Gore (not Al)

By John Cabrera on Oct 01 2009

Comments (49)

49 Responses to “Gore (not Al)”

1. Ingrid on 01 Oct 2009 at 7:09 pm #

   

   I love horror movies! But have yet to find one that has affected me quite like that. In my personal opinion, the more realistic the better.

2. Caryl on 01 Oct 2009 at 7:16 pm #

   

   Is the bottom half supposed to be 1 through 5, instead of negative numbers again?

   I have trouble with “hearing” breaking bones… even seeing them. And, especially with displaced eyeballs, especially dangling. I’d be at a 4-5 with each.

   As for the rest, I’m pretty desensitized… unless it’s very realistic or catches me off guard… or is really disgusting. Probably 1-2. And, I’m probably right in there with your (top) negative scale.

   If I think of anything else I’ll add more to it. I’m watching BONES right now… so, something may come up as a reminder, lol.

3. Caryl on 01 Oct 2009 at 7:24 pm #

   

   Basically, anything to do with breaking bones or the eyes… things piercing them, etc. – My biggest squeamish things… or painful torture… 4-5 for all (if I understood your scale correctly). Kind of read through it quickly, while trying to watch a show and cook dinner… Didn’t get home from work until almost 8pm and I’m exhausted and scattered right now

4. chad rullman on 01 Oct 2009 at 7:24 pm #

   

   I never have much of a problem with it, because I know it is just a movie. I get creeped out by real violence. I had a roommate once who watched those Faces of Death movies… I couldn’t watch more than a couple scenes. So disturbing. Like you stated in your opening paragraph, that stuff stays with you. You can’t un-watch it or anything.

   But, movies are movies. It’s latex and goo and corn syrup. I usually find the less gory horror movies more scary anyway. ‘Paranormal Activity’ is a fine example of a modern movie that is very suspenseful and terrifying with very little on-screen violence. The gore, I think, makes things a bit silly and campy.

5. Jules on 01 Oct 2009 at 7:27 pm #

   

   hmm, no surprise to anyone, I’m sure, but I can’t handle much gore. I long ago accepted that I’m a watch-through-my-fingers girl, at the most… but I don’t usually put myself in situations to see those kinds of things. frankly, even reading some of those descriptions made me a little nauseous.

   however, there are some movies/shows I’ve watched that have surprised me- in that I’ve been able to tolerate the gore much better than I anticipated. I think this has to do with how real it seems, and how absorbed I am in the story.

   I am also squeamish about other things than blood-and-guts. violence is a biggie. the giant insects in King Kong made me cry and nearly have a panic attack in the theater. but the biggest thing for me, the thing that will turn me off a show so I never look back, is emotional trauma… I can’t handle Dexter, partly because it’s gruesome, and partly because I can’t… deal with the emotional aspects of that show.

   …um, yeah. so, that’s me. haha. xoxoxo

6. Andrea Schoemaker on 01 Oct 2009 at 8:08 pm #

   

   I can’t do any kind of horror film. I literally have nightmares for weeks afterwards. I just decided that I can’t do it anymore!!!

7. Vanessa on 01 Oct 2009 at 8:14 pm #

   

   Warning, I may be about to sound completely nuts…

   I’m a nurse. I’ve seen my fair share of all sorts of organs, lacerations, blood, gore, surgery, and some of the most grotesque wounds on live people who were speaking to me as I was peering at their innards. No sweat. I can take it. I’ve never passed out or felt like I’d be sick. I’ve held a conversation with a surgeon about his trip to Napa and all things wine as he held a patients beating heart in his hand. BUT sometimes gore, injury, blood and guts in TV or movies will make me go “Ewwww!” and look away. (Still no passing out though, or feeling sick.) It is something about the way the story associates psychological drama with the injury or death (in most cases that give me the squeems) that creates some unsettling response that I don’t get just from blood or guts alone. (Often, when presented with actual injury or death we do not know the patient personally or even know such a detailed story as we’d get in a movie and may, if they are unconscious from the injury or sedation or dead, we don’t see their psychological reaction or suffering as we are treating them at the height of the gruesome appearance of their condition. After the fact, and after we get all the information that we can about what happened, then sometimes we’d say we couldn’t believe that’s what happened or how horrible their ordeal was… had we known the details while treating them I think we’d have a lot of docs and nurses with the emotional reactions you get when you see it in a movie or tv show where their job is to attach emotional triggers to make you feel that way.

   That’s just my opinion, obviously. =)

   Oh wait, there is one exception… eye surgery. That is always gross. Though, not really pass-out or get sick type of gross… just “ewwwww.” But then again, the patients are often in conscious sedation and talking to you so there is that element of tying in emotion.

