In response to Mr. Inloes post, I don't think all violent video games and movies contribute to violent behavior. It depends on the age and maturity of the person who is watching the movie or playing the video game. When I watch violent movies, I know that half of the scenes are fake so I don't take it literally. I know that the key point of promoting violent media is for entertainment not to go out and copy the movie or media game. I believe that some people get caught up in the violence and can't tell what is real and what isn't. Those selected few people are affected and decide to act in the same violent behavior. Young children shouldn't be exposed to movies such as Saw or Halloween because there is too many negative messages that could be confusing to someone at such a young age. Children haven't learned true morals and aren't mature enough to watch something so gruesome and negative. All people act different at the sight of violence so it is hard to just blame the violent media. What do other people think about violent media today? Does it only affect young children, teenagers, or adults?
3 comments:
Extreme violence with our youth, kids who shoot other kids, the Columbine kids, didn't commit sanous acts because of Grand Theft Auto or Scarface. Contrary to popular belief, extreme outbreaks of violence in our youth doesn't stem from playing too many video games or watching too many movies, although these things don't help.
Outbreaks of extreme aggression and hatred are the result of years of alienation and isolation. Adolescents can easily become estranged from their peers, unable to relate, confused, mad, angry, and never letting anyone know how they feel.
One might assume that if a kid were so disturbed he would seek help? Wrong. Most youth are unwilling to share their frustrations. Whether it is because they are too nervous to tell their parents or because they don't have any close friends to talk with, they hide their emotions. Ultimately, years of alienation can turn a person so resentful of society that they resort to radical, rash actions. And the aftermath is typically devastating and everlasting. Over the past decade or so, tens of dozens of innocent students have been killed by an estranged, isolated peer.
How do we solve this problem of violence among our youth? Most importantly, isolated kids need to be able to relate their problems with others. They need to know that they are not alone in their struggle, which is why books such as The Catcher in the Rye, when interpreted correctly, should be read by all teenagers. For me, Holden Caulfield, the isolated adolescent and protagonist of the novel, was someone to relate with. Such a character makes kids feel less alone, and less likely to commit terrible actions. Less violence within our culture would also help, but outlawing Grand Theft Auto and Scarface would be much, much less productive.
Most parents have no one to blame but themselves for the violent acts their children commit. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rates movies. Also, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates games. Children cannot have access to the violence they see without the help of parents since it is illegal for children to purchase tickets (for the movies), the movie, or the game without an adult. Some children use older friends or siblings to gain access to the movies/games; however, parents who are active in their children’s lives should have knowledge of this ongoing. If they continue to permit the behavior, then they are no better than the parent that bought the movie/game for their child. Regardless of how the movies/game impact people, what remains the same it that the child should never have been presented with the material in the beginning.
Movies and games must be rated. If they didn’t need to be, then no one would spend the money to do it. If parents think they know better than years of history that led to the creation of the MPAA and ESRB, then they have no one but themselves to blame when their kid goes haywire.
I don't think that violent games affect people (of any age) as much as REAL violence does. The kind of violence you see on the news or at home. I'm sure teenagers that choose to go out and kill or adults for that matter have seen abuse in their house holds or experienced it themselves and media violence just happens to be there, maybe give them the way to execute their plan. How many video games were out when Jack the Ripper killed all those women? How about the Gestapo, how many Saw squeals did they see? Yes yes i understand that young minds can be manipulated easily and violent video games just normalizes violence blah blah blah. For the most part thought, those that kill have psychological issues that were going to be triggered with or with out Grand Theft Auto.
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