People freak out about gun review videos, done responsibly at shooting ranges, but then watch a childish gambino video where he executes a person graphically, and praise him as a genius. Do they not think a video like that will encourage actual people to commit actual violence? Advertising works, and the cg video is basically an advertisement for graphic violence.
Isn’t the latter because fictional violence, even if extremely realistic hasn’t actually been shown to cause or encourage real violence? It makes even less sense in the Childish Gambino case because the context of the video and song is anti-gun violence. In that light it makes sense that people who are able to separate fictionalised violence that makes a point from freaking out about gun reviews on YouTube without that being contradictory?
I think it depends entirely on the narrative structure in which the fictional violence is portrayed. I'm talking about when it is glamorized, done by the hero, frivolously, randomly, without consequence, gratuitously, used as a depiction of power, etc. People who feel lacking in power in life might resort to violence as a means of feeling a sense of significance, if they have no other viable means of purpose.
