geekWithA.45
Moderator Emeritus
While other movies have had more blatant, club you over the head anti-gun themes ("Bowling..","American Gun", "Dear Wendy")
Lethal Weapon 3 was a subtle hymn to gun control, weaving all of the fears and anti gun assertions into the background of the plot.
It had wide success in 1992, which came at a critical moment in the national consciousness.
It was part of the propaganda payload that helped fuel the moral panic that brought us the AWB.
As such, it was probably the most effective anti-gun movie ever.
We dare not underestimate the effect of popular enterainments in fueling moral panics which lead to legislation.
While popular entertainments tend to fail at creating moral panics from thin air, what they're very good at is reflecting and magnifying themes and fears that are already present in society, by giving them focus and concreteness.
For example, "West Side Story" gave focus, concreteness and magnification to fears of juvenile delinquency, juvie gangs, and ethnic tensions.
The legislative consequence of it was our current set of state and federal level anti switchblade statutes, which stand to this very day.
Lethal Weapon 3 was a subtle hymn to gun control, weaving all of the fears and anti gun assertions into the background of the plot.
It had wide success in 1992, which came at a critical moment in the national consciousness.
It was part of the propaganda payload that helped fuel the moral panic that brought us the AWB.
As such, it was probably the most effective anti-gun movie ever.
We dare not underestimate the effect of popular enterainments in fueling moral panics which lead to legislation.
While popular entertainments tend to fail at creating moral panics from thin air, what they're very good at is reflecting and magnifying themes and fears that are already present in society, by giving them focus and concreteness.
For example, "West Side Story" gave focus, concreteness and magnification to fears of juvenile delinquency, juvie gangs, and ethnic tensions.
The legislative consequence of it was our current set of state and federal level anti switchblade statutes, which stand to this very day.