Media Violence

Within the last few years, media violence is rapidly becoming a "hot" topic among many researchers and parents. The recent upsurge of violence and shootings in our schools causes us to ask the question, "Who should we blame for the hostility of our youth?" There are obviously no easy answers to this question, fingers may point to many different reasons. With the many different perspectives in this issue, I will discuss the three most important, blaming the entertainment business, blaming the parents, and within the children themselves.

Many can debate that children are definitely affected by the movies, television shows, book and video games that the entertainment business throws at them. For too many people, violence is an ordinary way to be entertained. One can argue that, exposing children to violence can make them less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, more fearful of them world around them, and more willing to act aggressively. The issue proposed, states that once a child is exposed to such things as the video game- "Doom", violent books, hostile movies such as "Die Hard", and hateful lyrics of Eminem, he or she seems to know nothing but violence itself. Even with the new laws about new rating systems, young children are still being sold such books, movies, and music. These laws are simply not strong enough. Many people believe that the entertainment industry should take responsibility, and to start censorships of things that are found too violent.

One can also ask the parents of these violent children, to take the blame. People can argue that watching violent movies and listening to music deemed "aggressive," can actually relieve some of the stresses of everyday teenage life. If someone were to censor these things, then where would children turn to as an outlet? Parents must take responsibility and perform their jobs as parents. It seems as though today that more parents are spending more of their time away from their homes and children, and doing other things. Without obvious parental controls, entertainment is obviously going to cause children to stray in the wrong direction. It is up to parents, to sit down with their children and to talk to them and teach them between reality and fiction. Children should know that just because certain situations on television are dealt with in a certain possibly violent way, that that is not the correct way to deal with them in reality. Parents undoubtedly hold the upper hand, so why can they not monitor what their children are allowed to come in contact with?

One last perspective should look at the children themselves. According to The National School Safety Center, twenty- eight percent of school deaths between the years of 1992 and 1999 was due to interpersonal disputes. In school shootings such as the one at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, the