Re-sensitizing Our Youth
Stakes are high. The audience is restless. The thunderous echo of a motorcycle engine fills the arena as "The Undertaker" approaches the ring, ready to take on his worthy opponent. As boisterous cheers fill the room, he lifts his challenger by the neck with both hands and furiously throws him to the ground leaving his rival seemingly disoriented and writhing in agony. The crowd goes wild with exhilaration while some- where in America an eight-year-old boy, Aaron Auffhammer, is injured on the playground as a result of a classmate's attempt to mimic a wrestling maneuver commonly seen on television. The maneuver known as "The Tombstone" was made famous by "The Undertaker." Someone tripped him. While he was trying to get up, another child picked Aaron up by his feet so that he was upside down. Then slammed his head on to the ground. Thankfully, between a doctor's visit to rule out a concussion and close observations from his parents, Aaron recovered. According to the American Psychological Association website (www.apa.org) it is estimated that American children watch on average three to four hours of television daily. During this time they have witnessed over 25 acts of violence. By the time the children are twelve-year -old they
Also, they have the financial resources to fund research projects that can study the effects violence on television has on America's youth. They are TV-Y which is for shows acceptable for all ages; TV-7, shows with some violence of other material unsuitable for children under 7; TV-G, appropriate for all audiences; TV-PG, parental guidance suggested; TV-14, not suitable for children under 14; or TV-MA, for mature audiences only. (2) When they see a violent incident, discuss what caused the character to act in a violent way. Through the self -visualization may have a better understanding of reality and fantasy. (4) Limit the amount of time children spend watching television, and encourage children to spend their time on sports, hobbies, or with friends. Included in the disclaimers are additional warnings alerting the audience that violent or dangerous acts were performed by professionals and to not attempt to duplicate. The V-chip is a device that can block transmission of violent programs into homes. The American Psychological Association offers steps parents can take to ensure that the television programs to which children are exposed are of high quality and void of violent images: (1) Watch at least one episode of the programs their children watch. As stated in the December 23, 1996 issue of Time in an article entitled "Rating Wars" by Richard Zoglin, the system is broken down into six broad rating categories. The chip would allow parents to prevent a television program from being seen in their homes if a rating system has determined that it had a high level of violent or sexually implicit content. As mentioned above, society can help transform America's children into informed and sensitive citizens. Violence permeates American homes through a variety of television programming including sitcoms, commercials, and even cartoons. It is vital that all the entities listed come together to educate the children and offer viable alternatives to violent television. Regulation of media through legislative acts such as Section 551 of the Telecommunication Act of 1996 and avocation of alternatives help to bring about changes and reorient youth to positive human interaction and reinforce appropriate social behaviors. Reading introduces them to the world of make believe as does television except it relies on the child to imagine the scenery and the going on of the story.
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Acceptance Essays
