Lack Of Morals And Spirituality In Movies example essay topic

Spirituality and Morality in Modern Film Spirituality, the act of holding something sacred that is neither tangible nor material, and morality, the display of conscience and concern with the conviction of human behavior, are both frequent topics of debate in modern society. However, one must take into consideration that the importance of values varies greatly, not only among different countries, but even more intensely between different social and economic groups. Though there are many different economical and geographical differences among the world's populace, there are a few mediums that transcend all cultures. Art is one such medium; it has always been said that music is the international language. Yet with the developments of subtitles and dubbing, and the increasing speed of worldwide industrialization, movies are able to break the barriers of culture, as well as language. Although it is imperative to interact with cultures other than one's own, I feel that the movie industry is bereft of most morals and spirituality.

With the exception of a few engaging imported films such as "Life is Beautiful" and "The Pianist", many modern movies have subjects that are completely vapid and void of any mental stimulation. This is mostly to blame on the fact that America has more money than it knows how to spend. Instead of rationing the hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars it takes to produce a film, most film makers in the United States are ecstatic at the opportunity to make any film, regardless of its morals or spirituality, as long as it is likely to draw a crowd to the box office. This is evident in recent films such as "My Boss's Daughter", "House of 1000 Corpses", and Not to say that these movies lack any entertainment value, but that is all that's not lacking. They provide corny, predictable storylines with mediocre jokes, always about sex or bodily functions. The fact that these movies exist is not a dilemma; it is that fact that this genre of movies is the overwhelming majority of those produced in America.

When American children are exposed constantly to situations in movies that have no spiritual or moralistic value, it becomes their reality. This leads to a lack of morals and spirituality in their lives. These movies are also affecting other parts of the world because America can afford to promote its movies in foreign countries, whereas many of them have such low capital that this is not an option. It is a vicious cycle that is occurring in movies today. The movies provide no substance of morals or spirituality, and in turn, the primary audience of these movies begins to lose morals and spirituality in their own lives. With these movies and the constant media coverage of actors and actresses and their less than typical lives, we, as a society, begin to lose focus on what really matters in life.

This can be many different things to many different people, but it is not a five thousand dollar Prada bag and 15 million dollar mansion. And, since these values, or lack thereof, have been instilled in today's youth, it is becoming the norm. Because of this transformation, people are no longer interested in movies with intricate plots and important values, such as being a decent human being; therefore, they are not produced. Society would rather see the over publicized, young actors and actresses in films with fart jokes and scantily clad women, so these are the movies that are made. Even though the cycle continues, there are movies being made whose writers and producers have given intense consideration to the values that the movies project, and what affect it will have on its audience. However, the demand for such scripts is limited, so in the mean time, if an Ashton Kutcher movie is being produced, the movies with values will be pushed aside so America can extract a few more billion dollars from its already insipid and naive youth.

Though it is quite evident that today's movie industry is less concerned with morals than with designer clothes and sex, it is unclear as to whether the lack of morals and spirituality in movies has caused such a lack in society, or whether society evolved first and projected its lack of values onto the big screen.