Camerina Gonzalez

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Young and Furious

In his essay, “Filling Their Minds with Death: TV Violence and Children,”

Ron Kaufman urges parents to not allow children to watch violent and

inappropriate television programming. Kaufman suggests, “The bottom line

is that television is violent, and parents must use discretion to get control

over the medium and not allow children to watch inappropriate

programming” (654). Television violence is a significant issue for children

because kids watch many hours of television. On average young children

spend four hours in front of their television screens (646). Thus, the vast

majority of Americans are growing up with television as a constant presence

in their lives. The fact that infants are exposed to violence is troubling

because they are impressionable. In the world of television, violence has no

penalties and it's often justifiable. Violence can be found in all television

programming. Most troubling is that it also infiltrates kid-friendly fare, like

cartoons. Plenty of cartoon shows have more creative license to showcase

very graphic images of violence, as it may be considered more lighthearted

than live action violence. Childhood experiences must be closely monitored

because they have a lasting impact. Parents should turn off their television.

Violence it's a daily part of life around the modern world. Stories

involving violence take up the bigger bulk of news stories. Violence has also
infiltrated fictional programming of just about every genre. Violent

programming reaches every type of audience. Violent programming doesn’t

come with a mature rating in the vast majority of instances. Thus, children

are exactly as likely as any other type of audience to be exposed to explicit

violent imagery. In his essay, “Filling Their Minds with Death: TV Violence and

Children, “Ron Kaufman points to violence in television as a major social

problem. He offers solid evidence of the negative impact today's television

programming has in the youngest and most impressionable of Americans.

The extent to which violence has invaded TV is something that, even

when identified as being quite significant, it's vastly underestimated by even

the most concerned and aware of people. Television caters to a nation of

individuals with short attention spans and fast-paced lifestyles. To have the

biggest shot at capturing a big audience the programming itself must be fast-

paced and quickly engage the viewer. The plot must be simple and the

show's conflict must be resolve within a time frame that allows for

commercials to air. Most melodramas center on a crime committed.

Crashes, guns, and graphic depictions add visual stimulation. Depictions of

death are casual attributes of any of American television shows. It’s hard the

dispute the presence of violence in television programming. it is the easiest

route towards thrilling the tastes of the modern television audience.

Today’s television programming is undeniably violent, but what allows

violence to be utilized as a means to entertainment it's the desensitization to

it that has been developed by television consumers. Violence it's just not a

big deal as long as it's shown for entertainment value. If the bad guys are

violent, then the hero is justified in using violence as a means to resolve

conflict. What traditional values and morals would point out to be deviant

and illegal behavior, television has made an acceptable one. In other words

it's not wrong for the hero to commit crimes onscreen, the end justifies the

means. It’s just so that the means it's always violence. In the black and

white world of television fighting violence with violence it’s not wrong when it

helps take down the bad guys. This increases not only graphic imagery, but

also entertainment value. The problem it's not entirely that television it's

violent, most troubling of all it's that the huge amounts of violence aired it's

not always perceived as wrong.

The number of households without a television set are obsolete.

Television is a constant presence in children's lives. Exposure to violent

content is a daily occurrence in the life of young Americans. It is highly

unlikely that parents monitor and guide kids through this exposure simply

because of the fact that it occurs in such a high volume. “The bottom line is

that television is violent, and parents must use discretion to get control over

the medium and not allow children to watch inappropriate programming,”

Kaufman states in pg.654. If television is violent and children are exposed to

large doses of it, then violent programming profoundly affects kids.

At infancy human beings are very receptive to learning from the

behaviors of those around them. This includes fictional television characters.

If violence it's portrayed as an acceptable way to resolve conflict time and

time again, any kid will accept it as their own method of problem solving.

The same would be true if non-violent and healthy ways to cope would be

portrayed on television. It is true that most viewers, including children, are

more enthralled by rapid and vivid imagery. However, if a kid is exposed to

healthy adult behavior he or she will learn to imitate it. Eventually, behavior

imitated will become part of the person's value system. It is impossible to

advocate to children that violence it's a deviant behavior if they see it

performed and utilized on a daily basis by their fake television peers.

Even supposed child-friendly fare, is drowned in violence. Plenty of

cartoon shows have more creative license to showcase very graphic images

of violence as it may be considered more lighthearted than live action

violence. This places any concerned parent in a predicament when he or she

intends to monitor a kid's television viewing experience. If violence cannot

be kept out of any programming, then there is no solution to a child’s

exposure to it. Unless, the very radical decision to completely shun kids from

the television set. If the decision it's radical, it’s only because it is

uncommon. However, it is undeniably the wisest option. Today's

programming it's geared to adult minds only. It is only a fully developed

person that can handle the violence they are being exposed to through their

screen. There are a number of life experiences that any responsible parent

strives to keep their children from until they are mature enough to handle

them. No sensible person can argue that a child is ready to be bombarded by

their television set with unacceptable human behavior. Ideally a parent's

responsible monitoring of their child's television watching would include

making sure that a too young person it's not exposed to television until old

enough.

It is only parents that have the power to successfully monitor their

child's exposure to violence, as violent television shows continue to be the

most widely viewed ones. It is unrealistic and unconstitutional to attempt to

censor such a central aspect of modern television programming. Television

shows have a responsibility to thrive and entertain. The upbringing and

education of a child can only be left to parents. Massive amounts of time

spent in front of a television screen sadly and currently make up a large part

of the average kid's upbringing. Allowing television to raise kids is equivalent

to allowing a mean-spirited, two dimensional fool to foster the minds of

young Americans. No healthy child has any use for such a thing so early on

in life. Leisure time for kids must come to mean something else besides

hours in the company of such a troubling companion.

Kaufman, Ron. “Filling Their Minds with Death: TV Violence and Children.”

Elements of

Argument. Ed. Rottenberg and Winchell. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin’s,

2009.641-654.Print.