The Myth of Media Violence

Andrew O’Hehir gives many examples to illustrate his viewpoint in “The Myth of Media Violence” such as how media violence is not a new demon, but something that has been around for as long as Western Civilization. He additionally provides several examples of violence not only in recent times, but as far back as Plato and Aristotle.   Media violence, often over exaggerated and with little claim to whom is responsible, has been present for an extended period of time and though the public always looks for a scapegoat after a tragedy, there is no scientific proof that media violence leads to real life violence.

First and foremost, media violence has been present for an extended period of time. From Plato and Aristotle, to the French Revolution, to the present day, media violence has been present in one way or another.   O’Hehir points out that “during the Reign of Terror in revolutionary France, children were given two-foot-tall toy guillotines they could use to behead birds and mice.” (243)   This simply strikes me as absurd.   I understand that times and customs were different during the 1790’s, but promoting violence based on the media of the time is no different than the promotion of violence via another media today, be it comic books, movies, or video games.   However, over 200 years later, things have, in regards to media violence, not changed dramatically.   Are toy guillotines given to children?   Certainly not, but the quantity of violence present on television and video games certainly makes up for the lack of guillotines being handed out.   This poses another question.   Who is responsible for what kids see?   Is it the producers that make the video games filled with violence or the directors of the television series?   Or does the responsibility for what kids do lie elsewhere with the public and the parents?   The public blame is, in most circumstances, readily focused on the most easily accessible scapegoat with parents claiming little to no responsibility for the...