Breaking Bad glorifies drug dealing

reply to post by Restricted


I cite a case of when someone brutally chokes his girlfriend to death and dissolves her in acid while watching an episode of Breaking Bad where Walt chokes someone to death and dissolves them in acid.
Naturally, the majority of you can only talk about how awesome Breaking Bad is.

Well filmed, sure. So was Triumph of the Will.

Is it just crazy people that reenact things that they see on the screen? It's possible. But crazy isn't a concrete thing. At any moment, any one of us could go flywheel loose. It's not just genetic. It's environmental. The things you do, see, and hear.

I could see a movie like "They Live" being persuasive to certain folks with delusions of the reptilians. David Icke had a field day with stuff he lifted from that flick. And his book convinced a bunch of gullible types that the reptilians really existed.

You know, while I've been covering movies, and television, I forgot to mention books. Now, there's a powerful influence. I mean, L. Ron Hubbard, a pulp sci-fi writer manages to convince thousands and thousands of people that they've got thetans inside them that cause all their trouble, and if you just pay him enough money, he can remove them.

I guess if you present a bad idea charismatically enough, some people won't see through the charisma of it to realize that the essential message at the bottom of it is rotten. Now, most folks are bright enough to not listen to something overtly harmful, but there's always a few gullible enough to believe a destructive idea if it's wrapped up in pretty paper. Just enough lunatics to ruin it for the rest of us. People who believe that the villain is someone to look up to. That killing should be idealized.

In the classic days of cinema, you rarely saw a villain as a protagonist. There were some exceptions, but for the most part, they kept a moral code. If a character committed murder, they were going to face justice by the end of the movie. Now, I do oppose the stereotypical "Cowboys and Indians" type movies that sprang up in droves in the 50s and 60s. The usual portrayal of the natives tended to be on the stereotypical side. Sergio Leone films mostly avoided this, and that's why he's such a great director. He managed to breathe depth into characters that could to have been stereotypes. The movies were thoughtful. In The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, the Union and the Confederacy weren't made into cartoons. They were shown as senseless, tragic combatants in a war that pitted American against American.

Ultimately, I don't take offense to your comments of disbelief. You're unwilling to examine the situation objectively, and that's because Breaking Bad is such a huge thing right now. There's a band wagon effect sort of thing inherent in being such a popular show.

reply to post by Grifter42


By your argument, I lick my butt because I see my cat do it.

Sorry, ain't buyin' it.

reply to post by Restricted


Your strawman ain't scaring off many crows. Now, I don't know why you're watching your cat so intently, but that's more than a little strange. And your retort is nothing but a poorly thought up gross over simplification.

Now, if you wouldn't mind, stop poisoning the well. I'm trying to have a civilized discussion here.

There is nothing "strawman" about it. Everyone is or isn't influenced by whatever. Statistically, it's irrelevant. More people do not let TV shows influence them than do. The majority understand it's television, fiction, and not some sort of behavioral guide.

Your argument is hollow.

You may have started the thread. That doesn't mean you own it.

reply to post by TinkerHaus

I just think it's silly that people who are a fan of something, be it a tv series or a movie or a video game, will not acknowledge that it does influence people.

People acknowledge it. They just don't have the anxiety about it that you do. Why is it so important for people to acknowledge it to you?

There are people posting in this thread who say things like "if a stupid person sees something on TV and emulates it, why should we all have to suffer because some idiot can't tell the difference between reality and fiction?"

Nobody said that.

Meanwhile, some of these same people believe we should ban firearms in all capacities, because a tiny fraction of people commit horrible acts with them.

And you know this about some of ”these same people” how? You presume a lot.

What mostly bothers me about this topic is the hypocrisy.

What is the hypocrisy here?

reply to post by Grifter42

However, because I am not especially homicidal, and I'm sane, I would never act on them.

If you continue to watch a tv series in your spare time of your own free will, then aren’t you supporting it? If you think that you can watch something without it being detrimental to you, then you have to let other people make that judgment for themselves, too. Otherwise, it’s just hypocritical. If you think it’s so bad to watch, then aren’t you condemning yourself by watching it, too? If I have a strong objection to the content of something or if I find that something is highly offensive to me, then I don’t watch it. And worrying about who else might be watching it, and what they might do, does me no good.

reply to post by Grifter42

I cite a case of when someone brutally chokes his girlfriend to death and dissolves her in acid while watching an episode of Breaking Bad where Walt chokes someone to death and dissolves them in acid. Naturally, the majority of you can only talk about how awesome Breaking Bad is.

