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Televised Violence Is Here To Stay

Televised Violence is Here to Stay


One of the most heated issues debated, ever since the invention of the
television, is the effects of media violence on society. Many try to wipe it out,
but will undoubtedly fail. It has great educational and entertainment value.
There have even been studies showing that viewing television violence will
actually relieve stress. For these reasons, televised violence, including fights,
with or without weapons, resulting in bloodshed, will never diminish.
Many parents try to shelter their kids from the violence portrayed on
television. They only look at the negative aspect because the parents complain
by saying the violence only teaches their children how to kill and to get away
with it (Leonard 92).
Television is the most credible and believable source of information on
the reality of the world. It teaches that the world is a violent and
untrustworthy place (Bennett 168). It reports on how the world really works.
Televised violence cultivates dominant assumptions about how conflict and power
work in the world.
Violence is an important fact of life (Howitt 17). It is very much part
of the human condition. The media cannot pretend that violence does not exist.
Televised violence orients people to their environment. It helps them
understand their world. It serves as a mirror in which people examine themselves,
their institutions, and their values (Comstock 357).
The exposure of children to televised violence is functional to the
extent that it prepares them to cope with reality. Conflict is important for
children to grow up with. It is part of their life. Kids should not be lead to
think that nothing is going to happen to them (Comstock 354). Exposure to
violence in childhood is not a bad idea. Ghetto children see violence unknown to
other children. They have to live with it, and because it is so hateful, they do
not get influenced by it. People who grew up in a tough ghetto situation regard
others who did not as patsies,...