In "Children and Violence in America", Dudley Erskine Devlin points out that children are more and more often "both the victims and perpetrators" of violence. As a means of presenting his own belief on the "underlying cause" of this increased violence, Devlin presents two other preexisting views on the issue. The first is that of "self-appointed liberal reformers" who believe that television and movie violence is causing increased violence among children and teenagers. Devlin then presents another argument, which is a belief, that "social violence causes violent behavior in children" and teenagers. Devlin however, argues that these are only "half-truths" and that the "real truth" is that the "liberal media" has invented this epidemic of violence as a means of frightening the public as well as "sell newspapers and raise their Neilson ratings". The article concludes with Devlin telling the reader not to jump to conclusions.

I agree with Devlin that the "liberal media",

Another form of violence involving youth is corporal punishment in the schools. This form of discipline still remains legally sanctioned in 23 of our nation's states. The Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education reported that 555,000 students were corporally punished in the schools during the 1991- 1992 school year. Although corporal punishment has been championed as an effective method of discipline by those who utilize it, the victims of corporal punishment are subject to potential chronic physical and emotional damage.

In conclusion, I believe that Devlin is correct in his article "Violence and Children in America" when he says that the liberal media does have an effect on the level of child violence in America. However, I feel it is more than that alone. All aspects from modern day popular culture, whether it is television, movies, or even the parents themselves, have played their part in this increasingly noticeable rise. The truth of the matter however, is that the root of this rise lies most likely, far in the past, before our younger generations' parents were even born and for us to put the blame on anything other than the nation of America alone is ludicrous and absurd.

The youth today are exposed to violence in many ways. Youth are becoming involved in violence-both as victims and as perpetrators-at an alarming rate By the time the average child leaves elementary school, he or she will witness 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 acts of violence on television.

Violence is a problem amongst our teenagers. During the 1980's more than 48,000 people were murdered by youths ages 12-24. Teenage boys, regardless of race, are more likely to die from gunshot wounds than all natural causes combined. Children who routinely attend funerals killed in the street violence simply do not expect to live past age 25. Day after day we see reports of children, families, even whole communities falling prey to this modern day plague. The impact of violence extends far beyond the realm of physical health. Violence also leaves a lasting scar on the mental health of all it touches.

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Approximate Word count = 1424
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)