8. Caryl on 01 Oct 2009 at 8:17 pm #

   

   I guess it’d be better if I gave a scale of mine too, but out of sequence again, I’d say anything realistic to do with animals being hurt too (hit by a car, beaten, stabbed…) would be a 4-5, depending on how much is shown… especially if just hurt in any of those ways and suffering, instead of instant death. I can’t even watch animals killing and eating other animals… I have to turn my head and I feel so bad for the suffering animal being killed even though it’s part of nature.

   Sometimes the sound of any type of gore is worse for me than the sight of it. I’ve been known to cover my ears, close my eyes and loudly sing-song, “la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la” over the part of something gory happening that I know I won’t be able to stand the sound of. It’s very annoying to those trying to watch something with me and I make them miss it too, haha. Only at home – not in a theater or in someone else’s home, of course!

9. Bunny Dunn on 01 Oct 2009 at 9:25 pm #

   

   Good topic John! Here’s the deal with me.
   I am a female, a woman and a mother. We KNOW our own share of guts and gore and we remember it all well because WE are the ones to usually have to clean it up.

   So a film maker really screws themselves over with half the population because as soon as we females see it, it triggers the CLEANING mechanism in us. (I kid you not) I sit there and think stuff like
   … Read More
   1. Who is going to clean that crap up?
   2. Man, I wish I had my 409, windex, Lime Away, CLR, Lemon scented cleanser with bleach, bleach itself,and Janitor in a drum
   (hate that they stopped making the stuff, it was the BEST)
   3. I want to run go get rags, mops, wipes, brooms, dust pans etc.
   4. And of course want to grill and lecture every character on HOW and WHY they have to be so messy? Oh and assign them at least 10 chores each as pennance, just for making me go ‘ewwwwww’.

   I essence you can NOT suspend disbelief in a woman when it comes to blood and gore, it just takes our minds waaaaaaaay
   out of story and into life with our best friend, Mr. Clean.

10. Pauline on 01 Oct 2009 at 9:53 pm #

    

    I’m pretty much okay with the gore in slasher films and the like because it is pretty fake looking and quite frankly, expected. And I’ve never had problems with blood. I’m a diabetic and fine with needles and blood and all that when it comes to myself… but oh man, was I surprised when I was watching an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, the one where Seth Green was a patient with some weird carotid artery issue and he had surgery to repair it. At one point he totally bleeds out and I had the strangest reaction. My body had this awful feeling that it was happening to me, there was suddenly an acidic feeling heat in my throat and excess liquid and I could taste blood. I had a total panic attack and had trouble swallowing for about an hour. Not sure if it has to do with being an empath or if it is just a good imagination but the sensations were instantaneous with what was happening onscreen. I had nightmares for a week.
    I don’t know why I watch the medical shows because they usually have a least one person throw up and that bothers me worse than gore.
    When did puking become en vogue on TV… no, scratch that… why? Why? It serves little purpose to move along the plot to actually SHOW it. It has ruined movies for me going back to childhood with Grease and The Birds (and it was just alluded to in those cases).
    Anyone else have an issue with that Seth Green scene? I’m still traumatized.
    P.S.
    Nice to see a new blog up John!

11. Vanalam on 01 Oct 2009 at 10:14 pm #

    

    I’m lucky. It’s really hard to gross me out. I think that’s mainly because I’m not a visual person. My mind is full of words and sounds and it’s incredibly difficult for me to get a mental image without seeing something in front of me, so images don’t really stick with me. (If I ever say or write anything that gives you a gross mental picture, I’ apologize. I don’t mean to…I just don’t think of it until too late because it wouldn’t affect me.) Of course, that doesn’t mean that I like gore though.

    What does REALLY gross me out (more to the point of nausea than fainting) is anything that is or looks like multiple worms or maggots (which I have unfortunately dealt with in real life twice because of roommates) together. I think this might stem from an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that gave me recurring nightmares as a kid (I won’t go into specifics because the idea of it still disgusts me). I couldn’t even really look at the Lord of War poster/graphic because Nicholas Cage’s face was made out of bullets, which has a similar effect in my mind. A little weird, I know.

12. kelseroo on 01 Oct 2009 at 11:44 pm #

    

    I hate horror films with gore. I can’t handle it. I LOVE suspenseful scary movies though. Once it gets too gory its not entertainment anymore, its just gross. I love it when things are way worse in my head expecting something horrible- I’m on edge the whole time, versus just reacting to some nasty thing that just happened.
    I feel like I’m not making sense. Ah, well its late, I’m tired.

13. Emily on 02 Oct 2009 at 2:46 am #

    

    Luckily for me while watching Inglourious Basterds, I had a pillow and my sister Sarah. She had already seen the movie and was able to tell me when to close my eyes and peek around my pillow.

    I have to say, Sarah is my requirement for watching movies with gore/bloody violence. I have to say Tarantino is the only filmmaker (that uses lots of gore) that I’m happy to sit through and watch the whole film.

