Violence Shapes the Children

Re “Violence: Merely Entertaining or Mainly Evil?” (May 25): As an educator and children’s entertainer the last 12 years, I have creatively interacted with thousands of children in music classes and concert audiences, and I have witnessed escalating violent aggression. I assert that the entertainment industry is one factor in stimulating it in children.

Children develop conflict-resolution skills based on what they experience and draw on this resource when faced with behavioral decisions. When this developing resource is filled with glamorous and powerful images of violent aggression, of course this model will become part of a child’s perspective. Children are profoundly shaped by their culture and do not have a choice of whether to assimilate these images.

I acknowledge that the aggressive drive exists in humans. However, development and exploitation of this drive into violent expression is a choice. As long as we choose this for ourselves, we choose it for our children.

LORI RICHARDS

Santa Monica