Violence in Movies, Television, and Games
We’ve all heard the popular debate over the harmful effects of
violence in television, movies, and games in America. The conclusions
are supposedly disputable in that there is evidence from both sides. But
somehow this argument has been skewed, twisted around. This debate has
been focused on whether it causes actual violence in society. Of course,
violence is illegal. The real damage is being done to our nation’s
soul and to the hearts and minds of the people. This garbage corrupts
the mind and creates anger, bitterness, and hatred in people; it
basically makes them jerks, which explains a lot. Why were people so
much kinder sixty years ago? Think about it. The Golden Age of America
was a time of peace and prosperity where people were more polite and
civilized. Though, perhaps it’s the chicken and the egg syndrome. It
needn’t be said that our culture is already excessively violent,
especially when compared to the other industrialized nations. We need to
examine the long-term effects of viewing violence over a lifetime, but
of course, in a modern lifetime, one can witness the entire birth,
growth, and evolution of this new visual art form.
Let us more deeply consider the negative psychological effects of
repeatedly viewing acts of violence. Americans like to they link they
live in the greatest country in the world. But in terms of the morality
of our culture in respect to violence in movies, television, and games,
we are dead last. We are also the creators of anti-social music-hard
core rock and gangsta rap. So that makes four categories. In more
humanistic countries like say France or Venezuela, this debate would be a
no-brainer; of course it’s harmful to the soul. Perhaps the
conservative majority has so overwhelmed this debate, that basic
intuitive common sense has been opposed with a sort of twisted logic.
Our freedom of speech rights are rather impressive even compared to more
progressive countries, so these products are not censored. Also, sex
often gets lumped in with violence, which is ironic, since they are
basically polar opposites; love versus hate. Members of the Religious
Right make an issue of this and see them has synonymous extremes of
sinful living, while progressives like myself are generally opposed to
anything that promotes violence. I believe the solution to this problem
is education and research about the harmful psychological effects of
violence as portrayed in movies, games, and television.
The implications of this epidemic are staggering. American culture has
been growing darker and grows darker still. Movies are more violent, the
violence is more brutal and grotesque, and violent movies are more
numerous. Also, consider that TV and movie violence is often
unrealistic. How many times have we witnessed brutal fist fights where
the opponents come out without a scratch? People’s lack of empathy for
each other is another contributing factor or perhaps a result or both.
We have growing wealth inequality, and it is evident that people are not
as nice, polite, or kind as they were back in the fifties. While we had
some violence in the classic cinema of the forties and fifties, it was
much more benign back then - a simple, occasional smack to the face or a
gun shot with no blood or “cool†sound effects.
Violence is very common in video games these days and is much more
realistic compared the ancient relics like Space Invaders. In the case
of games, we have a participant who is actually committing the
pseudo-acts of violence. This adds another psychological dimension to
the problem. The violent acts become more ingrained in the psyche.
One might imagine a horrific future with game shows of real people being
tortured or killed for the delight of millions of sick-minded citizens.
Take a poll of how many Americans would like to see this, and I think
you’d be shocked at the numbers. One can only hope for an end to this
Dark Age, perhaps an intervention from other countries or a renewed
period of enlightenment. Today, we must face the tough challenge of
confronting our peers, especially men, and pointing out the obvious
immorality and harmfulness of this excessive violence in our culture.
In a side note, Americans watch on average four to five hours of
television per day, and much of TV is mind-numbing. I find this
incredulous; where to people get that much time? I believe they are
sacrificing important, healthy life habits like sleep and exercise. Yes,
there are some educational programs on the boob tube, like the History
and Science Channels, but even those programs are filled with stupid,
obnoxious commercials, and you can learn the material five times faster
if you actually read about the subject in a book, not to mention you can
filter out what you don’t want. That being said, at looking at the
current popular writers and contemporary fiction, I was shocked to find
that so many of the books were about horror, violence, or science
fiction, so this is something that really permeates our entire culture.
Since censorship is off the table, maybe we should just shame people for
having bad taste.
Psychologists have well documented the negative effects of violence in
popular media, but despite being educated in this now mature social
science, many Americans are surprisingly ignorant or unwise about this
subject. Research exists that it can contribute to aggressive behavior.
You should be careful what you feed your mind or body; don’t just
indulge in whatever feels good at the moment. This sadistic material is a
“dark pleasureâ€, meaning that it appeals to the darker side of the
mind, invoking negative emotions. Culture should generally be uplifting
and is best when it makes you feel happy, not angry or hostile; at the
very least it should reflect positive humanistic values like peace,
love, and compassion. While we have many songs and movies that are
“sadâ€, at least they invoke feelings of compassion and empathy.
Still, if you listen to depressing music all the time, you will likely
become more depressed. Common sense dictates that whatever you think
about most of the time or expose your self to will become a part of your
personality. Violence is clearly an immoral act, so enjoying viewing it
is in a sense immoral in and of itself. My advice is to be mindful of
what you feed your mind.
Allow me to add a personal footnote to this discussion. Many Americans
have been de-sensitized to movie violence. In other words, what should
shock simply does not; it is accepted as normal. Around the mid-nineties
I had somewhat of a catharsis; I started to avoid violent movies and
television, because I could see what it was doing my mind and soul. I
can attribute this to my studies in college of Psychology and other
social sciences, and simply maturity. That being said, I was never a big
fan of this genre to begin with; I usually preferred movies that were
more intelligent, classy, and sophisticated. Indeed, television and
movies of this genre do little to help us grow intellectually or
spiritually. So in a sense, I have re-sensitized myself to violence,
which I believe has resulted in an improvement in my mental health. When
I see acts of violence on television, I now shudder and repel in
disgust, changing the channel. I believe this is wise, and it also keeps
me from having nightmares.
To summarize, America has a lust for violence which is reflected in its
culture, i.e. movies, music, books, and television. It is time to
reexamine our values, educate ourselves about psychology, and think
carefully about the entertainment we indulge in.