    Building on your Superman post, I have to say how much I loved hearing Tarantino’s perspective on Superman’s portrayal of humankind. (Yes, I’m way behind the times, just saw it this last month, again, not a fan of bloody/gorey stuff)

14. ‘Brian’ on Horror Movies « The Gilmore Girls Companion on 02 Oct 2009 at 5:22 am #

    [...] I was happy to discover that he finally expounded on his personal horror threshold on his blog. As the author of book about horror movies, I’m often asked to explain why today’s [...]

15. girlonthepark on 02 Oct 2009 at 5:52 am #

    

    I am with you on this completely.
    Watching the silly horror movies from the 1980s, I’m usually fine because the blood looks ridiculously red/the effects are kind of lame/I recognize Jamie Lee Curtis etc.
    Today’s realistic edge horror movies? No freakin’ way! I think it has to do with the fact that a lot of the contemporary filmmakers seem to have major gore lust, Ie. “Oh look how realistic I can make this deboweling!” and I don’t get my jollies staring at someone’s bloody viscera.
    (Plus, as someone who has actually been in a real life accident that resulted in an amputation, I think I now register the pain that would be involved in some of these slice and dice situations and it creeps me out.)

16. jen on 02 Oct 2009 at 6:06 am #

    

    For me, the context plays a big role. Like, when it comes to adults in film, I generally don’t have a problem with it.. I’m squeamish, mind you (I had my hands over my eyes in the same scene of Dexter this week), but it doesn’t neccessarily haunt me. But when there’s violence, or even just the insinuation of such, to, say, children or animals. For example, the most recent Grey’s Anatomy and the injury sustained by the baby on the operating table. Or, to cite a previous commenter’s example, the rain of bullets that are King Kong’s fate. There’s a simultaneous blow to the psyche there that makes even the most fake depictions really hit me hard.

    That, and any sort of knee injury. Go figure.

17. Rae on 02 Oct 2009 at 7:54 am #

    

    Gore specifically related to cutting or razors is just about the only gore that makes me squeamish. The one exception might be swords? Very little, for example, about Kill Bill taps my squick button. But show me someone walking around with bare feet and then cut to a shot of a razor on the floor and I’ll be squirming in my seat. It’s all mental but never fails to get a reaction from me.

18. Vanalam on 02 Oct 2009 at 9:48 am #

    

    Also, COULD NOT handle or look at Two Face in The Dark Knight, not because of the bone and flesh underneath but because of the (burn?) particles on top. I have trouble keeping my breakfast down just thinking about it. Maybe it’s an aversion to multiple particles making up someone’s face (reminding me of worms/maggots/etc.)? I didn’t like looking at the Sandman in Spiderman 3 either.

19. John Cabrera on 02 Oct 2009 at 10:22 am #

    

    Really cool replies! I want to respond to a bunch of these later today.

    Raelee, I am trying to figure out where sword laceration fits on my list though. Because I agree with you. There’s something different about swords. I wonder why.

20. caren on 02 Oct 2009 at 12:05 pm #

    

    I am so desensitized to physical harm with humans, it scares me. I can walk into a room, see body parts, and not even blink. During my internship in college, we did a lot of cadaver testing. Because of that, I got used to seeing cadaver parts in the refrigerator, walking into a room and there’s a part on the lab bench waiting to be used. Normal everyday stuff.
    I can also observe any surgery without being grossed out.
    The only body part that makes me squeamish is the eye. Seeing anything happen to someone’s eye stays with me forever.

    However, if someone hurts someone else psychologically, that really bothers me. I saw one scene of a movie my dad was watching when I was like 8. A woman was having an argument with her soon to be ex-husband and dropped 3 bags of groceries she was carrying. As she picked them up, she was crying. I still get upset whenever I think about it.

21. Jasmine on 02 Oct 2009 at 12:32 pm #

    

    When I was sixteen, my best friend and I were allowed to rent pretty much anything we wanted from her local video store. The guys who ran the place didn’t care if we wanted to rent anything rated beyond what the law permitted us to view without parental consent.

    Usually we rented anything European or vaguely art housey. We’d watch anything because we were curious, bored, and pretentious. Eventually, we’d move past weepy English romantic dramas and experimental video to things that were more notorious than noteworthy. Until we managed to finish watching Pasolini’s “Salo”.*

    It was horrifying and revelatory at the same time. Who knew gore and violence that, well, extreme could enthrall me so much. It was like watching a snuff film that just happened to have insanely high production value.

    I think this might have been the first horror movie I’d ever watched. I should have started off with something more traditional, like “Friday the 13th” or “Nightmare on Elm Street”. We can agree that Freddie Krueger is a lot more fun than Salo’s sadists. That might have been less traumatic in the long run. But I thought that mainstream stuff was below pretentious high school me.

    Now, being older but not wiser, I tend to avoid gory movies. Sometimes a particularly ridiculous, unrealistic premise, coupled with fun execution will draw me in. Bonus points for anything especially cartoony or ridiculous — Itchy & Scratchy on ‘The Simpsons’, the remake of “My Bloody Valentine” that came out this year. But the second it hedges too close to reality, or manages to scratch at my own personal fears, I’m out the door.

