Hollywood has blood on its hands
More information is always beneficial, but at what point do we decide we know enough to move forward in a meaningful way? After all, we already have more than 60 years of research on the link between media violence and aggression and more than 3,000 studies, dozens of which focus specifically on violent video games. The consensus of the medical community is and has been that viewing entertainment violence can lead to increases in aggressive attitudes, values and behaviors, particularly in children. …
But why is Hollywood concerned about the potential impact of violent media content only in the wake of such tragedy? And why is it only temporary? The answer isn’t to delay release of films that glorify violence but to stop making them. It’s not to pull episodes of “Family Guy” and “American Dad” (only to air them a week later), but to reevaluate the messages they communicate to kids every day. …
But in Hollywood, talk is cheap and there is a fortune to be made by producing and distributing ever-more graphic, ever-more gruesome and ever-more grotesque violence. As the nation’s focus shifted beyond Columbine, Hollywood got back to business and the violence came creeping back — this time in greater quantity and degree than ever before. “Not our fault” was its response. “Blame the parents.”
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“The best answer to bad speech is good speech”
Alan M. Dershowitz
The New “best answer” to bad speech is
more speechGovernment censorship of all “bad” Speech.…
Why am I not persuaded? Clearly her speech isn’t good… and therefore is bad; and the Government should have censored her.
What? Those aren’t my rules; but if you want them I’ll use them.
gekkobear on January 24, 2013 at 4:25 PM
violence is all over movies, TV, video games, books, and even some song lyrics. why do some people act like only crazy people see violent media content? it’s something that almost everyone sees. yet you don’t see the majority of people turning into crazy killers. i’m so tired of this argument.
Sachiko on January 24, 2013 at 4:29 PM
The author isn’t calling for Government censorship but rather self-censorship of an industry. They should either clean up their act or STFU about gun violence.
Mitoch55 on January 24, 2013 at 4:30 PM
The answer is when the consensus view is rigorously upheld by the data. Right now, its not. Its been well documented that during and immediately following game play, there are heightened aggressive behaviors and attitudes. That’s true whether the “game” is a violent video game or a real-world competitive sport. Those heightened, aggressive tendencies and behaviors disappear when the person is removed from the “game”, even for a short time.
So as far as I’m aware, there’s no definitive link between violent video games and increased violence “in the street”. I’m not saying there isn’t one, just that the proof isn’t there.
taznar on January 24, 2013 at 4:34 PM
I am a social conservative, but on this I just wish we’d STFU. Hollywood doesn’t have blood on its hands, and neither do the makers of the Bushmaster.
I believe most studies “show” that the link between violent video and violence is tenuous and temporary.
As a friend of mine once said, “I’ve played all those games. I’m not shooting up malls.”
Ms Henson there are a LOT of reasons to “hate” Hollywood, but this isn’t one of them…I mean don’t get me started on “The Following” or “The Americans” but I won’t go off-topic.
JFKY on January 24, 2013 at 4:37 PM
Why is it that the Oppressive-left is always creating problems – in this case they’re incessant cultural rot they’ve foisted on the nation – and instead of accepting blame and fixing them, they use said problems to attain even more power over the people and make thing EVEN WORSE?
Galt2009 on January 24, 2013 at 4:39 PM
How come Hollywood has quickly killed the depiction of anyone smoking in the movies and especially on TV, but we can’t ask them to do anything about the gratuitous violence? Quentin Tarantino gets blasted for using the N-word, but nobody blinks at a new movie titled “Bullet To The Head” with commercials showing during what used to be called “family hour” and during the AFC championship game?
OF COURSE plenty of people play violent video games and never hurt anyone. But does that make them necessary or desirable? How far do we let the culture go?
rockmom on January 24, 2013 at 4:54 PM
I’ve always found this line of thinking to be ridiculous. Look at the history of war in the U.S. We have sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers into wars where they experience savage violence on a daily basis. They aren’t just seeing this on a game console or a computer screen, they are living it. They don’t come home by the thousands and shoot up malls, schools or any one else..
For liberals, the blame is never placed on the actual person that perpetrated the act.. unless that person is a republican.
ShadowsPawn on January 24, 2013 at 4:59 PM
Do you NEED to post on this website, do you NEED a car capable of going faster than 55 MPH, do you NEED an AR-15? Are any of these DESIRABLE? Before you start destroying freedom realize that the same arguments can and will be used against things YOU like.
So you are saying there’s no evidence (compelling interest) in limiting these things but you want to because you don’t like them. How’s that different from the AWB, based on “scary guns?”
You don’t like Grand Theft Auto or Wolfenstein, the last FPS game I played? Well don’t play it. And don’t let your children play them. How about that?
JFKY on January 24, 2013 at 5:08 PM
Come on. We hated it when the administration tried to blame the violent actions of the Egyptians and Libyans on a film – and now we’re turning around and pointing fingers at Hollywood. Very inconsistent.
Hill60 on January 24, 2013 at 5:12 PM
I agree wholeheartedly. But culture is a part of the problem. And within that culture are many things that contribute to it.
But it all comes down to the individual making the choice to be violent. There are millions who watch the same movies, play the same games and are immersed in the same culture, but yet choose not to be violent.
ButterflyDragon on January 24, 2013 at 5:29 PM
It’s called the Bill of Rights, not the Bill of Necessities and Desirables.
xblade on January 24, 2013 at 5:52 PM