VIOLENT SHOWS THAT INFLUENCE CHILDREN?

A spiritual perspective, if is allowed.

We all receive "whisperings" in our ears from
both sides of the fence, if you know what I mean. The popular Hollywood explanation is we have an angel on one shoulder, and the devil on the other. I won't even comment on that nonsensical treatment of Moses on NBC. Maybe
NBC stands for "Never Been a Christian". Who wrote that story, someone from "People" magazine?! ;)Whew!

Regardless of spiritual beliefs or lack thereof, good folks TEND to reject evil thoughts in their mind, regardless of their unbringing and those that tend to entertain evil thoughts, eventually TEND to act on them to bring, perhaps, some kind of mental "closure", regardless of their upbringing.


Many actions, good or bad, are a choice, are they not?
Could it really be that simple? Sure it could....
 
Ossi: I lived in Europe for 4.5 years...I loved every minute of it and the people I met everywhere were (for the most part) great. I even spent time in Great Britain, and enjoyed myself to the hilt...I even plan to go back for a visit. I obtained a German jagdschein (hunting license) and enjoyed times with fellow German jaegers that will be with me forever. But I gotta tell you...I ALWAYS feel safer in the US. Statistics may show raw numbers, but they don't reflect the reality experienced by a individual.

The fact that I still enjoy the right to keep and bear arms, that I've spent my life in a profession that encourages expertise in their use, physical fitness and tactical mindset, and that I routinely practice with firearms has brought me to the point where I'm not much afraid of some bonehead harming me or my loved ones. Bottom line, I'm with David.
 
David, I don't watch much TV anymore except the Simpsons and some movies. What was the NBC take on Moses? What do you expect from the new one about Noah? I'm not a Christian but you don't have to be to know not to set much store by any of the three letter words. Has anyone else noticed the new rash of shows based on Greek mythology? Well, loosely based, anyway. Turns out the ancient Greeks hated slavery, racism, fighting, and lots of other things "we" don't like today! Isn't history exciting?

As for McGuyver, he was peaceful, but he was also pretty holier-than-thou concerning weapons and fighting--basically, "if you were smart, you would never have need of your barbaric fire-sticks" was what I got out of it.
 
Gwinny,

I think David meant to say "Noah". The NBC broadcast of their version of the story of Noah's Ark, was about 95% fiction, and 5% real biblical stuff, and of that 5%, only about 5% of that was treated with any real respect.

Some scenes from this work of fiction actually fit in with this topic.

One of the most blatant acts of violence for nothing more than disagreement, that of murder, was performed right in front of Noah (Who biblically was a prophet of God) by a friend of his, Lot (who really lived many generations later and was Abraham's brother). Noah's reaction was not to condemn the act or Lot, but to merely note that Lot had become a thief and a murderer. Lot reveled in it.

It was all done so casually, and in deep defiance of the Christian belief that murder is wrong, that I was glad that we had put our children to bed before the show started.

Another show that was a lose-lose situation for the watcher was "Payback". Of course the plug line for the show was something about how you now get to root for the bad guy.

One bad guy going after other bad guys for ill-gained money left one without anything good to root for, and made no one good in the film.

Another example of "bad hollywood".


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John/az

"Just because something is popular, does not make it right."

www.countdown9199.com
 
Mike, David and others - When I wrote about crime stats I did not say that all the people feel safe in Europe, just that actually less people get killed. There is violent crime here, and it is growing. We have got Hell's Angels and Bandidos from the USA during the recent years, and the Russian mafia has been smugling all kinds of stuff (drugs included), and bringing prostites, after the collapse of the Soviet Union (some Russians have a strange interpretation of "free market economy").

Maybe one reason to less killing here in that traditionally the criminals have preferred to steal without being noticed. Actually I have never heard any individual I know of telling he/she was robbed at gunpoint in the street, but to shopkeepers, bankers etc. that happens work related. Many (my mother included) have lost their bags etc. while not noticing it.

Handguns are not illegal in any other European country but Britain. In Finland we have more than 2 million guns (mostly hunting guns) for 5.1 million people. Permits are reqired, but what I have heard it is much easier to get a gun permit here in Finland than in NYC or LA in the USA, but of course much more difficult than in most other places there. I have permits for some nice toys, but cannot take them with me when travelling abroad so I feel safer here, and understand why you feel safer there where you have your toys.

