.

The desire to fight and engage in violence is part of the human psyche. The difference between now and 10,000 years ago is that we have developed tools, knowledge, and a level of awareness where we can channel that aspect of our nature in healthy ways: by exercising, taking part in structured fighting disciplines that involve competition and sparring, and simulated reality (games).
 
I think it's because most people function like animals. Animals are reactionary, seeking gratification for baser urges. Aggression and conflict are a couple of the oldest reactions in the history of life, probably finding their origin with the advent of multicellular organisms. As Cephus pointed out, this gratification releases endorphins and adrenaline. Thus, individuals often become hooked in a cycle of gratification and disappointment, the dualistic struggle of the human condition.
 
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