Murder is wrong is an orthodox opinion I agree with. However depicting murder in a movie, story or RPG, isn't going against that orthodox opinion, it is going against the orthodox opinion that it is wrong to depict violence in media and that we have to be especially careful when we do depict it. That is the orthodoxy violence in media challenges. Now you could argue this isn't always the case. Violent action movies get pretty violent. So I don't think this issue is always so black and white, as the question, at least in the states, often revolts more around the why and how than the presence of violence alone.
In the story in question, without reading it I can't comment. It is always possible you read a horror story by a sociopath and were justifiably troubled by something you sensed in the work. But I have also seen people have that reaction to violent movies and stories that were clearly using it for another purpose. And I think there is a place for cathartic violence in media. Choosing to describe it in a particular way could be for any number of reasons (from the author delighting in it as you point out, to the author trying to make the reader intentionally uncomfortable or being the details to life through the eyes of the killer).
Right, but there is a difference between "depicting murder" and "depicting murder as glorious or good". I actually did read a horror story about a serial killer as well, from the killer's perspective, and it still didn't give me that same feeling that the author was glorying in the murder and the death.
And, yes, in DnD we often depict things like racism or slavery as wrong, but we also show it constantly. Remember, I made that list of the humanoids involved in slavery (either as slaves, former victims, or both) and it is a large percentage of all humanoids in the game. What would we say if over 70 or 80% of all TV shows were shows depicting murder through the eyes of the killer? Wouldn't we note that as being a bit much, and maybe a problem?
And with the racism aspect, remember, the core books represent the multiverse. So, in the infinite multiverse where all things are possible, the dominant version of all the races are bigots? Is that really the message we want to send, that the most defining aspect of these relationships are bigotry and hatred? I certainly don't think we need that. It is far better to have it spattered and sprinkled through personal games, than baked into the fundamental aspects of the game.
Torture porn and murder porn isn't something I tend to gravitate towards. But I also don't mind it if it is done well and I don't think it is a problem from movies like Wolf Creek, Saw or the House of 1000 Corpses to exist. I actually rather enjoyed the saw movies. Wolf Creek was interesting, but hard to watch. I don't especially care for Rob Zombie movies but that is just personal taste. I do like movies like Lady Snowblood, A Better Tomorrow, Chan Cheh films, Blade (the Hong Kong movie), John Wick, and Commando, all of which delight and revel in violence in their own way.
Again I don't know that I would be interested in a book that describes a man being eaten alive by ants, at the same time, I think a person isn't terrible for doing that, or for reading it. I can think of plenty of reasons why someone might want to do so (simply to imagine the horror of that kind of death, to meditate on how humans are also food for the worms and insects, etc).
I do think all these movies in some way challenge established orthodox sensibilities around propriety and violence (but you an also argue aspects of them play into orthodox thinking).
Right, but let's stop and think about that last line for a moment. Do we WANT stories to that challenge us to think "Is murder cool and fun? Wouldn't it be great to torture someone?"
But more to the point, these things DO exist, so how does that jive with your vision that we are a far too PC culture? A culture that won't allow things that aren't wholesome and safe to flourish, while at the same time John Wick 4 with its overabudance of violence exists as a highly anticipated film? The Saw films are often cited as ones people like, as is The Purge. So if these movies can do so well in this political climate.... how are we barreling towards the future you predict?
I don't have a lot of time right now, so I will try to address the rest of this when I have some spare time. But I just want to say, no my problem isn't with change. My problem is with the slow narrowing of what is acceptable artistically and in terms of design in RPGs. And my problem is with some of the tactics advocates for these changes are using. But plenty of change is good and I embrace it. Change on its own isn't positive or negative (society can change to become more free and accepting, but it can also change to become more totalitarian and censorious).
How are we supposed to change art to remove people hurling slurs and being seen as the heroes for it, if we don't say "this is not acceptable"? How can we get acceptance, if we don't say that non-acceptance isn't acceptable?
You want to stop us from "narrowing the scope of art" because you fear we shall go too far and destroy too much... but you haven't shown any evidence. Meanwhile, we have plenty of evidence of the contrary. Even as someone might lose some money over an outrage... they tend to recover and make even more money afterwards. Very few lives have been destroyed by people calling for us to stop being hateful.
