Media Violence: Friend or Foe

A detailed Summary of Media Violence: Friend or Foe

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent," as Issac Asimov would say. This disparaging comment towards violence in society no doubt would be heartily approved by those attempting to cut violence out of the entertainment industry. This essay will show that violent behavior experienced by society cannot be directly and definitely be linked to violence in the media and entertainment. The purpose of media is to entertain, to help pass the time. Bored? Watch a few movies and get a few laughs and thrills. Few would argue that sitting in front of the television passing a few hours would cause a cataclysmic rupture in the fabric of morality. So why is there so much negative backlash against violence in the entertainment industry? This essay argues that there shouldn't be.

In order to experience a negative effect from observing violence an individual needs to be of a certain maturity level. A child of age four cannot comprehend what he is seeing; contrast this to a child of age eight who is of the age where comprehension of the violence is a certainty. When you show a seven or eight year old child a glass of water and pour it into another of different shape and size, he or she can understand that

In addition, how one perceives violence has a big impact. We must be thoroughly educated about all aspects of violence so we are able to control and understand what we see. There are many people who enjoy violence but do not take part in it. Their maturity is at a level were they can produce a clear perception with no misinterpretation. Usually this kind of more mature violence is intended toward adolescences and adults, not to young children. Just like playing sports, we must first learn the rules and how to play. It's been said that knowledge is power and with that power we can choose to put it to good use. And although there are some who are ignorant, it would hardly be fair to punish the majority of people who realize what violence in entertainment is-entertainment.

When violence is intended for entertainment purposes only, we should just leave it at that. Empirically, entertainment is something that amuses or pleases and so we should enjoy the violence created for entertainment as it was meant to be. On the other hand, violence does have its particular attributes of hate, menace, aggression, hostility and cruelty. But, one must realize that it is these showings of aggression, which are all very real parts of human nature that intrigue, and ultimately entertain, the viewer. Have you wondered why is it we become a spectator when there is a fire instead of attempting to extinguish it? It is because for the exact same reason why we enjoy car explosions, combats, and firearms. They excite us and st

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Approximate Word count = 1018
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous