Monday, February 21, 2011

Dexter

As far as TV series go, I have watched and currently watch several, for I prefer them over movies as I can keep on watching. They don't end abruptly leaving me to wonder what the fuck is going to happen next?
Anyway, I have already discussed two that I really really like (Dr who and Stargate) But there is another show that I would like to discuss

Dexter

While the other two posts have been the reasons why you should totally watch those shows, this is more like a Why This Show Should Never Have Aired. And I'm not looking to offend any fans, I'm just bringing to you my petty thoughts on the topic.
See the basic plot of Dexter is this guy who is a psychopath, works in FBI or something and in his free time kills peopl. Basically he is a serial killer. But here's the twist: He only kills those who he has deemed evil or who have done some serious crimes.
Which is suddenly supposed to make it all better?
Before anyone is going to bitch about anything, I will tell you that I have seen two and a half seasons, I think. I have seasons 1-4 on DVD but I just can't bring myself to actually watch the rest, for I can no longer justify it to myself. This guy kills people and the whole show makes it look normal, just like another day at the office.
And I know, I know. It's just a TV show, nothing to freak out about. If I don't like it I can just switch the channel or close the window and go on tumblr. Or you know - blogger.
But still I feel like ranting today and you are being subjected to it. So suck it.
Anyway, my point is that this show makes it looks like it's somehow okay to kill someone if you feel the need to and that someone is a criminal. And you know, if you do it right, you will probably get away with it.
That's not okay! Again, this may be just a movie but there are people out there who fall into the traps of television and can no longer tell which is real life and which is fantasy. There may be poeple out thre who watch that and for some reason identify with the lead character. There may be kids out there who just want to "feel what Dexter feels" for the show describes the feeling of killing as something amazing.
And even if those people do it and are caught, and by god I hope they would at least get caught, there are still human lives lost. And I get it, there are human lives lost all the time, but why don't we ever see that show focusing on the victims families? Most of the time even the cruellest criminals have some kind of homes, parents, maybe even sisters and brothers. We never see that there are people left behind, people in grief because someone close to them has died.
Every human life is valuable. Why don't we ever see that show pointing that out?
From wikipedia I got this quote:
CBS added parental advisory notices to its broadcast promotions, and ultimately rated Dexter TV-14 for broadcast. The show premiered on February 17, 2008, edited primarily for language and scenes containing sex or the dismemberment of live victims.

My god. Dismemberment of live victims? And we really call this show okay to watch for ayone under 79 who still has their eyesight and doesn't have to wear a hearing aid?
We keep going on and on about how there is so much violence in cartoons and stuff that kids watch that are mostly centered on the good guy catching the bad guy? I'm not saying that those cartoons are okay either but this show is just plain wrong!
I guess in the end it is still up to everyone individually, if they want to watch it but just keep the stuff you read in mind while doing it.

Oh, right to sort of prove my point or to make it clearer that there are already three cases in witch the tv show is believed to be indirectly or directly the result of someone killing someone.

On December 3, 2008, Twitchell pleaded not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder of 38-year-old John Altinger, whose body is still missing. Twitchell filmed footage for a production of House of Cards (entirely unrelated to the British production of the same name), a horror-romance similar in tone to Dexter, in which he allegedly murdered Altinger. Det. Mark Anstey of the Edmonton Police Service was quoted as saying, "We have a lot of information to suggest he definitely idolizes Dexter." In the summer of 2008, Twitchell had posted a series of ominous Facebook statuses in which he "believed he had a lot in common with Dexter Morgan".


In November 2009, Andrew Conley, 17, was arrested in Rising Sun, Indiana, in connection with the death of his 10-year-old brother, Conner. In an affidavit filed in Ohio County court, police said that Andrew told investigators that he identified with the character. "Andrew stated that he watches a show called 'Dexter' on Showtime, about a serial killer," prosecutors said in an affidavit. "He stated, 'I feel just like him.'" Conley is now serving life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.



On 3 February 2010, Faiza Ashraf was killed by Håvard Nyfløt in the area of Solli near Asker, Norway. Håvard Nyfløt commented that he was inspired by the TV series.

Yeeeeah...

-Kelly

5 comments:

  1. I am offended by this post u_u
    "So suck it" is not the way to address your loyal reader(s). *is offended* u_u

    As for the Dexter part, never watched it, never will. It's probably just as crappy as you described it. I don't fully agree with the dangers of watching it, though. If a person's going to go nuts and start killing others, they're twisted beyond repair before and a single TV-show can't be blamed. The whole frickin' media is full of murder and violence and a single show won't make a difference. If you think about it... how many Jaffa have SG1 killed? u_u

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  2. It was meant for the people who don't feel like reading a rational explanation of why I don't like that show but still have decided to read :D

    I agree that it can't be exactly blamed but the fact remains that it's a show about a person who murders others and constantly gets away with it. I mean they can slap a sticker on it saying it's PG14 but can they control it? so they have some sort of child-detector built into the tv screens? I believe that what a child expiriences and sees around him/her at a young age makes them behave very differently, makes them think certains things that aren't okay are normal. Specially if it's a case of an absent parent(s) but that's not my point.
    The show in itself, in my opinion is just wrong.
    Morally and in every other way aswell.
    Just my opinion though.
    Also, fact remains that in SG1 they use violence only as a last resort and techincally they are dealing with a war.
    Of course it's a whole another discussion but nvermind.

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  3. Yeah, sure, it's wrong on all kinds of levels, but so is a lot of the television. I mean, horror movies? Ick. I can't even bring a good example because I refuse to watch anything that involves hacking people into pieces xD Anyway, what I mean to say is that even though the morale of the show might be flawed (or more like nonexistent), it can't be blamed for ruining people. People ruin themselves and each-other, but entertainment plays a relatively small role in their development. The only thing TV can give are ideas, initative and will come from people themselves.

    Other than that, I don't argue about the show being wrong. My advice would be not to watch it. I don't x)

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  4. Meh it's just that everybody seems to know that movies like the Saw and shit are wrong (and please, don't even get me started on that freakshow) but when it comes to this show it seems as if they are trying to mask the wrong-ness and turn it into something good which in my opinion is even worse.

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  5. Hmm. Well, since I've never seen an episode, I can't quite argue with that. Don't really know /how/ they portray it... But still, I really doubt watching Dexter makes people think murder is okay.

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