|
We
have learned Michael Briere, the suspected killer of Holly
Jones, has no previous police record. He is not a repeat
sex offender. He is a five foot seven, unfriendly, employed,
middle-class man. However, we soon learned of a very dark
side.
According
to National Post reports, his marriage ended in 1997,
because of his growing obsession and deep involvement
with violent computer games and slasher/horror movies.
Since the divorce, he graduated to another passion - PORNOGRAPHY!
For
those of us who have been studying the effects of violent
and sexually graphic entertainment on individuals and
society, this is no surprise. In fact, it is expected.
In
a paper written in 1994 on slasher films, C.A.S.E. gave
the following information.
Slasher
films were introduced in 1963 with the film BLOODFEAST.
The video jacket for BLOODFEAST depicts a woman wearing
only a bra and with her tongue ripped out and blood oozing
across her face. Once considered too sadistic to show
at mainstream theatres, these films have moved from the
fringes of cult theatre to neighbourhood video stores.
These films are now available to children and teenagers
when released in video and distributed in Canada for prices
ranging from $4.99 to $9.99. WE MUST EVALUATE THE IMPACT
THAT THESE VIDEOS ARE HAVING ON SOCIETY.
In
1981, after seeing "I SPIT IN YOUR GRAVE", Movie
Critic Roger Ebert asked if there is not a correlation
between the hostile feelings of men toward women and the
ascent of feminism. He described watching the film as
a "terrible experience." Speaking of its "brutal
directness of style" and "raw impact" he
said, "The film makers simply pointed the camera
at their actors and then commanded them to perform unspeakable
acts upon one another." He was distressed by the
shouts and loud laughter of the audience as a woman was
"repeatedly cut up, raped and beaten." He was
particularly disturbed by the comments of the totally
respectable-looking man sitting beside him who screamed
out, "Give it to her! She's got it coming."
The new horror films encouraged audience identification
not with the victim, but with the killer. (Don't Touch
That Dial, Huntington Press, Page 166).
Back
in the 1980's, Dr. William Marshall, Queens University,
stated that 86% of rapists interviewed used hard-core
pornography: in addition, he discovered that non-violent
pornography also played a significant role in triggering
sexually deviant behaviour.
The
Paul Bernardo trial (Toronto, ON) has told us what pornography
really is. Anything we heard about in that trial is available
in the nearest adult video store. We are not referring
to the videos Bernardo made; we are referring to the ones
he watched. Paul Bernardo copied all his deviant behaviour
from pornography. He is a classic example of how the pornography
addict is always searching for more deviant behaviours
and in the final stages of the addiction is only satisfied
as they act out the pornography they have witnessed.
Lawyer
John Rosen asked Paul Bernardo why the girls were tied
up in the last scene of the video. Bernardo replied, "Just
because that's what they do in a porn video. We were making
a homemade porno." (Toronto Sun. Aug. 16, 1994, p.
26).
Perhaps
the most frightening realization about Paul Bernardo or
Michael Briere is that they are not a freak of nature.
They are not from outer space. They are a product of our
culture. The entertainment industry must be held responsible
for the actions resulting from their products.
THE CHOICE IS NOT BETWEEN PORNOGRAPHY AND CENSORSHIP.
THE CHOICE IS BETWEEN CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL RESPONSIBILITY.
Dolina
Smith, President
Canadians Addressing Sexual Exploitation (C.A.S.E.)
Parkway Postal Outlet, Box 62569
85 Ellesmere Road
Toronto, ON M1R 5G8
Tel: (416) 412-6065/Fax: (416) 412-1321
E-mail: case@idirect.com
Website: http://www.c-a-s-e.net
******************************************
C.A.S.E. exists to educate and influence
society on the effects of pornography
******************************************
|
