Yay! It finally looks like some history and common sense has been applied to the idea that violent movies and video games lead to violent people. Salon (membership required) has a great article reviewing a book that talks about the kind of things I've always brought up in conversation. They talk about the fact that the world used to be much more violent; public executions, higher murder rates. That childrens entertainment of yesteryear was as bloody as it is today; they quote a western adventure novel that was quite popular and sounds particularly nasty, penny-dreadfuls, etc. Basically, yep, the world is a nasty place and so's entertainment. Then it goes on to mention that, in fact, the world we live in is radically safer than it ever has been before (a fact that I can't seem to communicate to my mother-in-law no matter how I phrase it). Anyway, go and read the whole thing.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
This statement alone sold me.
"kids who play video-game shooters aren't outside gunning down the neighbors, possibly because that would mean getting off their butts and leaving behind the overlit universe of their TV or computer screen."
Now there is a section on nearly undisputable logic.
Post a Comment