    —
    * I’d include a synopsis or a link but I’d rather not. The film has a Wikipedia entry – please Google it yourself.

22. MarmaLady on 02 Oct 2009 at 4:43 pm #

    

    I’m like Andrea… I can’t do any kind of horror or gore. I only watched about 30 mins of the Exorcist when I was a teenager, and I STILL have nightmares.

    John just about everything you put on your list from -5 to 5 gives me the creeps and shivers. I tend to watch TV and movies with a pillow a lot. In theaters I’ll use scarves, jackets, even my hands to block out the gore. Even for shows like CSI and Criminal Minds, which I LOVE, as they can make me queasy!

    The worst for me: my sister’s clinical anatomy textbooks from med school. I once walked in on her studying and the pages were open to colored pics of an autopsy… I literally threw up! (And learned to knock!)

    *queasy smiles*

23. MarmaLady on 03 Oct 2009 at 10:51 am #

    

    Okay just watched the season premier of Dexter (I’m a bit behind on my TV catching up), and I’m with that ya… that scene, and as always the killing scene, got to me too.

    Today I used my blue and purple gorilla Blueberry as a shield. Good to have friends you trust around!
    *smiles*

24. John Cabrera on 03 Oct 2009 at 2:44 pm #

    

    Caryl, breaking bones doesn’t do too much to me. I think it’s because a.) I’ve never broken a bone in my body and b.) I’m a relentless knuckle cracker, and in film bone breaking usually sounds that way to me. I guess I did get a little squeamish during the foot hammer scene in Misery. But I think I was responding more to his fear.

    One bone breaking scene that did mess me up bad when I saw it as a kid……. the arm wrestling scene in Cronenberg’s The Fly. But in that case it was the ripping through the skin that did it.

    Kelsi, I think I’m similar to you in that it’s probably the psychological aspect that informs how I feel about gore in film. If it comes with fear or even just a memory of what that psychologically feels like to me, I’m out. I think most of the things from 1-5 on my list qualify as that. But I can also have fun with the stuff from -1 to -5. In a lot of cases the excess of silly gore is part of the fun the filmmaker is trying to have.

    I never saw the remake, but the original Funny Games had probably one of the most intense effects on me of any psychological horror film. The brutal assault on their emotions was almost worse than if they had been cut up or something.

    Pauline, needles and me do not do well together. Even just thinking of one gives me chills….. and yet…. what’s up with swords?! I really want to figure this out. Seriously. There isn’t a single scene in LOTR that phases me.

    You know what? Maybe that’s it. Maybe for me swords comes with an association to Dungeons and Dragons… and according to my list, if the attack is on or comes from some sort of monster (i.e. a goblin or ogre or whatever) it does nothing. Maybe that’s done something to my perception of swords in general. That, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a really sharp sword.

    Jasmine, your story reminds me of my first sort of arty horror experience… Cat People. Was that an arty film? I can’t totally remember.

    As for you nurses, scientists, and doctors, I don’t know how you do it. I see a big open wound, I’m on the floor. No joke.

25. John Cabrera on 03 Oct 2009 at 3:08 pm #

    

    On a slightly separate note: ethics when it comes to depictions of gore in art. I’m curious what any of your thoughts are on that?

    I’ve usually rolled my eyes at critics of violence and gore on TV. Even in video games. It often just sounds to me like unreasonable whining.

    But the other day when I saw what I saw on Tumblr, I kind of understood this feeling of being unexpectedly assaulted. I guess the difference is in what we can tolerate, no? But then whose threshold should be the ethical line?

    Hmm, just thinking out loud here.

26. Rae on 03 Oct 2009 at 3:31 pm #

    

    First, as I was reading through the rest of the comments I realized I should note that the reactions to gore I’m seeing described are similar to my reaction to embarrassing situations in TV/movies. I didn’t bring it up before because it has nothing to do with gore and, yet, it’s the one thing that can ruin my enjoyment instantly which equates to how a lot of you feel about gore. Hence why it took me so long to warm to The Office and why occasionally there are episodes that I have to watch with my finger on the FF button.

    Second, I have no problem with the level of violence in TV/movies these days. I don’t feel like it’s my place to judge what’s appropriate. I do, however, feel like there should be warnings. Not only so I have a way to decide if I think it’ll be too much for me but because I think parents should be mindful of what their children are watching and need a way to determine whether they should allow their kid to watch something or not. That said, the difference with Tumblr is the lack of a way to make that decision for yourself. The nature of the system means nothing is really “hidden” from you. This has been bothering me when it comes to TV spoilers as well. I limit the promotional photos I look at when it comes to upcoming episodes of things and it’s easy enough to avoid them in the typical blogging/online posting environment. Not so on Tumblr. Before I even realize what I’m seeing, I’ve seen the picture. It’s frustrating but it’s the nature of the system. It’s hard to be upset at people for doing what they’ve been doing all along.

