Violence On Tv

I know you've heard it before too, and maybe you believe it. It's the "violence on TV and in movies makes more people violent". Politicians running for elective office love that statement. They say we should censor ourselves to prevent the violence, but there never has been a cause and effect relationship between watching violence in the media and violence in in everyday life. But it does get allot of those politicians elected because so many people think it's true.

If a child or adult experiences violence at home or in the community first hand, violence effects the child or adult. But all but the youngest children know that TV and movie violence are not real. It's actually often a healthy release for people to see pretended violence. The Japanese are fanatical about watching violent American films. Yet the rate of violent crime there is among the lowest in the world. Surely this suggests that the idea that seeing pretended violence causes violence must not be correct.

Whenever I hear anyone spout that "too much violence on TV is making us violent" line I smile and ask them if too much comedy on TV is making us all clowns? They usually stammer something like "be serious", but if one extreme causes an effect why would not the other? I think what those who advocate censoring violence in media are really saying is that humans are innately violent. But that blaming TV or movies for violence in society is a good way of avoiding admission of that.

All societies at all times have been violent. That includes all that existed before TV or moves. There will always be some humans, due to genetic or environmental influences (but not the influence of visual mediums like movies and TV), who will be violent. Humans are complex and flawed organisms. Civilizing human inventions like religion, government and social class have promoted violence far more than your TV set.

So if you want to watch that slasher movie this Halloween, watch it and just pretend the victim is a political who got elected by blaming violence in society on violence on TV.