Limit Violence in the Media

All members of our society are constantly bombarded with messages from some form of media. From magazines to movies, and television to t-shirts, everything carries a message. Unfortunately, many of the messages with which we are bombarded include violence. Even adults are susceptible to the hidden and not-so-hidden messages within the media. Children are extremely susceptible to these violent images, concepts, and behaviors. The danger is NOT that children are so frightened by violent images; the danger is that violence is becoming "normal" and in many cases, even glorified. One obvious example is the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment. Needless violence is portrayed as humorous and heroic. No consequences result from violent behavior. Adults supposedly understand that all of the action is staged and carefully choreographed. However, most children do not understand this. I informed my elementary students that the fighting is fake and that they have to practice to make sure no one gets hurt. These children reacted like I had told them that there's no Santa. Some refused to believe me at all. Our children take their cues from these "role models" on television and in music videos. The video game industry is even worse. I am hard pressed to find a video game that one does not win by killing everything in sight. Again, there are no consequences, only rewards for the violent actions in the game. Violence is glorified with a high score. Song lyrics are another big influence. Many young children will walk down the hall singing the words to a violent rap song before they'll be able to correctly state the Pledge of Allegiance. People assume that their children know the difference between right and wrong and assume that their child would never hurt anyone---including themselves. Unfortunately, many of those people are wrong. Actions speak louder than words. Nationide statistics point to an increasingly violent population amongst increasingly younger children. More minors are committing adult crimes and are now being sentenced as such. If we keep sending the message that violence is okay, normal, and even heroic in many circumstances, how can we expect our children to know the difference? We cannot censor the media in this land of free speech, but we do have the power to choose. Make healthy, non-violent choices for you and your children. We determine what the entertainment industry produces for television and video by our choices. Watching non-violent TV shows and movies, and buying non-violent music and video games will send a powerful message to the entertainment industry and they will cater to the market--YOU. You make the choice. Choose non-violence.