Price of Virtual Violence Paid by Our Children

At the end of the last century, reflecting on the then-popular belief that America was “destined to bring the light of Christianity and Democracy to the darkest regions of the globe,” Mark Twain predicted that our country instead would become the gun runners to the world.

A century later, the daily news confirms the truth of his prediction.

Not only have we excelled in becoming global arm merchants, but we have zealously spread the gospel of violence throughout the world. The ministers of this gospel can be found padding their pockets within the cathedrals of the entertainment industry, and we their faithful followers seem eager to support them.

Films sporting gratuitous violence are box-office hits; “real cop” shows and crime-based docudramas draw millions of TV viewers; video games depicting graphic, often vicious violence are lucrative products for software industries. Although our violence is in a “virtual” format, our appetite for blood-sport entertainment rivals that of ancient Rome.

The price of our addiction to armchair violence is paid by our children, who are making our virtual choice of entertainment a reality in our schools.

Watching teen violence overtake yet another quiet American suburb last week, I was appalled by how many TV commentators raised their hands to the heavens and asked, “How could something like this happen here?”

Instead, we should ask ourselves why such horrific events aren’t even more common, given the appetites we choose to sate in our society.

Several months ago, while watching an afternoon rerun of “Home Improvement,” I counted four commercials promoting a film starring Mel Gibson. The clips repeatedly showed Gibson threatening another character with a loaded gun. Later that day, during an hour of scheduled “family programming,” my 8-year-old daughter and 2-year-old nephew witnessed six more of those commercials. Each time good ol’ Mel pulled out his pistol, my nephew would transform his Legos into a lethal weapon, which he would then aim at me.

I shut off the TV and registered a complaint with the local station that had aired the clips. The station manager assured me that the clips had met with the ratings approval system for family viewing. Well, I replied, maybe for your family, but not for mine.

Recently on one of those kiddie networks I saw the repeated use of film clips promoting a dark comedy in which characters who have met with a violent death waltz about the screen still sporting the instruments of their bloody demise protruding from their bodies. I doubt any responsible parent would take their school-age child to see such a movie, and yet on a station devoted to children’s programming young viewers are treated to clip after graphic clip of this recent reel of Hollywood perversity.

The power of the purse is an effective means of change. The purveyors of violence would soon find their wells dry if we would simply not allow our wealth to flow so easily into their pockets.

What would happen if thousands of us stopped watching TV, stopped supporting violent films, stopped purchasing violent forms of entertainment?

I’m not naive enough to believe that it would wipe out all violence, but we might spare more children from becoming addicted to violence.

If we continue to use our present wealth and creativity to support an economy that promotes fear, hate and violence, what future will we build for our children?

If Mark Twain were alive today, I’m sure we would all shudder at his predictions.

‘We should ask ourselves why such horrific events aren’t even more common, given the appetites we choose to sate in our society.’