Violence, gunplay baked into U.S. popular culture

NEW YORK (AP) ― The Showtime network aired a disclaimer warning audiences of violent content in the season finales of its dramas “Homeland’’ and “Dexter’’ last weekend, just two days after a gunman killed 26 people in a U.S. school.

The political thriller “Homeland’’ featured the burial of a bullet-ridden body at sea. “Dexter,’’ about a serial killer, had a couple of murders.

Viewer sensitivity, it seems, was not an issue. “Homeland’’ became the highest-rated episode in the two years the series has been on the air. “Dexter’’ was the top-rated episode of any series in Showtime history.

That’s just one illustration of how violence and gunplay are baked into the popular culture of television, movies and video games. While gun control and problems with the mental health system have grabbed the most attention as ways to prevent further incidents, the level of violence in entertainment has been mentioned, too.

In the world of movies, danger is a constant refrain. James Bond has a personalized gun that responds to his palm print in the currently popular “Skyfall.’’ “The Avengers’’ features the destruction of New York City. “The Dark Night Rises’’ has considerable gun violence, including the takeover of the New York Stock Exchange. “The Hunger Games’’ has an entire premise based on violence ― a survivor’s game involving youngsters.

The Motion Picture Association of America expressed its outrage at the shooting this week and stands “ready to be part of the national conversation’’ about solutions, said Christopher Dodd, the organization’s chairman and CEO. Dodd is a former longtime U.S. senator from Connecticut.

The top-selling video game in November was “Call of Duty: Black Ops II,’’ according to the NPD Group, which tracks game sales. For players, “enemies swarm and you pop their heads and push forward,’’ PC Gamer described.

In the No. 3 “Assassin’s Creed 3,’’ players get points based on how quickly and creatively they kill pursuers.

Top video games can earn anywhere between $1 billion and $6 billion in revenue, said David Riley, executive director of the NPD Group.

The body count piles up on television, too. Seven of the 10 most popular prime-time scripted series this season as rated by the Nielsen company are often about violent crimes. The series are CBS’ “NCIS,’’ “NCIS: Los Angeles,’’ “Person of Interest,’’ “Criminal Minds,’’ “Elementary’’ and “Vegas,’’ along with ABC’s “Castle.’’

Hollywood often scours its product output to appear sensitive when a tragic event dominates the news. To date, there’s been no evidence of a network pulling the plug entirely on a series because of violent content in the wake of Newtown.

Fox is moving forward with “The Following,’’ a series which depicts several murders by stabbing and mutilation.

U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, questioned on Fox News Channel last weekend, said he believes violent content causes people who use it to be more violent. President Obama’s adviser, David Axelrod, tweeted that he’s in favor of gun control, “but shouldn’t we also question marketing murder as a game?’’

While promoting his new movie “Django Unchained,’’ actor Jamie Foxx said he believes violence in films does have an impact on society.

His director, Quentin Tarantino, batted down such concerns. “It’s a western,’’ he said. “Give me a break.’’ Associated Press movie critic David Germain described “Django Unchained’’ as containing “barrels of squishing, squirting blood.’’