A common scene in detective films aired on TV and shown in theaters involves the good guy getting knocked out from a blunt object--often the butt of a handgun--to the back of the head. A few minutes after the assault the detective comes to, puts on his hat, and strides out of the room in pursuit of the bad guy. There is no skull fracture, no blood, no concussion, no lump or double vision. If the hero is left with a headache we don't hear about it because tough guys don't whine about such things. It's inevitable that some viewers, in order to temporarily disable someone, will bludgeon the victim on the back of the head. Quite often the victim of the attack, not being a film actor, will end up seriously injured or even dead. Real life violence has a way of doing that. Who knows how many assault victims are seriously injured and killed because the entertainment industry, for decades, has grossly misrepresents the true effects of violence. A common film scene involves people being punched, and when helpless on the ground, repeatedly kicked and stomped. In real life, if not killed, these battered individuals would be hospitalized and permanently disabled. The film industry has helped create a culture of violence in American society.
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Agreed. My favourite was always the plywood chairs they hit each other over the head with in the Western obligatory saloon bar fight. In real life, being hit with a chair will fracture your skull at the very least.
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