The rising tide of crime in North America
exists primarily in the minds of the
media. Television
has created a perception that crime has multiplied, double or triple, in
the past
quarter-century due to violence. In fact, US Justice Department survey data
shows, crime in
the US has dropped 24 percent since 1971 and violent crime is down 2
percent.
Crime statistics serve the media well. The
single-minded reporting of violent news,
the presentation
of violent movies and violent reality-based "cop" shows has made
violent
crime a growth industry for the television, press,
and media.
Violence bombards us constantly. Networks
shoot in sequence one violent scene
after another,
delivering untold numbing horror into Canada's living rooms, bedrooms, and
nurseries. Taped
TV violence, unlike real violence, repeats over and over in an
accelerating
pattern. The sounds and scenes of violence echo, firing in every direction
without concern
for targets or casualties. Canadians are developing a vision of themselves
as hopeless
victims of criminal forces they cannot control and cannot understand.
While TV grows rich on violence, the
nation is threatened by loss of self-esteem,
fear of crime,
and fear of our neighbours. A permanent impression is made on the
innocent minds of
young children too young to read or speak. TV is destroying society's
respect for human
life. Daniel Boorstin, librarian of US Congress, said that TV has the
power "to
conjure up a self-created reality that can mold public values and influence
behaviour."
The Canadian Government guarantees free speech and free press, but
conjuring up
anti-social values for our children is hardly what they had intended.
Like it or not, TV has taken over the role
of passing down the traditional values to
our younger
generation. It has replaced the role formerly filled by elders. For a long
time,
elder members of
the community have passed on family stories, history, and cultural myth.
However, children
who cannot yet talk can absorb the values transmitted by TV, ie.
"violence is
an accectable means, perhaps the preferred means to resolve conflicts and
solve
problems." TV violence makes a permanent impression on young children.
It has been suggested that parents control
the TV that children watch. Hardly.
Many parents are
working singles or couples who must rely on others for the parenting
and raising of
their children. Baby sitters use TV as the easiest source of entertainment for
the children.
Media defenders claim that watching movies
and TV does not affect behaviour. I
wonder if they
have conveyed that to their advertisers?
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