Seth Rogen was recently accused by Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post for promoting Elliot Rodger’s mass killing in Isla Vista.
Ann Hornaday published an op-ed yesterday that implied that one of the principal reasons for Elliot Rodger‘s mass killing in Isla Vista was the white men of Hollywood’s fanatasies that “often revolve around vigilantism and sexual wish-fulfillment.” Hornaday specifically cited Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen’s recently released “Neighbors” as an example:
“How many students watch outsized frat-boy fantasies like “Neighbors” and feel, as Rodger did, unjustly shut out of college life that should be full of “sex and fun and pleasure”? How many men, raised on a steady diet of Judd Apatow comedies in which the shlubby arrested adolescent always gets the girl, find that those happy endings constantly elude them and conclude, “It’s not fair”?
Hornaday argued the level of violence and sexual conquest creates a bad example for people:
If our cinematic grammar is one of violence, sexual conquest and macho swagger — thanks to male studio executives who green-light projects according to their own pathetic predilections — no one should be surprised when those impulses take luridly literal form in the culture at large.
Seth Rogen was not too happy about the article and recently responded to Hornaday.
.@AnnHornaday I find your article horribly insulting and misinformed.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) May 26, 2014
.@AnnHornaday how dare you imply that me getting girls in movies caused a lunatic to go on a rampage. — Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) May 26, 2014
Judd Apatow would later respond to the article as well.
“@melissa5001: @Sethrogen@marshallsheldon@AnnHornaday why is it always everything but mental illness?” Because that doesn’t sell papers.
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) May 27, 2014
What do you think? Do you think movies can cause someone to murder people for no reason? Do movies that promote sexual conquests like “Neighbors” set a bad example? Do you think production companies should censor the type of movies they produce? Do you think television shows like “Dexter” help promote this type of violence? Or, do you think this crime is attributed to mental illness? Do you think Asperger’s syndrome is the cause for the shooting? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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