    Third, I’ve decided that some of the sword stuff is that it happens so quickly? Or so slowly? It’s weird because aren’t knives also quick and I have issues with those, why one and not the other?

27. Rae on 03 Oct 2009 at 3:33 pm #

    

    Re: Avoiding seeing things: It’s also that you have time to brace yourself for whatever you may see. Therefore more like assault than making the decision to walk into a movie with violence, etc.

28. Alyzabeth M on 03 Oct 2009 at 3:35 pm #

    

    When I first saw the restaurant scene in Kill Bill it literally made me sick. I was eating spaghetti while watching it and promptly put it up for later. Much later.

29. John Cabrera on 03 Oct 2009 at 4:10 pm #

    

    Rae, RE: Embarrassing situations and FFing through The Office… INTERESTING. They really are similar. I never thought of it that way. Watching someone being realistically humiliated… or accidentally humiliating themselves is WAY painful. Although I don’t think it would ever cause me to pass out. But I’m sure there are some people in the world who might. I guess it depends on how they respond to personal humiliation.

30. caren on 03 Oct 2009 at 4:12 pm #

    

    “As for you nurses, scientists, and doctors, I don’t know how you do it. I see a big open wound, I’m on the floor. No joke.”

    For me, it’s a combination of curiosity and a desire to help others. Before I was allowed to set foot inside the lab or the OR, my supervisors tried to teach me about separating my feelings from my work. If we can’t do that, research wouldn’t happen. By isolating our feelings we are able to do our jobs.

    “On a slightly separate note: ethics when it comes to depictions of gore in art. I’m curious what any of your thoughts are on that?”

    I hate it because we become desensitized to the gore and lose the “human connection.” I used to be really squeamish about gore, but I stopped when I was routinely exposed to it.

    Although, maybe I should mention that anything with creepy crawlers on the body, biting, walking, anything, sends me into a full blown panic attack.

    (sorry if this makes no sense, or for any grammar/spelling mistakes. I’m watching the Flyers/Devils game.)

31. Caryl on 03 Oct 2009 at 5:35 pm #

    

    About bones, I mean things a little more intense than what would simply sound like knuckle cracking but I know what you’re talking about. A lot of times the sound used in film isn’t much and it’s not a big one for most people.

    Regardless, for ME, it’s still a big one. I guess it has to do with recognizing the sound in connection to something that was somewhat traumatic for me, as a kid. I was standing right next to my cousin when she broke a couple of bones. Just hearing the loud cracking and seeing a bone sticking out and all the blood and hearing her cries of pain… it stuck with me.

    I’ve never broken a bone either, except for fracturing my nose and tailbone, as a kid. But, neither caused the sight and sounds of what I experienced above and what I’m talking about in movies… mob movies, war movies with torture, etc. Just trust me, it’s bad for ME. I don’t want to see it or hear it, lol.

32. Caryl on 03 Oct 2009 at 6:29 pm #

    

    As for the ethics question, I’m with Rae. As long as there are warnings for things, anything should be allowed… Well, not ‘anything.’ Illegal things, which are illegal for good reason, should remain illegal. Allowable things for general entertainment shouldn’t be censored. And, warning labels, warnings of other sorts, is fine with me. I know some people have a problem with warning labels on certain things, such as CDs, etc. But, whatever. I’m a little apathetic about it :/

33. Vanalam on 04 Oct 2009 at 10:26 am #

    

    I definitely have a problem with torture/violence, etc., physical or psychological, but my reaction is more likely to come out of my eyes rather than cause squeamishness, sometimes even sobbing to the point of convulsing depending on how connected I am to the character and/or the severity of the situation.

    I agree with what other people have said about violence/gore on TV and film, as long as there are ratings and warnings, I’m okay with it.

34. John Cabrera on 04 Oct 2009 at 5:01 pm #

    

    Rae, I suppose you’re right about Tumblr. It is sort of the nature of the system, isn’t it? It’s strange, I guess, because it does sort of live in between a blog and a social network. When you follow someone, are you following their feed/content or are you following them as an individual? I do believe bloggers have responsibilities to their readership. Each different of course. James Gunn for example has a very different set of responsibilities to those who enjoy reading his content than say you do over at ROATW.

    But do similar responsibilities cross over into personal social networking like Twitter?

    Here’s an example: those who’ve been following my Twitter stream since the beginning, may remember that in my early twitter days, I tended to use much more foul language and dick around with my friends. But these days you’ll rarely ever see me drop an F-Bomb online anywhere. I try to stay away from political or theological debate. Because as my subscribers on Twitter grew, I started to realize it was a very diverse set… age, culture, politics, religion, taste, and sensitivity.

    And yet Offline, I do my fair share of F-Bombs, and have no problem talking Politics and Religion. But not with just anyone. I try not to drop foul language around people who I can sense find that uncomfortable (although I do sometimes forget around kids. Oops.). I don’t talk religion or politics with anyone who I think might get angry with my views (this is actually a new one for me).

