Violence on Television: Do Children Need Protected?
             What would you do if your children were watching cartoons one night when all of a sudden the characters pull out a gun and start shooting each other? Would you turn it off? I am sure most parents would. But if I were a parent, I would not. Shadowing your children from everyday violence is a lost cause. Whose to say that they are not watching violent shows over a friend's house? Or even an aunts or uncles house? Protecting your children from violence on television is your choice. But whose choice is it to protect the children of the country? Not yours. Not mine. And not even the President of the United States. Passing laws/acts to ban violence on TV is against the First Amendment. There is no hope in deciding what is considered violent and what is not. One may think that the "Power Rangers" is a violent kids show, and others may not. Protecting children from violence on television is downright impossible and is in opposition to our rights as American citizens.
             On the issue of violence on television, there is a never-ending debate. One could argue for hours on whether or not violence on television could be avoided. Ernest F. Holling states that, "Saturday morning children's programming...shows an average of thirty-two violent acts per hour" (620). He also says that it is time for decent Americans to rescue our children from this threat. What threat? If children want to watch violence on TV, they are going to one way or another. Holling also says that illegalizing violence on TV is not against the first amendment. He fights that, "...We have restricted sexual indecency on TV for decades. The same applies to violence" (620). The American Psychiatric Association states that,
             "Individuals with greater exposure to media violence see the world as a dark and sinister place. Television programs present a narrow view ...