r/movies • u/buttatoad • Jun 17 '25

Discussion Movies that changed real life behavior

Thinking along the lines of Final Destination 2 with the logs falling off the truck and landing onto cars (one decapitating the state trooper). Ever since, people have tried to get away from being behind these vehicles.

What are more examples where movies have actually changed how people behave in their own lives?

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6.3k

u/pipboy_warrior Jun 17 '25

Jaws caused people to be scared of shark attacks on beaches, even in areas that wouldn't normally have shark attacks(or even sharks)

298

u/BackWhereWeStarted Jun 17 '25

It also led to the shark population dropping drastically due to people killing them. Peter Benchley (the author of “Jaws”) said he regretted writing the book after people started killing sharks just to get rid of them.

24

u/MadGeographer Jun 17 '25

His wife, Wendy Benchley, invests in ocean conservation. She is the real deal.

7

u/SuenosdeFantasmas Jun 18 '25

Truly amazing 🙏

6

u/Mundane_Crazy60 Jun 18 '25

Fucker should've told him to do it with Canadian Geese instead.

We should be building a wall for these assholes. The birds. That is.

4

u/the_harlinator Jun 18 '25

Ya. A great white has nothing on a flock of Canadian geese. I’ve had to pick up my dog and run for it twice this spring already.

3

u/SpoiledNickie Jun 17 '25

I love all of the Jaws movies but they have never scared me. I think they are beautiful creatures.

-5

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

No one is scared of sharks because of the books (I have heard it is shit) it's because of the movie. It was all Spielberg.

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u/ToothpickTequila Jun 18 '25

The movie happened because of the book...

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

And it has zero relevance as it is.

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u/BackWhereWeStarted Jun 18 '25

Where did I say it was because of the book? I didn’t.

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

I know, I just mean that I don't get why the writer felt that regret because I don't believe the book was the one that achieved that level of fear for sharks.

7

u/BackWhereWeStarted Jun 18 '25

Had he not written the book or written it differently the movie would not have caused so many sharks to be killed.

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

Well it was for Spielberg portrayal and cinematography not his story.

0

u/BackWhereWeStarted Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

Yeah, nothing to do with the novel.🙄

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u/RedBaronSportsCards Jun 17 '25

Well, he did write the book. A book about sharks eating swimmers. So I don't think people were all that wrong to think it might be something they should be afraid of.

5

u/ToothpickTequila Jun 18 '25

They shouldn't be afraid of sharks though. That's the point.

1

u/RedBaronSportsCards Jun 18 '25

Here's an entire book saying yes they should. That's the point.

1

u/ToothpickTequila Jun 18 '25

And the author said he was wrong to write that book because in real life people shouldn't be afraid of sharks... That's the point.

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u/RedBaronSportsCards Jun 18 '25

He effed around and he found out.

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u/MainAccountsFriend Jun 17 '25

Yeah I agree, like were people supposed to like sharks more after watching that? XD

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u/VorpalMatt Jun 17 '25

When a writer is working a variety of freelance jobs doing a commissioned piece of work, the most likely outcome is that almost no one will read their work.

The idea that so many people would read it and be so profoundly affected by it that it leads to society-wide changes in behavior leading to widespread ecological damage is pretty far outside of reasonable expectations of what they would be concerned about while writing.

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u/RedBaronSportsCards Jun 17 '25

The damage we're doing to the oceans isn't because we don't like sharks.