Tv Violence

Discussion Posting: I don't think that TV violence affects how children behave because it all depends on how the child is raised and the morals and beliefs parents instill into their children. Although the statistics were higher than I had expected I still stand by my belief. The people that children are around the most and learn from are their parents/guardians. As long as parents model good behavior around their children and talk to them openly about subjects the child knows right from wrong, especially if there is punishment involved. I think it has somewhat to do with positive and negative reinforcement too. I think our ideas and attitudes about violence are shaped by our childhood. An example of this would be if your parents hug you and tell you how great you are, hugs and praises become a part of your vocabulary of love. If they slap you and tell you that you are stupid, however, you may conclude that in some odd way, abuse is part of a loving relationship. From a child's perspective they may think these are my parents; parents love their children; therefore, the way my parents love me is loving behavior. Ever since I can remember, my parents let me watch whatever I wanted on TV. My dad was a fan of action and suspense, so growing up I watched a lot of Rated R movies. I was exposed to violence, gore, and sex early on, but I knew right from wrong so I never behaved like the people in the movies. Parents and educators immediately point the blame on the media, but violence in children are vast and complex, no one understand them fully, and no one can point to a single cause of violence. Assigning blame to one particular risk factor is impossible, because not all young people who experience a possible risk factor in their lives end up committing violent acts.

The reason why I chose this discussion posting as a good one is because it is clear and I explained my belief in a well-reasoned argument. I have more than half of the characteristics listed with having a strong note. My discussion posting brings in useful concepts from the readings, especially when I talk about observed behavior. It has my original point that one particular risk factor isn't going to make a child violent later on in life, and it opens the discussion in order to go more in depth. The three strongest notes that stand out to me are that the way children behave depends on how the child is raised;