Sometimes watching violence can feel a little cathartic. We get it. For many viewers of murder-based TV shows, it’s the thrill of watching the mystery unravel. Sometimes, though, things go too far.
Stalker isn’t the only show with a dead girl dilemma
Tonight’s episode of Stalker on CBS is the most recent and quite possibly the creepiest of those examples. The opening sequence of the episode focuses entirely on the brutal, gut-wrenching torture of a female victim before she’s murdered by her stalker. Ladies: The violence is so disturbing that, should you choose to watch it, you’ll sigh with relief when the poor girl is finally put to an end. At least her sinister captor will finally stop terrorizing her. PTC president Tim Winter describes it best by calling it “torture porn.”
We’re all for freedom of expression and pushing boundaries. However, we have some issues. With our nation currently embroiled in some very serious domestic abuse cases and cases of violence against women, we’re not sure now is the time to glamorize feminine brutality. However, we should point out that while Stalker‘s upcoming scene might be the most graphic, it’s not the only show participating in this disturbing trend.
Witnessing domestic violence: The effects on children
The cycle of nonstop violence against women is being perpetuated on multiple television shows and all networks. We spoke before about Murder in the First‘s heavy reliance on dead girls. SheKnows writers have also spent a bit of time debating the merits (or lack thereof) of all the incidents of rape that are portrayed in everyone’s new favorite show, Outlander. The PTC also pointed out an alarming statistic about just how that violence is broadcast. Of all the violence against women portrayed on television, 92 percent is actually depicted, not just implied or described.
According to the PTC, tonight’s episode of Stalker will earn a TV-14 rating. That means the FCC finds it unsuitable for children under the age of 14. Our question: Why is this suitable for anyone? If a brutalized girl is what it takes to hook you in, there are places on the web you can go to satisfy that fetish. For the vast majority of television viewers, however, this scene in particular is not just unnecessary but entirely unacceptable.
We won’t watch Stalker tonight. Will you?
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