Michelle Rafferty, Publicity Assistant
Thanks to early screenings and leaked footage, the much-anticipated movie Kick-Ass gained massive buzz among fanboys, bloggers (and pretty much everyone else under the age of 30) months before it hit movie theaters, poising itself to possibly be the best superhero move ever made. But when the feature finally released last month–replete with glorified violence and a young girl with the dirtiest mouth since Bob Saget–it was met with formidable resistance from parents and critics alike. Although Roger Ebert called the film “morally reprehensible”, publications such as New York Magazine and the Los Angeles Times recognized Kick-Ass as a guilty pleasure. Yes, it’s shockingly violent and raises the question of child abuse—but gosh it’s fun, and that 11-year-old really kills with some gumption, don’t she?
The strong reactions this film elicited recalled for me a recent book by media psychologist Karen Dill, titled How Fantasy Becomes Reality. Dill is well known for her research on the effects of media violence, which actually earned her a “character” in Grand Theft Auto IV, the car “Karin Dilettante.” Dill was at a conference the majority of last week, but enthusiastically agreed to take a break in between panels for a quick phone interview on the film.
Michelle Rafferty: You’re renowned for your work on how media—like video games, film, and television—affects us. I’m wondering if you give us your take on why people have been so vehemently offended by the character Hit-Girl in the film Kick-Ass.
Karen Dill: Well, the first time I heard of the film, it was a mother at a university talking to me about her nine year old daughter, and saying she just found it very offensive, I think, from a parenting perspective. When you see a child using really crass language, vulgar language, like the “c word,” or the “f word,” and doing some really brutal violence, that parents especially probably find that offensive. And I think that’s part of the appeal of the character Hit-Girl too, that she breaks the boundaries. People like edgy media, things that we haven’t seen a lot of before, and it’s that whole juxtaposition of the sweet, beautiful, innocent little girl and this coarse language and violence. It’s a twisted story, so I think it gets a lot of attention for that reason.
Rafferty: A lot of your work encompasses how media normalizes violence and misogynistic behavior towards women. Do you see the film Kick-Ass as doing this? Or do you think the character Hit-Girl could be seen as empowering figure for young girls and women? Is she subversive in a good way?
Dill: Well I think that she could be seen as subversive in a good way. The thin