There was a time when violence on TV was frowned upon. Newspapers ran articles about how TV violence could harm impressionable young kids. And the general tone in society was that we had a problem that needed fixing. That was the 1970s. Fast forward to 2024 and we find that instead of making progress, we've regressed to an even more beastly mindset.
Ancient Rome comes to mind. The Christian writer and saint, Augustine, was one of the few who disapproved of the 'games' at the Roman Colosseum. But on the whole, the masses loved them and the Roman emperors knew it. They used the games to deflect from pressing social problems, or to gain favor for some new war or grandiose construction project.
So let's look at last night's NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers. First, we have what outside the rink would amount to an assault. Here the victim was injured to the point where they had to leave the ice due to "concussion protocol."
And then we have the follow-up 'revenge' fight where the Leaf 'enforcer' Ryan Reaves sets upon the Ranger 'monster man' Matt Rempe who made the initial, unpenalized hit against Ilya Lyubushkin (above).
Most disconcerting is how the fans and the network announcers reward this violence. My God, this is like some dystopian R-rated movie, televised nice and early so the kids can watch everything before bedtime! (In the old days, hockey started a bit later in the evening and I was disappointed if I had to go to bed before a game ended).
Is this sick or what?
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