There is no doubt that violence in contemporary television shows has always been a prominent feature. In Tuesday's lecture, Professor Harris mentioned popular crime and investigation shows, such as
CSI and
Criminal Minds. These shows are
pervaded by explicit violent acts, including grisly murders, shootings, stabbings, and other wicked acts of violence. But in some way, there is a Christian undertone in these crime and investigation shows, where the protagonists' primary goal is to solve, and ultimately prevent, crimes from recurring, thus reinstating the good within society.
Another show that shares the same concept with said crime and investigation shows but contains more of a Christian-oriented theme is none other than
Dog the Bounty Hunter. Duane "Dog" Chapman and his family of bounty hunters capture fugitives for a living, where they would receive monetary awards after each successful capture. The incorporation of violence is mostly attributed to the use of force when a fugitive resisted arrest. Although the portrayal of violence is more seldom in
Dog the Bounty Hunter than in
CSI or
Criminal Minds, the idea is still the same: use violence to stop violence.
However, Christianity is more blatantly depicted in the show. Before they set out to capture a fugitive, Dog and his family would huddle together, hold hands, and pray for their safety and protection. Moreover, after a successful capture of a convicted felon, Dog would sit beside them and have a personal one-on-one talk, where oftentimes he would lecture them about their mistake of committing the crime and he would question them as to why they did it. However, he would always encourage the captured fugitive to become a better person and to change their ways for the better. This concept is quite similar to
Criminal Minds;
since the show focused more on the criminals rather than the crimes, the Behavioural Analysis Unit (BAU) would often go more into depth with the suspects' personality and personal history and how it may have instigated them to commit the crime. Ultimately, this signifies the important Christian characteristics of prudence, understanding, and compassion.
So if the utilization of violence is contradictory to Christian belief and practice, why is it often included and emphasized in contemporary television shows with Christian undertones? Thoughts?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing up such parallel themes in the media. I have never watched the Dog the Bounty Hunter yet from what you described, it is relevant to the discussions we have had in class about violence in Christianity and popular culture.
ReplyDeleteYou ask, “if the utilization of violence is contradictory to Christian belief and practice, why is it often included and emphasized in contemporary television shows with Christian undertones?”
When you say the use of violence is contradictory to Christianity, we need to understand that this is a very broad statement. Violence has been a great part of our history and faith.
Because our world has become so normalized to violence (as Trothen has argued), it has become an inherent part of our human culture. Even in early Christianity, as we have seen through the crucifixion of Jesus, violence helps us makes things certain.
What I think violence brings to Christianity is a very powerful message. Violence shows people how serious they are about something, because if we are willing to undergo pain then we truly believe in what we are doing or saying. A good example is professing your love to someone. When someone wants to prove their love to another person, they are willing to go to painful extremes in showing this. That is where expressions like “fighting for love” come from. Sacrifice and suffering also fall under this category. For instance, when we love someone, we are willing to take their pain upon ourselves.
Anyways, why am I talking about love and violence? Well, although Dog the Bounty Hunter might be violent, arrogant in his language, and have an unethical past, we can see that his love for the common good is expressed in the violence he undergoes throughout the show.
So back to your question of why violence is so prevalent in shows with Christian undertones, even though violence is rejected by Christian beliefs? It seems that violence can be an avenue for expressing one’s serious commitment to Christianity, or the belief system it upholds.
So yes...violence is necessary is this case to express Dog's commitment to his faith.