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	<title>Comments on: How &#8216;The Sopranos&#8217; Changed America</title>
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		<title>By: Brian</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5334271</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Dec 2013 06:02:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5334271</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[But the show constantly condemned the characters. IE: the show itself took a moral stand against itself which lifts it above mere &quot;filth&quot;. Every depiction of violence on the show was stomach turning, the treatment of women was abhorrent and that&#039;s the point. These are dumb spiritually bankrupt violent people and they go through life accumulating garbage in their wake until they end up in prison or dead. Most of them lack the capacity to change and the ones that do lack the moral conviction to follow through. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>But the show constantly condemned the characters. IE: the show itself took a moral stand against itself which lifts it above mere &#8220;filth&#8221;. Every depiction of violence on the show was stomach turning, the treatment of women was abhorrent and that&#8217;s the point. These are dumb spiritually bankrupt violent people and they go through life accumulating garbage in their wake until they end up in prison or dead. Most of them lack the capacity to change and the ones that do lack the moral conviction to follow through. </p>
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		<title>By: Brian</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5334269</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brian]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Dec 2013 05:57:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5334269</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I don&#039;t think any of the characters were especially &quot;witty&quot;. They were impulsively violent morons (including Tony) and most of the humor on the show came from their impossibly limited world view.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I don&#8217;t think any of the characters were especially &#8220;witty&#8221;. They were impulsively violent morons (including Tony) and most of the humor on the show came from their impossibly limited world view.</p>
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		<title>By: WW4</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5237043</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[WW4]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2013 15:03:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5237043</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Art is art; moralizing is not. Good art NEVER gives us the answer--it hold a mirror to our culture and makes us ask questions. That said, the Sopranos went one or two seasons too long and thus it did wind up glamorizing immorality and goombah culture to some extent. But while Shapiro, as usual, is way, way off, at least he demonstrates why is he is way off with an appropriate example from the Sopranos--one of many which does, indeed, lay the amorality and immorality of Tony Soprano bare (...so why the kvetching?) While I agree HBO is excessive, it also puts out better product than most film studios. Game of Thrones is a fantastic political yarn. Breaking Bad contains masterful performances and writing. Whereas Lost was a bit of fantastic silliness that jumped the shark right after it&#039;s first season when it became clear that the writers were making it up as they went along.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Art is art; moralizing is not. Good art NEVER gives us the answer&#8211;it hold a mirror to our culture and makes us ask questions. That said, the Sopranos went one or two seasons too long and thus it did wind up glamorizing immorality and goombah culture to some extent. But while Shapiro, as usual, is way, way off, at least he demonstrates why is he is way off with an appropriate example from the Sopranos&#8211;one of many which does, indeed, lay the amorality and immorality of Tony Soprano bare (&#8230;so why the kvetching?) While I agree HBO is excessive, it also puts out better product than most film studios. Game of Thrones is a fantastic political yarn. Breaking Bad contains masterful performances and writing. Whereas Lost was a bit of fantastic silliness that jumped the shark right after it&#8217;s first season when it became clear that the writers were making it up as they went along.</p>
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		<title>By: bluffcreek1967</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236901</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[bluffcreek1967]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2013 03:39:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236901</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Good point. In that sense, the show was quite unrealistic. Most thugs - even Mafia members - aren&#039;t that witty or emotionally complex. This was Hollywood&#039;s pretty version of Mafia life, but it was far removed from the much uglier and sinister version found in real life. There was nothing glorifying or redeeming about it - just more human depravity on display.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Good point. In that sense, the show was quite unrealistic. Most thugs &#8211; even Mafia members &#8211; aren&#8217;t that witty or emotionally complex. This was Hollywood&#8217;s pretty version of Mafia life, but it was far removed from the much uglier and sinister version found in real life. There was nothing glorifying or redeeming about it &#8211; just more human depravity on display.</p>
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		<title>By: bluffcreek1967</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236898</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[bluffcreek1967]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2013 03:32:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236898</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Nonsense! The show was filth, and the fact that it appealed to so many only showed how far our nation had morally fallen. Yes, people do know between good and evil, but what people prefer to watch is itself quite revealing about where their minds and hearts are at. And yes, the acting was quite good. But none of that took away from its essential immoral content. I&#039;m sure some actors could quite convincingly portray a group of pedophiles and perhaps even win a Golden Globe now and then. But why would anyone thinking straight want to view such garbage? 


Which reminds me . . . . . 


