Media and Society's Violence

What has the world come to? Here is an article from Philadelphia which will shock you. A Kmart employee was arguing with her boyfriend outside the loading deck. When the argument became too much for the employee, she went inside. The boyfriend chose to follow her and another employee, some guy who is not involved other than trying to come to the aid of a female and co-worker, stepped in to stop the argument. This was his mistake… or was it a mistake? Before I tell you the rest, what would you or I have done? I would have stepped in and tried to calm them down. I would have tried to appeal to the boyfriend to “just leave her alone” or “try to talk to her again after work when you have both calmed down”. I can hear myself trying to intervene like that. How about you?

Well, when this happened the boyfriend pulled a gun and shot the peacemaking co-worker. He was shot three times. Here is a link to the story.

What kind of depraved lunatic brings a gun to Kmart to argue with their girlfriend?

I am appalled at the way some people are in this world. What a ridiculous series of events.
This is a story and example for the reason we need strong police forces in our communities today. We are surrounded by the potential for violence at every corner and every minute of the day. It is a direct result of violence, violence and more violence in our society. This is sort of my rampage at times… It is important to me as a parent.
Did you know?
• By the time a child is eighteen years old, he or she will witness on television (with average viewing time) 200,000 acts of violence including 40,000 murders (Huston, et al, 1992).
• Children, ages 8 to 18, spend more time (44.5 hours per week- 61/2 hours daily) in front of computer, television, and game screens than any other activity in their lives except sleeping (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
• Since the 1950s, more than 1,000 studies have been done on the effects of violence in television and movies. The majority of these studies conclude that: children who watch significant amounts of television and movie violence are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior, attitudes and values (Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1999).
• Media violence affects children's behavior states the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, and American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (Congressional Public Health Summit, 2000).
• Children are affected at any age, but young children are most vulnerable to the effects of media violence (Bushman, 2001). Young children:
o are more easily impressionable.
o have a harder time distinguishing between fantasy and reality.
o cannot easily discern motives for violence.
o learn by observing and imitating.
• Young children who see media violence have a greater chance of exhibiting violent and aggressive behavior later in life, than children who have not seen violent media (Congressional Public Health Summit, 2000).
Many factors in the portrayal of media violence contribute to its affect on children and teens (Comstock, 1994, Huesmann, 2001):
• What are the consequences for aggressive behavior? Is it rewarded or punished? Aggressive behavior on screen that lacks consequences, portrayed as justified, or is rewarded will have a greater effect on children.
• When the violence is committed by an attractive or charismatic hero, with whom the child identifies, the effect of that violence will be greater.
• When the child's attention is focused on the violence on the screen, causing the child to be engaged or aroused, the impact is greater.
• If the child sees the violence in the show as being realistic, reflecting real life, the impact will be greater.
• Violent video games can cause people to have more aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; and decrease empathetic, helpful behaviors with peers (Anderson, 2004; Gentile, 2003).
• Children who watch more TV and play more video games are not only exposed to more media violence, but are more likely to act more aggressively with peers and tend to assume the worst in their interactions with peers (Buchanan, et al, 2002).
• Violence (homicide, suicide, and trauma) is a leading cause of death for children, adolescents and young adults, more prevalent than disease, cancer or congenital disorders (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001).
Information taken from: The National Institute on Media and the Family

What can a parent do?
Know the shows your children see.
Don't use television, videos, or video games as a babysitter.
Limit television use to 1 or 2 quality hours per day.
Set situation limits (e.g., no television or video games before school or before homework is done.
Keep television and video player machines out of children's bedrooms.
Turn the television off during mealtimes.
Turn television on only when there is something specific you have decided is worth watching, not "to see if there's something on.
Don't place the television in the most prominent location in your home.
Watch what your children are watching.
Be an active viewer: talk and make connections with your children while the program is on.
Be especially careful of viewing just before bedtime, as emotion-invoking images may linger and intrude into sleep.
Learn about movies that are playing and the videos available for rental or purchase. Be explicit with children about your guidelines for appropriate movie viewing and review proposed movie choices in advance.
Set a good example and limit your own television viewing.