    And it’s not that I want to censor my personality, the way I interact, or the things I like to talk about… I just have no idea who’s out there that might stumble across something I post, and be hurt by it (spoilers included).

    But then I have to ask, if by censoring this part of myself, am I living up to my responsibilities to my online friends who enjoy political debate, or find the use of foul language funny… or want me to tweet about Lost, even if it may spoil it for others?

    Maybe that person on Tumblr has a responsibility to most of their friends that includes posting a picture of a real beheading.

    Okay, verbal diarrhea over.

35. Ron Curry on 04 Oct 2009 at 9:12 pm #

    

    Exposure affects the squeam. Generally, more exposure = less squeamish and vice versa.

    Since most people aren’t normally exposed to a lot of gore or nastiness, the threshold is understandably low, imo.

36. John Cabrera on 04 Oct 2009 at 10:37 pm #

    

    But Ron, I’ve been that way about blood and open wounds since I was little. If that’s true about exposure determining squeam, then wouldn’t it mean that everyone would pass out the way I do upon their earliest exposure to it? But that isn’t the case. I knew plenty of kids who had no problem with seeing blood when they were little. There has to be something physiological in the explanation as well… that some people are just born with higher thresholds. Either that or they’re exposed to other things that indirectly effect their squeam threshold.

37. kelseroo on 05 Oct 2009 at 8:47 am #

    

    John, I don’t think that “censoring” yourself online means you are censoring your personality. Really, it all depends on what your goals in social networking are. Some people are like “f the world, if they don’t like what I say, they can just not follow me.” Other people want to reach as many readers as possible or connect with as many people as possible. If that is your goal, then you may have to censor a bit because people are different.
    Personally, I don’t like it when people use too much profanity. When a person uses an f-bomb in every sentence, it makes me think they are just unintelligent and don’t have enough vocabulary to give their statement weight, so they resort to curse words. Don’t get me wrong, occasionally a good curse word makes the statement. For example, in the movie Men in Black, when Will Smith is talking to the woman whose husband is wearing the Edgar suit, he says, “Oh, and hire an interior decorator in here, cause… damn.” That would not have been funny without that damn:-)
    Anyway, I think the balance you’ve reached online is good. It is impossible to completely reveal oneself online anyway… isn’t it?

38. Rae on 05 Oct 2009 at 5:13 pm #

    

    JP, to some degree I think it’s because Tumblr has a lot more flexibility to it meaning people aren’t all going to be using it the same way. Something you have to think about when following someone and knowing their content will show up in your dashboard. For instance, there are a couple of Tumblrs that I “follow” via their RSS instead of actually following them. This is because they tend to use their Tumblr more as a blog.

    I’m not sure where the responsibility comes into play there. I feel when I spam people’s dashboards. I went through that when I was setting up my cake Tumblr. Originally I just wanted to convert my one Tumblr into the cake site but then I felt bad because I’d be adding cakes and back-dating them but it still spams your dashboard as I add them. Hence why I eventually moved back to using two Tumblrs (that and I found myself wanting to actually use it for personal stuff). But I do think it’s something people on Tumblr should consider. I don’t know how many other people do it but I pay attention to how often someone posts at a time when determining whether to follow them.

    And I’m completely off-topic here. Or slightly since I originally started out wanting to agree about the person on Tumblr owning the responsibility as to what they are posting. I read Andrew Sullivan’s blog on a daily basis and there are days when it’s hard to read it because he posts some gruesome photos. But he hasn’t changed what he’s posts, I knew what I was getting into… if the person on Tumblr doesn’t typically post such things, I think there’s a responsibility to warn that a change of content is coming, if just for one post. It’s an unspoken social contract we sign.

39. Rae on 05 Oct 2009 at 5:30 pm #

    

    As to your other comments, I don’t see it as censoring your personality. It’s exactly what you described yourself doing in person, adjusting to how best to interact with those around you. I’ve done the same over time. (Though mine was more about censoring what I share than how I share it.) I don’t think the basics of social interaction change just because we’re interacting online rather than in person.

    As for your responsibility to to those who enjoy online debate, etc., as someone gets to know you online they feel more comfortable engaging you in that on their own rather than you having to instigate it. No?

    PS: You were saying about verbal diarrhea? (Pardon this aside: Forget embarrassing situations! Bodily functions are my equivalent of your gore.)

    PPS: I’m not sure this directly answers how you see Twitter. In your other post you talked about blogs = meeting place and Tumblrs = person. Does that mean you see Twitter more like… a phone or PA system? In other words, I’d get to know you via Tumblr which would lead to me wanting to hang out with you on your blog and I’d use Twitter to stay in touch (find out when you were inviting people over to hang out, etc.)? And clearly I need to stop now that I’ve gone a little overboard with the analogies.

