Violence is very wide spread in society today and is growing at an alarming rate among
our children. Everyday we seem to hear of children beating on one another, ganging up
on the elderly, invading homes, and even murdering people. One has to question how
much effect different sorts of media have on our children. From the time we are very
young we can be exposed to seeing and hearing horrible acts of violence on the television
and radio, and through video games. Sadly, I believe this is where it all starts - in the
comfort of our own homes. Over and over again children watch violent programs and
play video games with the goal of killing others. Eventually many of them find it amusing
and enjoyable to see others being hurt and killed. Parents, in general, are not protecting
their kids from this invasion of media violence.
Many children laugh at violence and think it’s funny to hurt others. According to
David Grossman, a former psychology professor and author of a Pulitzer-nominated book
on the psychology of violence, the most dangerous of all media is that which teaches the
child to laugh. “ Once you get beyond the early age where kids are stunned and
mesmerized by TV and can’t tell the difference between fantasy and reality, you find they
begin to laugh at the violence”. (Grierson, Adbusters 2) Children who view a lot of
television become hardened to violence. “ Media violence systematically brutalizes and
desensitizes its recruits”.(Grierson, Adbusters 1) Children are entertained by violence so
often on television that they no longer find it offensive. Watching programs that glorify
violence, such as “Monday Night Wrestling”, give children the impression that hurting
others is amusing. “Even though young children have some understanding of what it
means to pretend, they are developmentally unable to distinguish clearly between fantasy
and reality.” (Grierson, Adbusters 1)
Children not only commit acts of violence...