In the summer of 1999, Lionel Tate, a twelve year old from Florida, began wrestling with six year old friend Tiffany Eunkick using wrestling moves he had seen on television. When the paramedics arrived approximately an hour later, Tiffany's lifeless body lay in a pool of vomit. She was dead. Lionel was arrested and sentenced to life without parole. Lionel's intentions weren't to kill the young girl, but to practice wrestling moves he had saw his favorite WWF superstars perform so many times before. We live in a society where acts of horrific violence such as murder, rape, and other crude and shocking behavior have become the norm. It may lead one to wonder what has put society onto this slippery slope. How did this type of behavior become accepted rather than rejected? A careful look into America's short history leads me to believe that the mass media is at the very center of our own downfall. The world we live in today has become desensitized to acts shown on various mediums such as television, movies, video games, newspapers, and the internet. Increased censorship needs to be used to better protect not only the adults of the world, but, most importantly, our children as well.
             Television is the most frequently watched medium in America today. Violent programming clearly has a negative effect on individuals who have already displayed violent traits, or young children who are going through an awkward stage of development. Numerous studies throughout the years have shown a definite link between fictional violence and real world violence. Critics would argue that violent traits are genetically driven. However, many of our leading adult offenders in America have no family history of violence. That leads one to concur that the studies are correct. Furthermore, with acts of violence continually increasing on television, how can people not become desensitized to criminal acts? By allowing continued over...