From: Max M (maxm@maxmcorp.dk)
Date: Mon Nov 16 1998 - 02:16:36 MST
From: Patrick Wilken <patrickw@cs.monash.edu.au>
>>If TV is a really great source of violence, then the natives of Rwanda
must
>>really have been watching a LOT of TV before they went out with machettes
>>and killed several hundred thousands of their fellow citisens with
>>machettes.
>
>A bit of a strawman argument no? Do you really mean to say that if TV leads
>to violence then its the only cause of violence?
No I was just trying to say that there is a lot of violence in any society,
and most often there is a lot of violence in societies where they probably
don't wacth a lot of tv. Thus the argumant that TV causes violence cannot be
the whole truth.
>More to the point: I don't think critics of TV violence are trying to say
>that TV leads naturally to more violence, but perhaps desensitization to
>it.
Yes but was not the argument that was used in the posting I answered.
>Some argue that it is bad that we teach our children through television
>that violence is a game and that death is not important. There is some
>bizarre statistic that by the time a child reaches 15 they've seen upwards
>of 10000 deaths depicted on television.
Most children certainly knows the difference between TV violence and real
violence. But some kids from "bad families" has no defence against what they
see, and they have no values to tell them that violence is bad. Perhaps they
are even abused themself by the ones that should show them love. Those kids
can probably be inspired by TV violence.
But I don't think that it is a problem with TV. It is a social problem with
these kids and should be treated as such.
>Note: I don't necessarily believe TV does any harm to a child, but its
>silly to misrepresent the argument.
Yes. I was just using an extreme argument to make my POW more clear.
>>Exposing the
>>biggest problems in society so that it is possible to act upon them before
>>they becomes reason of mass violence.
>
>I wasn't aware that most children's shows dealt with real problems. Did I
>miss that episode of Scooby Dooby Doo or Lost in Space? OK. So I'm showing
>my age, but I do not believe TV shows have become that much more socially
>relevant in the intervening years (nor perhaps should they).
I wasn't thinking about childrens TV, although Danish child tv does raise
social issues. I was thinking about news program documentaries etc.
>>Thus you can argue that TV is a source of less violence.
>
>Without proper studies you can pretty much argue anything.
That was my point too ...
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