“fiction doesn’t affect reality!!!” catcher in the rye inspired three different murders
Here’s the problem with your statement: Being inspired by something does not equate to causing something. You’re using the “Slippery Slope” logical fallacy (which, ironically, is a favorite amongst overzealous fundamentalist conservatives). By your logic, you’re placing the blame for an incident of a child jumping off the roof in the 90′s on Wile E. Coyote.
Bear with me here, folks: I’ve become increasingly tired of seeing the argument that “FICTION IS REALITY!”, and I think it’s time to stomp some sense into it. It was bullshit when they tried to use the same argument against video games in the 90′s, it was bullshit when they tried to use it against horror movies and heavy metal music in the 80′s, and it’s bullshit now.
Let’s talk about the criminal mind for a moment. It has been shown time and time again that criminals and abusers have a lack of function in the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for controlling our impulses, connecting our actions to their consequences, and having empathy for others. Now, there are those out there with low functioning in these areas that never harm a fly. Why? Because there are more ingredients required to create an abuser. How? Not by “problematic” works of fiction: They are primarily a result of broken homes, traumatic experiences, and–most importantly–parental abuse/neglect.
Parental influence (or lack thereof) has been directly linked to lack of function in the brain, and behavioral issues, meaning that their time in the crib had a far greater influence on them than anything they will ever read, see, or hear. When
nature and nurture have come together to create a psychopath, they have
molded an individual that is disconnected from reality in a very
dangerous way. It takes many factors working together to create people capable of committing abuse. No amount of fiction changes a person’s upbringing, genetics, or brain function. These are not average people–they are damaged. They are a very, very small minority of people that are fully, completely aware that their behavior is wrong–they simply lack the inhibition to not go out and do it, and the empathy to care. They would be this way regardless of the media they consumed, and removing them from it would change nothing, except potentially causing them to actively seek out the real thing, which–unlike fictional media–causes real, physical harm.For your homework:
- http://bigthink.com/insights-of-genius/why-we-love-violence-in-fiction
- https://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/30/why-do-people-like-violent-movies/53211.html
- https://elflands2ndcousin.com/2012/12/04/the-anatomy-and-value-of-fictional-violence/
- https://www.edge.org/response-detail/23745
TL;DR: Not everyone who reads fiction even has the ability to act out in ways they know are morally wrong: A well-adjusted person (including most with lower-functioning empathy) knows and understands the consequences for such behavior. They are still able to connect their actions to how they may affect others, which–in turn–keeps those actions in check. The people that do act out inappropriately are already broken, and would act out regardless of whatever they see or hear (especially if they are already into or past adolescence, as the majority of brain growth takes place from infancy to early preschool).
You’re screaming at the wrong people. Teenage girls writing fan fiction aren’t going to go on to abuse anyone (except maybe their own self-esteem). The people that might? They wouldn’t give a fuck, no matter what you say–THAT’S LITERALLY WHY THEY ARE THE WAY THEY ARE. THEY DO NOT FUCKING CARE.
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