Are Children Trained to Kill?

I suppose I would fall in with the catharsis theory of media socialization. Contrary to Grossman’s article, in which he stated that media outlets are essentially programming kids to kill through desensitization and the closing down of the midbrain that normally prevents us from killing a fellow human being, some human beings are just natural born killers. It doesn’t mean they are sociopaths; it is simply a biological advantage they have over others. Grossman said himself that we are very similar to dogs in the way we think when frightened or angered; we still have that basic animal instinct. But overexposure to violent media doesn’t necessarily make us the killers we can become.

On the other hand, television is also not a completely benign invention. Another possible explanation for the increase in violence since the advent of television isn’t tied to the violent imagery we see and hear, but possibly to the fact that television keeps us cooped up inside when people used to be much more active. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn there was a correlation between the climbing obesity rate due to less active lifestyles in our young people and the increase in aggravated assault cases over the last few decades.

Whereas people used to be outside and active in the past (where problems still existed because it was more likely for someone to join a gang), the vacuum has now been filled with television watching. The viewing experience itself can be a vicarious experience to relieve the emotional rage a person may have, but now they are no longer able to get rid of that physical tension that accompanies it. So in the moment they decide they are bored of television, or simply were not home to watch it, they now have all of this pent-up physical aggression and no outlet to get rid of it.

I actually believe catharsis theory doesn’t fully explain these events. Some people are just violent by nature, and no amount of television, music, or video games--or lack thereof--is going to make a difference. As stated in 4.1.1 of this section “Agents of Socialization”, the family is the most important part of socialization. Unfortunately, this concept isn’t obvious to everyone, and blaming mainstream media for the downfall of our youth is just another tired crusade by the bureaucrats in Washington. Just like McDonald’s advertising is the reason child obesity is so bad right now. These are simply attempts to create big government that will control more elements of our lives, as opposed to blaming the real source of the problem which is bad parenting. Television, the internet, video games: these are not meant to be babysitters for children. But more and more often that is becoming the case.


Grossman, Dave. “Trained to Kill”. Christianity Today, August 10, 1998. http://www.killology.com/print/print_trainedtokill.htm

A Plea to Movie-goers

I saw this blog on CNN.com and the ensuing debate that erupted between parents of young kids who want to see The Dark Knight and people with no kids who want to see The Dark Knight. Put simply, most of the arguments sucked. It never helps when people use poor grammar and non-existent words, but most of the arguments came down to either "I paid good money for this movie and want to enjoy it" or "It's okay for children to see movies if they are well behaved". Others blamed corporate America for producing advertisements and toys for this movie marketed directly for kids.

Only a few people mentioned that parents need to take responsibility for their child's actions/inactions/upbringing in general. This is an idea that goes right over most people's heads these days. Those without kids automatically assume no parent raises their kid properly. Those with kids think they are the only ones who raise them properly.

Unfortunately, I've seen what happens when when a person becomes desensitized to sex, violence, and language too early in life. They are the people who laugh during Sin City when a character has his limbs sawed off and a wolf comes and gnaws on him. They are the people who vocabulary is limited to George Carlin's seven words you can't say on television or radio. They are the people who think it is an unbearable social stigma to have never slept with someone before college.

My only request is that if you have kids, make educated decisions in their lives. If you are going to have kids, make educated decisions in their lives. And if you don't have kids, you help those that do. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and we all know children are pretty weak.