The Effects of Television Violence on America

America has the highest crime rate in the world. Along with that crime rate is also the very high violence rate. Why is violence becoming and everyday event in our society? When you flip on the television and tune into the news, the highlight of every show is somehow directly related or connected to violence. We see it every evening and perhaps say "Oh my gosh" and then forget all about it two minutes later. Or perhaps we don't even make any comments at all, just a simple grunt or “Oh, how terrible”. This numbness to violence is very scary and real. It makes you blind to the fact, that America has the most crime and violence. Why not Switzerland or Australia? Are we not as civilized and advanced as they are? I believe it is this numbness to violence that has made America such a violent place.

When I think back to my childhood and remember television I remember watching such programs as "Sesame Street", "Mr.Rogers", and "Scooby - Doo". I have nothing but pleasant memories filled with happiness, peace, understanding, and learning. When you watch children's programs today you see senseless violence often as the first means of solving a problem. The classic view of "good" versus "evil" is the basis of many of these shows, with violence as the answer. When children watch these programs they often imiatate the actions and "morals" of these characters. Children do not know what "good" or "evil" really is, how can they? This world is not broken into "good" and "evil". "Evil" to children is what opposes them, what does not agree with them, or any other person or thing that poses a possible difficulty. Children must be taught that there are differences in this world. This world is filled with many people ho...

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...tion to this problem is censorship. Censorship not at the governmental level, nor at the state level, nor at the cable company level, rather at the level of the parents. They and they alone are the ones who need to decide what is best for their children. When I was a child my mother was always there to tell me what I could and could not watch. Of course when I was smaller I hated it, but now that I am older and a mother myself, I am so grateful and thankful that my mother censored what was fed into my brain.

As parents I believe that we are solely responsible for what show we allow to be seen in our households. We have to take the responsibility of censoring what is fed into the minds of our children. And if montoring doesn’t resolve the issue of what is seen by our children we can always do what Peter Goddard said “You can turn the damn thing off, you know.”