George Hennard sits on death row in Texas because of a day long ago on which he went into Luby's Cafeteria and killed 23 people after seeing the movie The Fisher King. This movie is about a lunatic, who goes into a bar and kills people. George Hennard's act, as of 1995, was considered the worst mass murder in history. Many people are influenced by T.V. violence, especially children. There should be a reduction of the amount of television violence in entertainment programs. .
Almost every program on television has violence included in the story line, every thing from news to cartoons, dramas, sitcoms, and reality-based TV shows. It doesn't matter what channel you watch, there is invariably something violent. Many studies have been conducted by countless scientists, these studies illustrate that children exposed to an average amount of daily television (3-4 hours) become immune to the violent acts they are watching. Also, most children gradually accept violence as a solution to their problems and begin to imitate what they have observed. Other studies have proven that children who watch violent programs become aggressive and withdrawn, while children who watch socially stimulating shows like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood become cooperative and share their possessions more willingly. .
There are several ways parents can help their children choose less violent programs. One way is to pay attention to what the child is watching, and turn off the television when a violent program comes on accompanied with an explanation. Also, limiting the amount of television augments the child's will to play and interact with other people. By telling the child that violence on television is fake, and explaining that if it was to be done, it would hurt, will help prevent trouble. Finally, by setting up a group with the child's friends parents to have similar rules the normal peer pressure will be reduced.