40. John Cabrera on 05 Oct 2009 at 10:34 pm #

    

    Kels, you’re right… I mean, it’s hard to reveal yourself completely in real life, online doubly as hard.

    I actually listened to a piece on NPR today on Brother Ali. If you all have a chance you should give it a listen. Late in the segment, Brother Ali, talks about how he’s often criticized by other followers of Islam about his use of expletives in his lyrics. He said he believes that everything (especially art) is an act of worship, and so at a certain point he decided it wouldn’t be honest for him to exclude the crass parts of himself from his art.

    But conversely, he talks about how early in his days of hip hop, (I suppose in honoring that honest approach to his crassness) he used the word faggot in a piece. He says that looking back at it now, he’s so ashamed. He says he has a lot of close gay friends in his life and is really upset with himself that he did that.

    You should listen to it. My description doesn’t do it justice. Check it out.

    Rae, I think that’s a pretty close analogy to what twitter has become (and I think Google Wave will take that to the next level). About a year ago I would have said twitter was the best way to get to know me and more of an online representation of a person than any other social media. And in many ways it really is the same as Tumblr. A tweet can be a Quote, a Picture, a Link, a Photo, a Video, or a Text. The difference is that Tumblr brings all of those things to your subscribers via their dashboard, where as Twitter gives your subscribers directions to where they can find it. And so in that way it is a sort of messaging system. But for quick thoughts, musings, questions, I still think it beats all the rest as a digital avatar.

41. Jules on 05 Oct 2009 at 10:56 pm #

    

    haha, I’m struggling with putting together a coherent response to the multiple threads of discussion here.
    RE: ethics in art
    I think it would be extremely helpful to have a warning label, or some kind of gauge to know what you’re getting into. it won’t always matter. for instance, I try to always preview movies for Cody, even if they’re rated G, because my sensitivities may not be the same as the… ratings board or whoever comes up with those. when Cody was a toddler, his daycare provider let him watch Lilo and Stitch. one day, he hadn’t finished by the time I came to get him, so she let us take it home to watch the rest… well, I love the movie as myself, but as Cody’s mom, I couldn’t let Cody finish watching it with all the shooting and chase scenes and violence and fear, and from then on, I’ve been much more careful. but I also readily accept that I’m MUCH more protective than a lot of other parents. which is totally fine. I’m not even remotely suggesting that my way’s the right way to handle letting your kids watch movies, just that it works best for me to keep my mind easy this way.
    but it’s still nice to have ratings as a jumping-off point, you know? ummm, I think I got a little off track here. I’ll start a new comment for the rest of what I was going to say… I’m getting lowish on characters. (spell check recognizes ‘lowish’?? I confess I am surprised.) xoxo

42. Jules on 05 Oct 2009 at 11:18 pm #

    

    as far as online personalities goes… you’re so right, Kels and JP, I don’t think there’s any way you can entirely reveal yourself online. I do my best to always answer things honestly, to respond to situations as I would in person, but there are things that can’t translate. also, interestingly, when you speak of your more crass vocabulary- I almost never say anything more vehement than ‘dammit’ aloud. I got out of the habit even before I had Cody, and now I’m much more sensitive to it. however, I will, with hardly a second thought, reblog or retweet things filled with foul language, and it usually makes me laugh. I follow a number of tumblrs named “f-yeah-whatever” and think nothing of it. BUT if I were to say any of these things aloud, or try to repeat the quotes to someone in person, I would have to paraphrase. a lot. and it would lose much of the message or humor, that way. it never would have occurred to me to put a language warning on Tumblr or Twitter, since I rarely even think those words, much less say or type them… but when sharing other people’s content, I do pass them along. I occasionally will mention it if there are enough characters or if the means of conveying information allows it, I try especially hard when the potentially offensive content is audible (video or audio) in case people have kids around or are at work, or something… but I am really not very careful about it. I guess it’s that gradeschool mentality of something like “well, it wasn’t my idea!” and so I take neither credit nor responsibility for things I merely pass along from others. maybe that’s something I should pay more attention to.
    interesting to think about. (uh oh, this is going to need another comment to finish up… sorry! :/) xoxo

43. Jules on 05 Oct 2009 at 11:34 pm #

    

