question (part 2)

Well, after doing some online research about the previous post, i came up with this conclusion:

Abortion statistics are fickle.

First of all most abortion statistics are displayed by those who are pro-life (read: anti-abortion, pro death penalty).This means that they "torture the numbers until they'll tell you anything you want.". They fail to mention that the data collected includes natural abortions (where the body aborts the pregnancy on its own, also known as a miscarriage). This skews the figures since many women will experience a miscarriage in their lifetime. But since this is counted as an abortion, they can then claim that"Worldwide, the lifetime average is about 1 abortion per woman."

Its frustrating. It suddenly sounds like all women hate having children...or worse, they all get pregnant recklessly and flippantly get rid of the 'problem'. It makes women seem irrational at best and at worst, villianises them.

I suppose i could break into a man conspiracy; making women to be less than they are...but i don't think this is the case. The answer is far less complicated. It has more to do with keeping people shocked and fearful. Statistics that 'prove' so many abortions are being cared out each year is shocking...especially when you personally don't know that you know of anyone who's had an abortion...and it keeps people fearful of the people around them by making them wonder if they are secretly a "baby killer".

I don't think that assisted abortions are as common as as the statistics claim. I do think that when politics get involved it's less about the 'babies' and more about controlling the people.

So in the end, we're still left wondering where Bush found his numbers...but it's less important. We know he tortured them into doing his will anyway, after all he's stance on the torture issue is already well known... even Canada. knows.

I don't get it

I love checking out imdb.com for what is the latest and bestest (yes, that is a word. i heard it on Buffy) movie releases. I've noticed in the last couple of years that Torture Porn is almost always number one at the box office.

Torture Porn: It is a genre of film that revels in torture.It uses torture
sequences in the same manner as pornography films use sex.

Now i like pretty weird things. i like some genres of horror. i like suspense. i like drama but i always HATE gore. I see no reason to revel in torture or deaths. It turns me off faster than you can say "please refund my ticket".

I realise that my tastes don't (or maybe shouldn't) be enforced on the rest of the world, but why in the world would movies like this be so popular?

I've suggested before that the reason could be the strange power struggle in people right now. They feel powerless and thus enjoy entertainment where they can be submerged in that feeling yet finally overcome at the end. Thus giving some form of relief to their fears.

Andre Mayer from cbc.ca wrote an article about the use of torture in mainstream
entertainment. Mayer has some very interesting insights that might be worth
checking out. (this is also where the picture came from)

It scares me that many governments around the world are implementing torture. It scares me more that the average person seems to be thinking it is more and more acceptable.Is it because of these movies? or are these movies around because the subject is less unappealing than it was 10 years ago?

I suppose in the end it doesn't really matter why these movies are popular. It really only matter what we're willing to put into our brains and why. But I still don't get the need for Torture Porn.