".... on children. ... children .... children .... children .... children ..... children. .... children— .... Children ...."
Posted on 05/14/2007 9:19:06 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback
Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.
A few years ago, a seven-year-old boy began to play with his three-year-old brother. Imitating a wrestling move he’d seen on television, the seven-year-old slammed his brother to the floor, accidentally killing him.
The three-year-old died because of something his brother had seen on TV. It’s every parent’s nightmare—and yet, every year, it seems, more and more violence is being pumped into our living rooms.
On April 25, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a report on the impact violent television programming has on children. Their research found strong evidence that when kids are exposed to media violence, they become more aggressive—at least in the short term. And as FCC chairman Kevin Martin notes, reputable researchers conclude that exposure to media violence leads to emotional desensitization towards real-life violence—and a higher tendency for violent behavior later in life.
And yet, prime-time TV violence has increased 75 percent in the last nine years. By the time they grow up, children are exposed to thousands of scenes of violence, including hundreds of depictions of torture. It’s relentless bloodbath, 24-7. And this doesn’t even include the video games.
The response by broadcast media and cable companies is to dump the problem into parents’ laps. Get a V-chip, they shrug, or—their old favorite—just turn off the TV.
But the FCC report found that current blocking technologies are insufficient, in part because TV ratings are unreliable. Plus, fewer than half of the TV sets in America are capable of blocking objectionable content.
Broadcasters, cable, and satellite companies could voluntarily choose not to air graphic violence when children are likely to be watching. They could offer a la carte programming choices, which would allow parents to choose family-friendly fare without being forced to buy channels featuring graphic violence.
But if broadcasters, cable, and satellite companies refuse to stop shoving blood, gore, and torture into our children’s faces, Congress must act. It could insist on the return of the prime time “family hour.” And it could require cable and satellite companies to offer programming on a pick-and-choose basis so parents won’t have to worry about channel-surfing kids accidentally seeing graphic violence. Other countries already do this, allowing consumers to protect their kids and save money.
Congress may soon be debating a bill that would take on this problem of TV violence. But what a shame that broadcasters and cable companies don’t care enough about America’s children to do the right thing on their own—now.
We’ve strayed so far from the biblical worldview that a society’s first obligation is to protect our children. We jettisoned this view for radical individualism—a view that says if someone wants something—even television programs that harm children—nobody has the right to stop them, or even restrict the time they can watch it. And if companies want to make money providing it, they say no one should be allowed to restrict them, either. If kids are harmed, if society is harmed—too bad.
We need to call the cable companies and broadcast companies, and our elected representatives, and demand that they address this issue. Children should not have to pay the price—including, tragically, their very lives—so that others can indulge their addiction to violence twenty-four hours a day.
And by the way, if they won’t act, turning off the TV is never bad advice.
If anyone wants on or off my Chuck Colson/BreakPoint Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.
BreakPoint/Chuck Colson Ping!
If anyone wants on or off my Chuck Colson/BreakPoint Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.
Nanny State Alert.
The three-year-old died because of something his brother had seen on TV.
While much of the crap on TV goes too far; I’m gonna disagree on this one.
You had a 7 year old who had not been taught that things on TV are not necessarily real.
You had the 7 year old and a 3 year old obviously unsupervised.
For all the Three Stooges and Bugs Bunny my age group watched as kids we knew better than to poke each other in the eyes!
“For all the Three Stooges and Bugs Bunny my age group watched as kids we knew better than to poke each other in the eyes!”
We did? I still hold Wyle E. Coyote responsible for all those tumbles off a cliff I took during childhood!
And remind me to mooyder you later!
Congress to the rescue! (since when?)
It could insist on the return of the prime time “family hour.”
As in "All in the Family?" Nah, not PC enough...
And it could require cable and satellite companies to offer programming on a pick-and-choose basis so parents won’t have to worry about channel-surfing kids accidentally seeing graphic violence.
And won't have to worry about being parents either...
Other countries already do this, allowing consumers to protect their kids and save money.
What other countries? Such as... North Korea?
Also, you didn’t drop anvils on peoples’ heads nor did you play with dynamite.
No. I didn’t and nobody can prove nothin!
I am nearing seven years without watching television. None. The news isn’t news, comedy isn’t funny. As an ‘entertainment’ medium, it is severely lacking. It is a disgusting industry. The bad so far out weighs the good that it isn’t worth comparing.
I used to get in trouble for painting tunnels on the wall and running through causing the other kid chasing me to run head first into the bricks. We all enjoyed watching the little birds that appeared out of nowhere and circle their head right after the impact.
I basically lived a decade without TV, living in a steep valley still without cable lines, and I was too cheap to purchase a 1990’s era radio telescope masquerading as a sattelite dish. Ironically I got the newer minidish and larger TV just days before September 11, 2001.
I don’t have the patience to wait until the end of the 1/2 hour newscast to see the weather, so my online time to TV time ratio is about 20:1.
To me, the worst thing about cable is, it was first advertised as “commercial free”. Well, the commercials were free when all we had was an antenna. NOW, we pay for the privilege of watching more and more commercials, and product based programs.
".... on children. ... children .... children .... children .... children ..... children. .... children— .... Children ...."
Well, I'll go Mark Earley one better and demand censorship of the news! There, I said it, and you think I've gone around the bend into fascism.Not so. What I have done is to point out the obvious fact that what is "not news" defines what is not the perspective of journalism; what is news is the perspective of journalism. Once you realize that, you realize that it is absurd to expect that journalism will be objective; its very definition is a perspective which is not neutral - which is, in fact, anti conservative.
It follows that broadcast journalism is leftism, and should be censored from regulated broadcasting on fairness - not to say public interest - grounds.
Frankly, I don’t like what I see on TV, particularly the stuff that is available to kids. As a responsible parent, I frankly don’t permit my kids to watch this crap.
Sheltering ‘em from real life? Probably not. I teach ‘em all about the Bad Guys and my 2IC and I train ‘em and their classmates to get away from bullies and Child Molesterers, using reasonable force if necessary thru practical self defense.
TV is no help at all. Too much crap on the airwaves.
“because of something his brother had seen on TV”
no. because some parent let the kid watch this stuff on TV and wasn’t there to supervise.
I respect Chuck Colson, but in this case I disagree. We were exposed to many more depictions of violence when I was growing up, much of which is sanitized out of “children’s” tv now. I think kids learn violence when they observe it occurring unchallenged down the street, as opposed to what is portrayed on TV and movies.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.