Activist Groups

TV and the Young Generation
By Mary Anne Winslow

The history of TV dates back to the end of the 1880s. Later John Baird perfected it and introduced to the wide public. Violence has been around since the beginning of human life. Violence was used to gain the independence of the US and end the era of slavery. Violence may be a bad solution to problems, but violence can be used to better situations. Naturally violence is viewed on TV as well. Of course, there are people in this world that mix up the two and sometimes the consequence of this mix up can be severe. But if TV really were that bad for everyone, wouldn’t TV have been outlawed already?

TV may be violent, but TV doesn’t make people violent. Violence is everywhere, and it cannot be covered up or shut down. Critics of TV violence argue that even health organizations state that there is a link between violent television shows, movies, music lyrics and video games to violence in children. If the statement were true, would we have given so much publicity to the airplane crash of 9/11, or have televised the whole war in Iraq? Were these events not as or more violent than children’s TV shows? We can start with TV violence, but where would we draw the line? Without TV, children are still able to access violent movies, violent video games, and comic books. The problem is not the TV, it is violence and violent behavior, which unfortunately is part of human nature and cannot be boxed up and stored away.