Comfort Of Our Own Homes Essay, Research Paper
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 but they actually enjoy it. They are
conditioned to enjoy violence from an early age, often while curled up on the living room
couch. “Children watch vivid pictures of human suffering and death, and they learn to
associate it with their favorite soft drink and candy bar”. (Grierson, Adbusters 2) Many
times over, disgusting scenes are viewed with Mom and Dad during family times together.
“TV violence does not kill you. It destroys your violence immune system and conditions
you to derive pleasure from destruction.” (Grierson, Adbusters 2) Kids who play video
games get a sense of pleasure when th
who spent time as a lieutenant-colonel in the army states that something psychologists call
“classical conditioning” can take place in our children when they act out violently, such as
in video games, and are rewarded for it, as they are by winning the game. He calls
classical conditioning “the forced association of an emotional state with an action-to train
its soldiers not only to kill but to like it”. (Grierson, Adbusters 1)
Are parents doing enough to protect their children from media violence? They
provide comfortable homes for their children. Most parents also provide televisions,
stereos and video games. Myriam Miedzian, a social philosopher, insists, “By the time
American kids are 18 years old they have watched 26,000 murders on television alone….It
is contrary to common sense and research to think you can create such a culture and not
have any effects.” (Benson/Roehlkepartain Youth Violence 1) Even parents who try to
limit their kids’ TV viewing by installing a V-chip, are leaving the decision of which
programs are watched in the hands of the networks and “they are doing a horrendous job
of it”. (Grierson, Adbusters 5) Parents seem to be much better judges of what and how
much television their children should watch. Video games and TV are often used as
babysitters for parents who are busy, tired or lazy. Instead of being active and creative,
children are entertained by the media. “We have powerful data, linking TV-viewing with
obesity in kids…We have some of the smartest, most creative people in the nation being
paid vast sums of money to convince your child to eat sugary cereal.” (Grierson,
Adbusters 5)
Violence has escalated amongst our young people to the point that they find it
amusing and enjoyable to see and take part in acts of violence. Parents have let the media
invade their homes so that violent programs and games are taken for granted and seen as
an acceptable form of entertainment. Parents, in general, need to wake up and realize that
it could be their children who are someday beating others, invading people’s homes and
murdering, all because they have been exposed to violence day in and day out through the
media. If parents care and want to raise kids with good morals, they must do it themselves
rather than expecting television and other forms of media entertainment to raise their
children for them. Their childrens’ exposure to the media should be limited and carefully
monitored. This would be a step in the right direction to raising loving, non-violent
children.
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