Manly Observations

Wargames. Have you seen it? Or should I ask, what self-respecting 80's kid hasn't seen it. It's the first real hacker movie and it's just crazy! Crazy I tell ya!

My oldest picked it from the library yesterday. We decided to watch it on the Clearplay and I am glad we did. I hadn't remembered just how much foul language there is in that movie. The Clearplay silences the words. Doesn't take out the clip or voiceover them, just goes quiet for a sec and then back to sound. We have watched two movies now using Clearplay and I have to say I am glad we bought it.

What I observed last night and what I have noticed in many other films with foul language is this, it's usually the adult male figures who curse the most. Using the "f" word and taking the Lord's name in vain the most often. Women are not often portrayed with such a filthy mouth.

That got me thinking. Why is it that the adult male characters, heroic or not, use such language? It doesn't matter what character they play, nowadays you can be assured that one of them will be chock full of curse words. Do professional, mature men really speak that way? I don't think so. So why does Hollywood choose to portray men in such a manner? It's a disgrace.

In a professional workplace, such as the NORAD building in Wargames, the men are in suits, representatives of the United States. Military men in uniform. Professional men who have to make the decisions that ensure the safety of our country, and yet with each curse word and epithet they lower and debase the character.

Generally, it's the women in the movies who are lowered and debased. At least that's what get's talked about. I think that's not so true. For most men I know, while they may use a curse word here and there, the "f" word isn't an integral part of their speech. Neither is taking the Lord's name in vain.

These are just my observations. I think that in Hollywood today there are too many bad examples for our young boys out there. Weak, embarrassed, pitiful men all the way to men with too much machismo for their own good. Yet it seems that by giving the lead male character some foul words to say, they are trying to make him look tougher.

I don't think my boys need to be that tough. So..we Clearplay it out. If you haven't heard of Clearplay or want to know more info just click here. It's a great tool and I'm glad we invested in it. Your thoughts?