Fighting Media Violence!

by Sharon Broder

FACT! According to the American Psychological Association, the average American child views 8,000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence before finishing elementary school.

Okay parents: Let's stop wringing our hands and turn that nasty fact into a learning opportunity. Here's how to fight back.

ACT! The scenario: Your child is watching his favorite TV show. The strategy: Tell him you're curious about whether TV is getting more violent or less. Ask him to help you out by counting the number of violent things that happen on the show. A sheet of paper or a small notebook can help him keep track easily. (You can also keep a list like this when you watch movies together.)

THE STEPS
Do you and your child agree on what constitutes violence? (Violence can include hitting, shooting, car crashes, unwanted sexual advances, killing, and verbal aggression.) Write a list of the general types of violence on a piece of paper, so your child can make marks next to each type of violence if they occur during the show.

Is the violence integral to the plot? Ask your child if a certain problem on the show could have been solved without violence. "If you had been that character, how would you have solved the problem?"

Ask your child about the real-life consequences of violence: "Suppose you went ahead and solved the problem the same way that character did? What would happen to you?"

Discuss the difference between sensationalized, gratutious violence (the stuff that's supposed to be funny or cool, as in Die Hard) and portrayals of violence that show emotion-filled human suffering, as in Schindler's List.

As you practice doing this exercise more and more, try adding another column to your chart, and keep track of how many acts of violence are either sensationalized or sensitive. Add this to your family discussions about TV and movie violence.

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