Violence has been a subject concerning the general public for years. With the election of the new president George W. Bush new hopes for a lot of anti-violence groups seem to have rose up, since he promised to work against "Hollywood" in decreasing the amount of violence shown on TV. .
I am an international student at this University; I am from the Middle-East a little bit more conservative part of the world were the government as well as parents still take a very active as well as a conservative approach towards bringing up their children. I bring this topic up since it was not till I came to the United States that I really noticed the level of violence on TV. Shows like Power Rangers, Beast Wars that are oriented towards kids, and even The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) which part of the show airs on times when most elementary school kids are awake. These shows definitely have adverse effects on today's kids. .
It seems that these days with the demanding lifestyles, which are causing both parents to work extra hours every week not to provide, but to provide more and better for their families. This is causing children to spend more time home alone, which usually means more time in front of the television set. Even though parents try to control their children's education by choosing the right schools and right books to read, when it comes to television parents have usually little to no control. This has been a concern for parents over many years and can be seen from the words of Plato. .
" Shall we just carelessly allow children to hear any casual tales which may be devised by casual persons, and to receive into their minds ideas for the most par the very opposite of those which we should wish them to have when they are grown up?" ~ Plato.
" By the time most American children begin first grade, they will have already spent the equivalent of three school years in the tutelage of the family television set.