    I tend to be of the opinion that people can just as easily unfollow me as follow me, if I offend them in some way, so I am true to who I am and I post things that amuse, inspire, or intrigue me, somehow… when I’m not talking about my own life. I don’t, as a rule, try to offend anyone, and would far rather avoid it if at all possible. I do feel like a lot of people know me really well, just from twitter and tumblr. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, so to speak, and be really open. also, my enthusiasm for things I like tends to make guessing my interests a pretty sure thing. it has been suggested that I’m easy to read. I’m okay with this.
    I think we all adjust our interactions with others to fit what we sense their comfort levels might be… I am not comfortable discussing religion and politics with people I don’t know well. for such hot-button topics, I have to be able to rely on a good, solid foundation to our relationship that I know won’t crumble if and when we disagree. I think some of us do this instinctively, but some of us base this behavior on experiences. I’ve had relationships that haven’t survived because our political &/or religious views were too different, and one or both of us couldn’t accept that difference. that has made me wary. but with people I trust and I know will allow me to have my opinions while they have theirs, without feeling threatened or attacked, I have loved discussing these things, even if it gets a little heated. and I’m someone who shies away from confrontation in most situations. but when it’s with people you trust, it makes it a debate, not an argument. and it’s fun.
    … I honestly am nearly ALWAYS writing my comments on your blog after midnight, and I really should stop, because I don’t know if they ever make sense. I think I got off track again. sorry!! this is all so interesting to think about, I can’t keep my mind on one train of thought! bedtime. xoxoxo

44. Caryl on 06 Oct 2009 at 1:04 am #

    

    1st) Huh? Why is one of my comments repeated on a different day and under a different name, CT? (Strange, lol)

    Anyway… I think everyone’s replies to your ‘online personality’ comment are great! Summed up, I agree it’s not truly personality censorship. I think it’s more of a social adjustment (adaptation of a person to the social environment) and ETIQUETTE. Some have it, some don’t. YOU do!

    For me, some days I have it, some days I don’t. LOL! I try

45. John Cabrera on 06 Oct 2009 at 1:25 am #

    

    Thanks for the catch on that Caryl. Wow, spammers are getting creative. A spammer submitted that comment and I approved it without realizing it was you. It gave them a backlink. I do remember thinking as I read it, “wow, this is a similar opinion to Caryl’s.” lol.

46. Caryl on 06 Oct 2009 at 1:39 am #

    

    LOL! That’s funny (your last line – not the spammer!) You received a lot of comments to read on this one… I can see it easily slipping in with your approval.

47. Ron Curry on 07 Oct 2009 at 7:40 pm #

    

    John, I suppose you’re probably right. Maybe there is more to it than just exposure. I’ve seen different people with the same experience react differently. Even to small stuff, like administering IV’s. Some folks go green and pass out, and some folks play with it like a toy.

    I suppose it’s not something that’s innate either, on a human level, otherwise we would all have similar responses.

    Think it’s just more like a phobia? Some people have abnormal fears to things that many others don’t, for no apparent reason and with no previous exposure (or incidents). Like a fear of heights.

48. Jules on 12 Oct 2009 at 5:23 pm #

    

    @Ron, I think a fear of heights is a totally normal self-preservation reaction to danger. I’m not just saying that because I have a fear of heights (ok, maybe a little) but many phobias have a basis in instinctual, evolutionary necessity. just saying. xoxoxo

49. VetovsVictory on 03 Nov 2009 at 3:04 pm #

    

    ist zwar spät aber denoch möchte ich meine meinung zu dem thema kundtun.

    ich habe erst sehr spät begonnen mich mit dem thema horror filme auseinanderzusetzen und ja auch jetzt gibt es filme die ich mir nicht anschauen kann weil die grenze zwischen fiktion und wirklichkeit ineinander verschmelzen.
    ich fand die szene in inglorious basterds persönlich nicht schlimm. ich war in der sogenannten movie world gefangen und hatte einfach nur spaß ( neidisch war ich auf donny donowitz) dafür brauchte ich bei hostel und hostel 2 mehrere anläufe um den film zuende zu schauen. reality world war das für mich denn der film beruht auf tatsachen. das machte mich letztendlich total fertig. ich denke der knackpunkt liegt in der unterscheidung der subgenres. james gunns slither ist ein großartiger film im zeichen der 70/80er jahre. man gruselt und lacht sich kaputt zur selben zeit. aber man ist nie wirkllich zu tode erschrocken als das man auf den nebenmann k…! pieces ist so ähnlich gemacht.
    was die zensur angeht hat die medailie zwei seiten. ich nehme mir das recht heraus im web dinge zu sagen,die mich im alltäglichen leben den job kosten würden.(F-wörter,porno,sex.. daher auch kein profil bild) und nehme daher nur rücksicht wenn mir jemand sagt ich soll rücksicht nehmen.
    bin ich deswegen eine ignorante person? ich gebe einen teil meines ich’s preis von dem ansonsten keiner etwas wissen will weil es anstößig/freaky ist.
    auf der anderen seite laufe ich gefahr,dass ich leute beleidige oder sie ein völlig falsches bild von mir bekommen. das risiko muß ich eingehen um meinetwillen. ich bin bei twitter/tumbl/myspace und livejournal. 4 verscheidene ausgangspunkte um sich gedanken über jemanden zu machen…und wenn man eine person interessant findet dann drückt man nicht auf den log out button sondern kommt zu dem wichtigsten punkt überhaupt–>
    KOMMUNIKATION
    und wo wenn nicht hier sollte man das exessiv ausüben??
    
    Tina

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