About the TV and violence, I was talking about results the researchers have got, and they are somewhat contradictory. My personal opinion is that the violence children see do increase the violent bahavior. Children learn by example, and many (mostly US-made) programs give only one solution to problems, and that is violence. For every insult there must become vengeance. It's crazy, why not try first by talking. Believe it or not, but in European-made programs even LEOs solve problems by thinking and speaking, not by violent entries and shooting at least every five minutes.

I have not seen that movie about killing with black trenchcoats on but would not be surprised if that has inspired the Littleton killers. I am strongly for the freedom of speech, but those who use that freedom should show more responsibility than the movie makers do.

Ossi
 
I dont know guys...

Teletubbies made me want to start blasting things...

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
 
I can't really add anything to the above statements about the hypocracies of Hollyweird. Mega-buck stars and directors glorifying violence, while saying that nobody should be allowed to own guns. Of course they feel that way. When you live in a nice, fancy neighborhood, with gates and alarms and lots of cops and security, and have bodyguards who are specially licensed to pack heat, why should anybody else be allowed to have guns? The same is especially true for our lawmakers. This is one of the worst and most evil kind of class discrimination I can imagine. Don't even get me started with the hunting and other shooting sports.

It's no wonder kids are so screwed up in the head now with cartoons. The media industry has on one hand personified animals and scores of other inanimate objects, given them voices and human features, made them sing and dance and feel human emotion, given them the ability to reason, be romantic when trying to woo le femme skunk (mrowr, mrowr), use telephones, watch TV, charge things from companies like ACME, drive, and stand in mid-air next to a cliff. (No wonder sheeple think that guns can jump up and shoot people at their own free metallic wills.) On the other hand, these "humanized" animals and other objects are folded, spindled, mutilated, shot, exploded, accordioned under pianos and anvils and inside of huge springs, blowtorched, shot in rockets into rock faces and deep space, all the time bouncing back by the next scene without even a powder burn. Add all this to the "hero" types who can take out an entire town to get rid of the bad sheriff. Are children becoming conditioned that nothing bad can happen to them even if they play to "rough"?

I'm 37. Grew up with Popeye, all the Bugs Bunny gang, the Three Stooges, G.I. Joe and Action Jackson, played "army" with the rest of the neighborhood kids, you name it. Was raised by parents who weren't afraid (or threatened by some court or protective service bureaucracy) to discipline us if we stepped out of line. We were encouraged to read more than watch TV, and to recognize the difference between right and wrong for ourselves. Learned how to be polite, responsible, courteous and all the other Boy Scout stuff, and to respect people and things, like cars, drugs, guns, knives that might cause harm if used improperly or for the wrong reasons. I have yet to take a life. Oh my, what could my parents have done wrong? I hope my parents don't feel like failures. Sorry for the digression, but I had to get that out.

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arms reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.

[This message has been edited by DonL (edited May 05, 1999).]
 
Don - You said it perfectly. Don't you wish those in power (schools/Congress/justice system) and those that put thme in power had the same attitude?
 
John, you caught me in a brain hiccup.

I think I was thinking of Mr. Heston when I was writing my post, and came up with Moses!

Ossi, I heard that the Banditos and Hell's Angels are up in your neck-o-the-woods, and they sport HEAVY artillery nowadays. What a shame.

On the issue of T.V. violence, I did a little experiment over the last year or so. I let my 3 1/2 year old watch Power Rangers, Voltron, and similar "kids shows". He definitely got more agressive about just about everything. It was so predictable, my wife and I were amazed. Here's the weird part. When he saw selected(and highly censored) scenes from violent movies, he was o.k.(!?) He understands what actors are, and what they do, and it is make-believe. He knows a lot of actors by name, and can recognize them. No, we don't let him normally view that stuff. The other night, when "The Rock" was on T.V., my son immediately recognized Harry Humphries in a cameo role. Wow! Go figure.

I do think that, like participating in a war, that as a natural self defense mechanism, the brain desensitizes itself to violence. I really enjoyed(!) "The Matrix", and can easily deal with it on an intellectual level, but I wouldn't want my teenagers (if I had some) to see it. It does make violence way too sexy and cool, IMHO. I'll see it again. ;)
 
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