&quot;The Coming Widespread Acceptance of Pedophilia,&quot; www.ambrosekane.com]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Nonsense! The show was filth, and the fact that it appealed to so many only showed how far our nation had morally fallen. Yes, people do know between good and evil, but what people prefer to watch is itself quite revealing about where their minds and hearts are at. And yes, the acting was quite good. But none of that took away from its essential immoral content. I&#8217;m sure some actors could quite convincingly portray a group of pedophiles and perhaps even win a Golden Globe now and then. But why would anyone thinking straight want to view such garbage? </p>
<p>Which reminds me . . . . . </p>
<p>&#8220;The Coming Widespread Acceptance of Pedophilia,&#8221; <a href="http://www.ambrosekane.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.ambrosekane.com</a></p>
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		<title>By: dude</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5329704</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[dude]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2013 03:08:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5329704</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Browsing the list of current TV shows ...
 
 Drinking human blood &amp; sex orgies (True Blood )
 Siblings sex, wine and orgies set against a fictional medieval backdrop. (Game of Thrones)
 Animated rotting human carcasses (Walking Dead)
 Aliens (Falling Skies)
 Aliens having sex (Continuum)
 An atheist comedian gets laughs while blaming society&#039;s woes on religion (Real Time with Bill Maher)
 Mom Banged my Girlfriend -- says it all in the title
 Girl with big titties massage men in a brothel disguised as a massage parlour (Client List)
 Drinking human blood and sex games with pretty girl (Vampire Diaries)
 A psychopath gets righteous or is it? (Dexter)
 Anti-christian anti-Roman Catholic propaganda about a fictional clergy&#039;s rise to Pope status (The Borgias)
 Wannabe singer/entertainers compete (The Voice)
 The Killing -- the title says it all.
 
 I think that shows a lot about society and where it&#039;s headed. Society can go backwards or it can go forwards. If the majority of the art is showing a lack of morality then it will influence society and in turn that&#039;s what society will want. BUT, if art strives to uplift people&#039;s consciousness and inspires them to better themselves and strive for values that move society forward, then society will improve and people will be happier.



What is the use of art/entertainment that leads to destruction?]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Browsing the list of current TV shows &#8230;</p>
<p> Drinking human blood &amp; sex orgies (True Blood )<br />
 Siblings sex, wine and orgies set against a fictional medieval backdrop. (Game of Thrones)<br />
 Animated rotting human carcasses (Walking Dead)<br />
 Aliens (Falling Skies)<br />
 Aliens having sex (Continuum)<br />
 An atheist comedian gets laughs while blaming society&#8217;s woes on religion (Real Time with Bill Maher)<br />
 Mom Banged my Girlfriend &#8212; says it all in the title<br />
 Girl with big titties massage men in a brothel disguised as a massage parlour (Client List)<br />
 Drinking human blood and sex games with pretty girl (Vampire Diaries)<br />
 A psychopath gets righteous or is it? (Dexter)<br />
 Anti-christian anti-Roman Catholic propaganda about a fictional clergy&#8217;s rise to Pope status (The Borgias)<br />
 Wannabe singer/entertainers compete (The Voice)<br />
 The Killing &#8212; the title says it all.</p>
<p> I think that shows a lot about society and where it&#8217;s headed. Society can go backwards or it can go forwards. If the majority of the art is showing a lack of morality then it will influence society and in turn that&#8217;s what society will want. BUT, if art strives to uplift people&#8217;s consciousness and inspires them to better themselves and strive for values that move society forward, then society will improve and people will be happier.</p>
<p>What is the use of art/entertainment that leads to destruction?</p>
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		<title>By: alericKong</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236867</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[alericKong]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2013 02:25:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236867</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I found too often viewers confused statements on the characters with statements on society as a whole. It&#039;s the cowardly criminal mind which was portrayed as nihilistic, not the world.

