A little bit over a half century ago the invention of the television was viewed as a technological curiosity with its black and white ghost-like figures on a screen with a life of their own. Now that curiosity has become a constant companion to many children. Television has all but replaced written material such as books, and unfortunately violent television and the constant bombardment of violent programs are endangering our society.
Violent images on television, and in the movies, have inspired people to lie down in the middle of highways, extort money by placing bombs in airplanes, rape, steal, murder, and commit assaults and dangerous stunts. It increases aggressiveness and anti-social behavior making them less sensitive to violence and to victims of violence. It also increases their appetite for violence in entertainment and in real life too. Media violence is especially damaging to younger children because at that age they cannot tell the difference between real life and fantasy.
Despite the negative effects media violence has been known to generate, society continues to push the limit. No one has said it better than Circuit Judge Alvin B. Run said in 1987 in his seismic decision in pornography icon Larry Flint's Hustler Magazine vs. Herceg court case, where he sided with Flint. The benefits of a society with free flow and exchange of ideas outweighs the cost to society. The Judge knowingly says that pushing the envelope will have drastic consequences (612). Today we are beginning to feel those consequences that were foreshadowed from two decades ago. Our society glorifies violence so much, that movies, and TV most have violence or over the top sex to sell. "Violence and fear is what sells" says a former producer of the wildly successful and violent show "Cops" in Michael Moore's documentary on violence and youth (Bowling for Columbine). It is rare to find a children's cartoon that does not depict some type of violence or comedic aggression.