I can’t find anyone on this thread who has tried to tell you that television does not have an influence on people. They are just trying to bring the balance to the other side of the issue. People can and will make up their own minds. I think you are the one not looking at it objectively. As far as someone disposing of a body in acid, I saw that in a movie about twenty years ago. It’s not new. And I read the article and it didn’t say he did it while watching an episode of BB. Also, your views of things and the “examples” of things you cite as proof of your issue are questionable. You jumble a lot of stuff together that is either incorrect or just not accurate. Also, do you always believe everything you read in the news media, or base your beliefs on what’s in the news?

There is a lot more to the influence of television than just “now are you going to go out and do what the characters did”. Breaking Bad seems to have had a great impact on you emotionally. Only you can figure out why you have all this conflict about it.

One person that watches BB thinks it “glorifies” one thing, someone else thinks it glorifies something else. Some people think that the “message” is this, another thinks the message is that. It’s all subjective and open to personal interpretation. When I watched BB, I got a completely different message from it than you did. You could watch BB over again in ten years and come away from it with a completely different perspective or message than you did this time.

reply to post by hellnotes


Because I've seen them post in other threads.

I love how you think because you can break down a post and retort line by line you believe you've accomplished something. I'm not nervous, or antsy about anything. I'm simply trying to point out that it's ignorant to deny that the media people immerse themselves in has no effect whatsoever on how they act in the real world.

I was also able to back my opinions up with real world examples, all you've done is run your mouth.

reply to post by TinkerHaus


Are people arguing that the flicker rate and subliminal messaging of the Entertainment Media Industry doesn't effect them?

Good lord.

Ignorant is right. The idea here is SUBLIMINAL, which means you aren't aware of it. The greatest kinds propaganda that people are exposed to are the ones that make them believe the idea was theirs all along?

You don't think stuff like Dexter or Breaking Bad influences your thinking regarding those subjects?

That people who enjoy movies like Saw for example ( see gore porn ) don't have a problem with identifying violence and torture with pleasure and entertainment?

Good grief TK I would pick your battles on this one. Those who would deny these simple, scientific proofs are not worth the time.

~Tenth

Breaking Bad doesnt glorify drug dealing. You are wrong. Sorry to break it to you.

Idiots go out and do what they see on tv, because they are idiots.

Geez with you people! Metilica made my son cut off the head of the dog we own...LETS GET EM'.
Snoop Dog made my son become a gang banger, then shoot a cop...LETS GET EM'.
GTA made my doper son, steel a car then shoot a hooker...LETS GET EM'.

Sad fact: THE PARENTS ARE THE ONES TO BLAME, OR THEIR LAME ASS OFSPRING!

So parents, if your kid is being bad, its not what he is watching, playing or reading. Its your fault, take the blame instead of placeing it on something that was probably there when you werent you lazy, good for nothing wastes of space!

Put that in your holier than thao pipe and smoke it.

reply to post by Grifter42

I definitely agree that ALL media has an effect on the people who watch it. There is no denying that. What kind of effect is another matter though.

For those already prone to doing such things anyway, the effect is obvious.
For young, impressionable minds, the effect can be diverse. They may not mimic the show itself, but rather the over all tone of what they are watching.
For those not prone to such behavior, the effect could be more a state of temporary depression, or a feeling of anger they don't understand.

Obviously, it is only going to be an extreme minority that will actually act it out. The rest will be affected in different ways.

Whatever the case. The media affects everyone. My big question is then. Why do those of us who are aware of this effect, keep watching it? Is there a feeling of immunity because we know what it does to the viewer? Or is it a guilty pleasure we allow ourselves?

reply to post by TinkerHaus

I love how you think because you can break down a post and retort line by line you believe you've accomplished something.

I was also able to back my opinions up with real world examples, all you've done is run your mouth.

Wow TinkerHaus. Why the personal insults against someone who did nothing but make an observance, and ask you questions? Seems kind of uncalled for. Why not just ignore the post, or answer the questions? Just sayin...

reply to post by TinkerHaus


And I guess you think you’ve accomplished something by being rude and insulting me.

Are you implying that what I had to say has no merit because I didn’t put in links to a bunch of news articles? That is not always the “real world” anyway imo, but that’s another subject. However, if you want me to provide some “real world examples” on something specific, let me know.

I agree with you that television has an influence on people. I have researched these influences a lot myself, including subliminal messages, flicker rates, etc.

I’m just trying to understand why people who watch Breaking Bad are being beaten over the head with it.

Also, I don’t just assume that people are in denial about the effects of television just because they still choose to watch something.

Everybody may not understand about subliminals, etc., but it seems to me that most people do understand the effects and “messages” of television at least in some way. It seems to me that this is common knowledge. I don’t see that people are just bent on denying it. For example, this is why parents try to protect their children from watching certain shows or maybe people don’t watch certain things before going to sleep at night. Another time, they may decide not to watch something because it angers or scares them, or maybe it’s offensive or stupid or whatever.

Since you know the effects of television, do you think people should assume that you’re in denial of it if you still choose to watch something? Or berate what it is you choose to watch?