Should we be surprised that people who involve themselves in organized crime be shown as lacking morals? I thought the show could have been much worse. In real life criminals and drug addicts look more like rotting meat than movie stars and they are not witty or comical.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I found too often viewers confused statements on the characters with statements on society as a whole. It&#8217;s the cowardly criminal mind which was portrayed as nihilistic, not the world.</p>
<p>Should we be surprised that people who involve themselves in organized crime be shown as lacking morals? I thought the show could have been much worse. In real life criminals and drug addicts look more like rotting meat than movie stars and they are not witty or comical.</p>
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		<title>By: Infidel4Ever</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236731</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Infidel4Ever]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 18:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236731</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Sopranos did not change America. I think it reflected the change that already was well underway. Ultimately though, it&#039;s just an over rated TV  show.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Sopranos did not change America. I think it reflected the change that already was well underway. Ultimately though, it&#8217;s just an over rated TV  show.</p>
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		<title>By: trickyblain</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236729</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[trickyblain]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 18:49:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236729</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There was nothing cryptic about the way the show ended. The guy in the Members Only Jacket came out of the bathroom and shot Tony in the back of the head, killing him instantly. The way the scene was set up (Tony&#039;s POV shots with  the bell on the door as a que) makes that abundantly clear. The cut to black silence was death.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There was nothing cryptic about the way the show ended. The guy in the Members Only Jacket came out of the bathroom and shot Tony in the back of the head, killing him instantly. The way the scene was set up (Tony&#8217;s POV shots with  the bell on the door as a que) makes that abundantly clear. The cut to black silence was death.</p>
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		<title>By: JackWisdom</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236726</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[JackWisdom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 18:31:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236726</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There should be more articles like this one by Mr. Shapiro.  In my opinion, he perceives the moral disintegration represented by this show.  It&#039;s so clear to him and to me. Yet, sadly, it&#039;s not so clear to much of the public.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There should be more articles like this one by Mr. Shapiro.  In my opinion, he perceives the moral disintegration represented by this show.  It&#8217;s so clear to him and to me. Yet, sadly, it&#8217;s not so clear to much of the public.</p>
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		<title>By: Edward smith</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236725</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 18:22:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236725</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[And don&#039;t forget the running theme of this website. It&#039;s all islams fault. islam is evil blah blah blah.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And don&#8217;t forget the running theme of this website. It&#8217;s all islams fault. islam is evil blah blah blah.</p>
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		<title>By: iritegud</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236672</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[iritegud]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236672</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Seek...your ad hominem causes you to lose the argument. For me, the show was a mirror to the godless, amoral world in which we live.  The contrast--or paradox-- of a family man, who happens to be a vicious thug, exposed the hypocrisy of our culture. I didn&#039;t find it the least morally ambiguous. In fact, I saw it as an honest depiction of society&#039;s moral ignorance/dementia.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seek&#8230;your ad hominem causes you to lose the argument. For me, the show was a mirror to the godless, amoral world in which we live.  The contrast&#8211;or paradox&#8211; of a family man, who happens to be a vicious thug, exposed the hypocrisy of our culture. I didn&#8217;t find it the least morally ambiguous. In fact, I saw it as an honest depiction of society&#8217;s moral ignorance/dementia.</p>
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		<title>By: alericKong</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236670</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[alericKong]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:49:00 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[The Sopranos should the consequences of evil. It was subtle, but it was evident. At the very end of the show, Tony was a functional psychotic complete with delusions and hallucinations about to go to prison. Any sense of empathy portrayed was shown as a fraud. He children were setup to live the same awful life, and all his gains were materialistic without value.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Sopranos should the consequences of evil. It was subtle, but it was evident. At the very end of the show, Tony was a functional psychotic complete with delusions and hallucinations about to go to prison. Any sense of empathy portrayed was shown as a fraud. He children were setup to live the same awful life, and all his gains were materialistic without value.</p>
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		<title>By: Seek</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236657</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Seek]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:26:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236657</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ben is a philistine fool who somehow can&#039;t grasp that depiction and advocacy in the performing arts aren&#039;t the same thing.  Audiences enjoy stories, not spoon-fed didacticism.  Most people know good from evil.  And they don&#039;t need a TV show to keep them on the straight and narrow path every step of the way.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ben is a philistine fool who somehow can&#8217;t grasp that depiction and advocacy in the performing arts aren&#8217;t the same thing.  Audiences enjoy stories, not spoon-fed didacticism.  Most people know good from evil.  And they don&#8217;t need a TV show to keep them on the straight and narrow path every step of the way.</p>
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		<title>By: The Dead Critic</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236659</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[The Dead Critic]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:26:00 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[American TV and Hollywood has no morals........look at the overall garbage we are reproducing and entering into this country and world. Enough said.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>American TV and Hollywood has no morals&#8230;&#8230;..look at the overall garbage we are reproducing and entering into this country and world. Enough said.</p>
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		<title>By: dizzyizzy</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/how-the-sopranos-changed-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5236624</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[dizzyizzy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 14:08:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=194120#comment-5236624</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I agree with Ben Shapiro, unlike many who puffed The Sopranos. I wrote about the show here, and what it shows about our culture: http://clarespark.com/2013/06/20/james-gandolfini-as-tony-soprano/. &quot;James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano.&quot; Thank you, Ben for taking a  consistent moral position on the movies.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I agree with Ben Shapiro, unlike many who puffed The Sopranos. I wrote about the show here, and what it shows about our culture: <a href="http://clarespark.com/2013/06/20/james-gandolfini-as-tony-soprano/" rel="nofollow">http://clarespark.com/2013/06/20/james-gandolfini-as-tony-soprano/</a>. &#8220;James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano.&#8221; Thank you, Ben for taking a  consistent moral position on the movies.</p>
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