2/14/2006
Violent video games don’t kill, guns do
BY TRENT CUTLEROpinion WriterFebruary 13, 2006
It seems like no matter where you look you can find some kind of violence. Video games look more realistic each year and television appears to have more violent themed shows these days. Of course, all of this means violence in our society is gradually getting worse, right? Wrong.
It is easy to see violence in the news and think it is getting worse. While violence in American media has dramatically increased, the actual rate of violent acts committed in the United States has significantly declined.
For example, violent crime rates have been dropping since 1994 and reached the lowest level recorded in 2004. Obviously, violence is not increasing because of negative media influence.
Do you remember the years of
the school shootings? People believed the shooters of Columbine were heavily influenced by the video game “Doom.”
Students that have carried out horrible school shootings show little emotion after being apprehended. No remorse, no tears and no words of sorrow escape the shooter’s lips. This lack of emotion was blamed on video games and violence in the media.
However, violent video game and Marilyn Manson did not directly cause their problems. These problems come from lack of love, discipline and respect for life.
Violence in the media does not cause people to walk out the door and kill. Sometimes it is psychological, other times it is learned in a violent home.
If parents do not properly discipline their children, one can argue an outside influence could aid in child aggression. Nevertheless, it is unfair, and wrong, to assume that media violence directly causes it.
I believe the problem lies in our American culture. The Japanese play video games equal to Americans yet their homicide rates are incredibly lower. People here deal with their problems differently.
Educating the youth in communication skills is a great way to proactively combat the negative media influence toward aggression. In many places this is already being done.
I don’t believe America really wants to take the necessary action to stop violence and death. In one year Japan had 15 people murdered by handguns. New Zealand had 2 people killed and the United States had 9,390 deaths caused by handguns. It’s too easy to find the gun closet in many homes.
The number one thing we could do is enforcing stricter gun laws, but Americans will never give up their handguns. Stricter gun laws would solve more problems than a boycott of video games.
This is the real problem, not the things of graphic nature shown on TV and video games. Has TV caused you to act violently? I believe most of us will answer no. Then how can we think TV causes everyone else to act violently?
Media violence is not the real cause of homicide in America.
The problem is deeply rooted in our culture, home and lifestyle.
It seems like no matter where you look you can find some kind of violence. Video games look more realistic each year and television appears to have more violent themed shows these days. Of course, all of this means violence in our society is gradually getting worse, right? Wrong.
It is easy to see violence in the news and think it is getting worse. While violence in American media has dramatically increased, the actual rate of violent acts committed in the United States has significantly declined.
For example, violent crime rates have been dropping since 1994 and reached the lowest level recorded in 2004. Obviously, violence is not increasing because of negative media influence.
Do you remember the years of
the school shootings? People believed the shooters of Columbine were heavily influenced by the video game “Doom.”
Students that have carried out horrible school shootings show little emotion after being apprehended. No remorse, no tears and no words of sorrow escape the shooter’s lips. This lack of emotion was blamed on video games and violence in the media.
However, violent video game and Marilyn Manson did not directly cause their problems. These problems come from lack of love, discipline and respect for life.
Violence in the media does not cause people to walk out the door and kill. Sometimes it is psychological, other times it is learned in a violent home.
If parents do not properly discipline their children, one can argue an outside influence could aid in child aggression. Nevertheless, it is unfair, and wrong, to assume that media violence directly causes it.
I believe the problem lies in our American culture. The Japanese play video games equal to Americans yet their homicide rates are incredibly lower. People here deal with their problems differently.
Educating the youth in communication skills is a great way to proactively combat the negative media influence toward aggression. In many places this is already being done.
I don’t believe America really wants to take the necessary action to stop violence and death. In one year Japan had 15 people murdered by handguns. New Zealand had 2 people killed and the United States had 9,390 deaths caused by handguns. It’s too easy to find the gun closet in many homes.
The number one thing we could do is enforcing stricter gun laws, but Americans will never give up their handguns. Stricter gun laws would solve more problems than a boycott of video games.
This is the real problem, not the things of graphic nature shown on TV and video games. Has TV caused you to act violently? I believe most of us will answer no. Then how can we think TV causes everyone else to act violently?
Media violence is not the real cause of homicide in America.
The problem is deeply rooted in our culture, home and lifestyle.
