Children, Violence and ‘The Lion King’

I am constantly amused by the word from on high from psychologists regarding what does and does not upset children. My 10-year-old twins loved “The Lion King.” After the discussions they have had among their friends about the Menendez brothers blowing their parents away and whether O. J. Simpson did or did not slash his ex-wife’s throat and stab Ronald Goldman, seeing a cartoon lion killed is tame stuff indeed. “Lion King Too Violent for Little Viewers?” (July 2): No. Is real life too violent for little viewers? Yes.

LINDA MOSE

Sherman Oaks

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Carroll Lachnit’s article about the degree of violence in Disney’s “The Lion King” is quite distressing. Children are not adults and should not be expected to “. . . give shape to their inner conflicts. . . .”

How absurd it would be to ask a 4-year-old to carry a sack of cement, or an 8-year-old to do the family shopping. Why then do we ask these same children to view and deal with the violence of the adult world in the guise of entertainment? The old adage “There is a time and place for everything” applies to the needless exposure of our children to media and entertainment violence.

It is by far a better course to allow our children to grow with positive, nonviolent stories, movies and television. From a foundation of a positive world view they will learn to deal with the occasional violence that will actually occur in their adult world.

JOHN S. MURK

Cardiff-by-the-Sea