I do not watch "shooter" movies. I do not even enter the room with my head up if my husband is playing a video game that might involve shooting. Why? I rarely dream, so I can't say I have nightmares, but I do have a very active imagination when I go to bed, or if I wake up in the middle of the night. And during those quiet times, I tend to casually remember blood and guts and... stuff.
My only exception to this rule is the Lego video games, which I can totally handle, because characters "dying" with little lego arms and legs laying about, is not scary (it's actually pretty true to real life in this house).
So if a show J and I are watching happens to have guts and gore, I close my eyes. To be truthful, I wasn't watching anyway because I'm usually sewing or knitting or working on a puzzle. I find actual movie watching kinda boring.
Unfortunately, I really like thriller type movies/shows. I like there to be a problem and a solution and enjoy the roller coaster ride along the way. This is most likely because I am a scaredy cat in real life. I have to live vicariously through these characters from the safety of my couch.
Often with this type genre, there tends to be a lot of shooting of the "bad guy", which, I don't watch, but listen to. So, I know I have seen (heard) shows and movies before that take place in some Middle Eastern Country (I am picturing Jack Bauer in my head). It's dusty and hot. There are questionable people loitering in the streets. And there is always, always, a truck (probably a Toyota) driving down the street. There is a man in the bed of this truck with his big (illegal in the US) gun. There is an equally scary man hanging out the passenger window (without a seat belt on, I'm sure). While the truck drives by, policing the streets (or whatever it is they are supposed be doing), a (state-of-the-art) sound system spews something. I assumed it was propaganda or warning ("stay inside or we shoot"). It really just sounds like the teacher on the other end of the phone on Charlie Brown.
In August we transplanted to Sicily. And in September we moved into our home for the next few years. We don't live in a super big town, but it's still fairly large. And, quite obviously, things are done differently here than in the US. So. Imagine my surprise one day as I was doing something in my bedroom to hear this strange sound. The sound of a (not-so-state-of-the-art) speaker blasting up the hill from our home. In that same (masculine) Charlie Brown teacher voice. I guess I might be more brave than I figured because I walked outside on my balcony to check it out.
There was only one vehicle rolling down the hill towards the house. It was dusty, but may have been red. It had a tent-like cover on the back. I thought that maybe a "bad guy" was lurking back there. There was no passenger, but I could see a rather short driver. The volume increased on the sound system. The truck slowly inched past my house and I was going to see what sort of men patrol our streets. I was curious. A little nervous. Mostly curious.
The truck rolled past, speakers blaring. I turned back inside and laughed at myself. My mind had been blown. Never again will I watch/hear that sound again in one of those action shows and think fear and intimidation. Never. I will always remember this almost daily occurrence of the vegetable and fruit man driving by waiting on people to run out with their euros to purchase artichoke and carrots. Artichoke. And carrots. Well, I guess that's not as exciting, but much safer. Maybe next summer, he'll start selling gelato too.
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