This morning in Muskogee, Oklahoma, a typical day began in a suburban neighborhood. The local school children woke up at their usual time, prepared for school, and left their homes. Amidst the preparations, however, a thirteen-year-old boy took hold of his father’s nine millimeter handgun from their residence. Upon entering the school premises, he proceeded to aimlessly shoot at his fellow classmates with the weapon. Thankfully, no lives were lost as a result of this horrific incident. Regrettably, this is not the first occurrence of such a tragic event.
There has been a significant focus in the media on school shootings, which has garnered considerable attention. The reasons behind these violent acts have always fascinated people because they seem to lack clear motives or purpose. However, there is currently a trend to blame external factors instead of admitting personal shortcomings for this irrational behavior. This finger-pointing often singles out the television, film, and music industries.
In his essay “Unnatural Killers,” John Grisham explores two cases of random violence and links them to Oliver Stone’s film “Natural Born Killers.” The first case involves the tragic murder and robbery of Mr. Bill Savage, an esteemed member of Hernando, Mississippi. This unfortunate incident took place while Grisham was working as a lawyer in a courthouse nearby.
One evening in his office, Bill Savage was attacked by two kids from Oklahoma named Ben Darras and Sarah Edmundson. These two had been on a road trip and entered his office, shooting him twice in the head at close range before stealing his wallet. The following day, Patsy Byers was working at a convenience store in Pancharoula, Louisiana. At around midnight, Sarah entered the store, approached the counter, and shot Patsy in the neck. Sarah quickly fled the store but returned to empty the cash register. Although Patsy survived the incident, she will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
According to Grisham, there are two possible ways to tackle the issue of violence in modern films. The first is through individuals boycotting violent movies, which would lead to financial losses for the film industry and filmmakers. This, according to Grisham, would be an effective way of conveying a message to Hollywood. The second suggestion is treating movies as products and holding their creators responsible for any harm they may cause, similar to other products. Therefore, if a film causes harm to someone, its makers should accept responsibility.
Following the release of Grisham’s article, it gained attention from various individuals, including Oliver Stone. In his memo titled “A Movie Made Me Do It,” Stone responds to Grisham’s essay by comparing it to a witch-hunt. Although Stone’s memo may not possess the same level of eloquence as Grisham’s essay, it still presents compelling arguments. He acknowledges that “Natural Born Killers” had an impact on its audience but also delves into Ben and Sarah’s upbringing. Stone asserts that despite the film’s violence and its influence on viewers, it was not the catalyst for Ben and Sarah’s murder of two innocent people.
When initially considering this task, I favored Grisham’s argument, but after further examination, I find Stone’s argument to be stronger. Although well-crafted and featuring insightful examples, I am unable to fully endorse Grisham’s argument as unequivocally true. Despite the evidence implicating Hollywood filmmakers in the actions of the two Oklahoma youths who murdered Mr. Savage and Mrs. Byers, it would remain challenging to solely attribute responsibility to them. Grisham’s proposals of boycotting violent films and pursuing legal action against filmmakers may yield positive outcomes.
Boycotting movies and suing filmmakers may reduce onscreen violence, but it cannot entirely prevent individuals who watch these movies from engaging in foolish behavior. I share Stone’s belief that a combination of factors, not just a movie, contributes to someone committing such an outrageous act as murder.
