The Value of Shock

It was an emotionally dark and stormy night in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I was in a parking lot that served the largest student union building ever built. I sat on the bed of James' 87 Ford pick-up, the love of his life, while quickly drinking the last of a six-pack of Corona Extra. As I finished I took a breath, waiting for the burning in the back of my throat to dissipate. After a few seconds I sat the last bottle back into its cardboard carrier and said, "James, say something funny." Without missing a beat he looked up at me from his standing position on the ground, put on his best Sam Elliot impression and said,

"I like my women like I like my scotch, twelve years old and mixed up with coke."

I broke out in tears and fits of laughter. I never expected him so say something so vulgar, yet perfectly hidden in prose. Inside of a joke originally meant to be charming he had placed the soul of a demon. This is shock value.

Shock permeates American culture. From comedy (http://youtu.be/xSHBvwnOARQ) to political maneuvers (http://youtu.be/s_4rw2trTtM) we can see it everywhere. "Shock value is the potential of and image, text, or other form of communication to provoke a reaction of disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotion." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_value 6-3-2011 23:15 MST) With these negative emotions come an enhanced response, either positive or negative, that presenter of the media was (hopefully) searching for in return.

This can be a highly effective tool in the right hands. In the above comedy-related video, the makers used shock value to exaggerate reality and enhance the viewers response to the video in a way that would be funny (read: absolutely hilarious!). In the above politically-related video one can see in the first few seconds that the makers were using emotion-filled words to try to demonize a political figure to reinforce their own political standing. On the other hand these videos could have a galvanizing effect on the viewer. For this reason shock value is rarely used in more serious and mainstream areas, such as mainstream news or true diplomacy.