Narconovelas - Trigger Warning?

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     Week before last, my group did our consumption presentation on narconovelas. I specifically have been watching Sin senos sí hay paraíso. When I was doing research for our presentation, I saw a lot of feedback that viewers didn't finish the show because they felt it glorified drugs and violence. 

    Obviously, a narconovela is going to contain a lot of scenes involving drugs and violence. A part of me feels like that is something the viewer needs to understand if they chose to watch something in that genre. However, another part of me understands where they're coming from and agrees that sometimes shows do seem to glorify the narco lifestyle. 

    How are writers and producers supposed to know when and how to draw the line between trying to make a narconovela an accurate portrayal of narco lifestyle, and going too far to where the viewers feel uncomfortable by it? 

    It's common for shows to start each episode with a "trigger warning," or black screen informing the viewer that the show contains drugs, violence, sex, etc., but is that enough? The responses I read during my research of Sin senos gave me the impression that viewers felt narconovelas show too much, even if they do give a heads up before each episode. 

    I relate this issue to shows that are about sexual abuse. I recently watched Mila Kunis' new movie, Luckiest Girl Alive. That movie received a lot of backlash for not giving viewers a trigger warning about graphic scenes involving rape. In the defense of the writers, producers and directors, the movie was based on a true story, and they wanted to make it as accurate and believable of a portrayal as possible. However, viewers felt the movie showed too much, just like viewers of Sin senos felt. 

    Graphic content such as drugs, violence, and sexual abuse can be very hit or miss in the tv and movie industry. Even if a production team does the research and takes the time to ensure they feel it's done appropriately, it's more than likely that they will still offend many viewers. So what are they supposed to do?

Comments

  1. Rose LittleNovember 10, 2022 at 4:45 PM

    Something important that I have seen many shows do is provide a follow-up screen after the trigger warning that contains a hotline viewers can call or a website people can visit to find out more information about the problem being depicted. Especially in shows like "13 Reasons Why", or other television series that depict trauma (ex: sexual assault, drug addiction, and suicide), I think these warnings, combined with the phone numbers, can be beneficial to audience members who relate to these events in their own lives. Maybe the producers of these narconovelas can put in this additional contact information to not only help people struggling with drug addictions, but to also help viewers feel more comfortable with the content. I think your point that the viewers specifically were offended by your narconovela's showing of drugs and violence is important in the creation of future telenovelas. People of different generations consume entertainment differently, so perhaps, in the future, the narconovela genre will die out as a result of people's dislike for that type of content.

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  2. Maddie LangNovember 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM

    This is a really intriguing question, Alexa, and I agree that it's a fine line. I like Rose's take on it that specifying which types on content are triggering gives the audience the most control over whether they feel comfortable watching it. I'm still currently trying to decide how much violence/graphic content is enough to get the point across without being too much. I watch horror movies like 5 times year, but I only do it for the adrenaline rush. I mostly cover my eyes during the scary/graphic parts, too. I think the allure of violence movies/telenovelas for me is not the violence itself, but the action and suspense. When a show is unnecessarily violent it's a huge turn off for me. It's definitely something that's unique to each person and no matter how producers choose to use violence, they won't be able to please everyone.

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