Re: violence, I think it all kinda evens out. In today's fast-paced modern world we're exposed to Extreme Cage Wrestling, YouTube decapitations and dozens of variations on and iterations of Saw. But in the olden days people were first-hand witnesses to train wrecks, thresher accidents, and wheelbarrows full of plague victims.

Note that I'm only referring to comfortable middle-class America when I say "we." Much of the world isn't safely insulated from real-life death and destruction. We're a bit too insulated, perhaps?