Today's Daily Pondering: How much is too much when it comes to gore in TV shows and Novels?

Ever wonder how much is too much? Of course. Anything from watching the level of the milk you pour into a glass to the amount you spend on a video game. But let's talk about gore. Is it becoming an unnatural norm? Or is this the new average? Perhaps it is the truth of violence that we simply ignored. All possible, yes?

For instance (a spoiler alert is starting here, don't read any further if you don't want to ruin the new Game of Thrones episode) on last night's Game of Thrones viewers everywhere watched as Ser Gregor literally smashed in Oberyn Martell's eyeballs and then continued to splatter his brains all over the courtyard. For those who saw it, no doubt it left you reeling like you were on a boat in the middle of a stormy sea. In other words you wanted to upchuck your dinner.

It was a violent scene no doubt but also entertaining and emotional. The question is this. Was the gore necessary? In this instance I don't think it was necessarily a bad thing. Let's be honest, Ser Gregor is a beast. They call him "The Riding Mountain" or simply "The Mountain". The guy has to be a powerhouse right? Well, I suppose there are other ways to show how merciless someone is or how strong they are, but was there really anything wrong about the amount of obscene carnage?

True, the books have some gnarly and unthinkably wrong happenings such as a fourteen year old girl getting pregnant and a man's "down stairs" parts being removed through castration during torture. So where do writer's draw the line? Is there a line when coming across the reality of a medieval society such as the one displayed in Game of Thrones?

While were thinking of too much; when is someone showing too much "skin"? Or maybe it is fine to do so nowadays. As the culture changes and as society's acceptance changes, is there really any kind of guideline or rulebook anymore?

The only thing I can think to add to these thoughts is a simple verse and title to a song many consider and oldie. Bob Dylan named the classic well, Times They Are A-Changin'.