FREE ESSAY ON MEDIA VIOLENCE

MEDIA VIOLENCE

Jason Brooks 
English 101 
Nov. 14, 1997
Persuasive Essay: The Impact of Media Violence
"Monkey see, monkey do" has become a well-known saying in today's society, but is it
correct? Just sixty years ago the invention of the television was viewed as a
technological curiosity with black and white ghost-like figures on a screen so small
hardly anyone could see them. Today that curiosity has become a constant companion to
many, mainly children. From reporting the news and persuading us to buy certain products,
to providing programs that depict violence, television has all but replaced written
material. Unfortunately, it is these violent programs that are endangering our
present-day society. 
Violent images on television, as well as in the movies, have inspired people to set
spouses on fire in their beds, lie down in the middle of highways, extort money by
placing bombs in airplanes, rape, steal, murder, and commit numerous other shootings and
assaults. Over 1,000 case studies have proven that media violence can have negative
affects on children as well. It increases aggressiveness and anti-social behavior, makes
them less sensitive to violence and to victims of violence, and it increases their
appetite for more violence in entertainment and in real life. Media violence is
especially damaging to young children, age 8 and under1, because they cannot tell the
difference between real life and fantasy. Violent images on television and in movies may
seem real to these children and sometimes viewing these images can even traumatize them.

Despite the negative effects media violence has been known to generate, no drastic
changes have been made to deal with this problem that seems to be getting worse. We, as a
whole, have glorified this violence so much that movies such as "Natural Born Killers"
and television shows such as "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" are viewed as normal,
everyday entertainment. It's even rare now to find a children's cartoon that does not
depict some type of violence or comedic aggression. What we do not realize though, is
that it is the children that are ending up with problems. Unlike most rational, educated
adults, many children are gradually beginning to accept violence as a way to solve
problems and are imitating what they observe on television. These children do not
understand that the violence is shown strictly because the public wants to see it. They
cannot grasp the meaning of "ratings" and "entertainment" as well as adults can. All they
know is, "if the TV portrays violence as cool, then it must be cool!"
The problem isn't the violence in the media though; it is the media's failure to show the
consequences of violence. This is especially true of cartoons, toy commercials, and music
videos. Children often do not realize that it hurts to hit someone else because they see
it all the time on TV. Everyday a cartoon character is beat up, injured, or killed, only
to return in the very next episode, good as new. As a result, children learn that there
are few, if any repercussions for committing violent acts.
Unfortunately, as long as there is an extremely high public demand for violent shows and
movies, the media is going to continue on the same path. And because it looks as though
the "violence craze" is going to continue for some time, we need to be dependent on
parents to reduce the effect that media violence has on children, which can be done in so
many different ways. 
First, parents should limit the amount of television children watch per day from the
average 3 to 4 hours, which is double the amount of recommended hours, to 1 to 2 hours.
Children are exposed to far too much violence every day on TV, mainly because parents see
the TV as a convenient babysitter. By limiting the amount of time spent in front of the
"tube," parents will compel their children to do something more productive like reading a
book or playing outside. In limiting TV time, parents also need to monitor what programs
their children are watching and restrict the viewing of violent programs. Just because a
child is not watching as much violence, does not mean he or she still can't be influenced
by it. 
Parents should also make a greater effort to better develop their children's media
literacy skills. They need to help children to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Without proper instruction, children often have a hard time drawing the line between what
is real and what is make-believe. With this education, parents should teach their
children that real-life violence has consequences, in that pain is real and death is
permanent. They need to understand that weapons and other acts of violence can inflict
serious and life-long injuries. This education can be done simply by watching television
with children and discussing the violent acts and images that are portrayed. They should
ask children to think about what would happen in real life if the same type of violent
act were committed. Would anyone die or go to jail? Would anyone be sad? Would the
violence solve problems or create them? Just asking children how they feel after watching
a violent TV show, movie, or music video is enough to move them from their innocent dream
world into reality. 
Finally the easiest and most simple way to keep children away from excessive media
violence is to teach them alternatives to violence. Parents should not be so quick to let
their children plop down in front of a TV set. They should interest their children with
something much more productive and exciting to do. However this task is completed, it is
important for children to be given the proper support in dealing with issues of violence.
If not, they could end up like one of the thousands of criminals sent to prisons and on
death row for mindless and unnecessary acts of violence.
We are bombarded continually with images of violence, brutality, and sexual immortality.
When children, teen-agers, and adults all mindlessly automatically imitate and follow the
leader, it is hard to believe that there are so many non-aggressive and non-violent
people in the world. The reason for this is education. We, as a humane society, learn in
the early years of our life that violence is wrong. It is important for this education to
continue with each passing generation. Mass media can have a very negative effect on
children, but with the support of parents and a little control, the television can be
turned into a beneficial tool rather than negative impact. 
1. "Media Violence." AAP Committee on Communications. Pediatrics. vol. 95, No. 6. 
June 1995.