Is It Okay To Market Violence to Children?

A friend and myself decided to go to a movie tonight. I am not watching videos or television much so I am very sensitised to violence. We went and saw Prometheus, a story, if you could call it that, about humans going into space to search out their ancient origins. I won’t go much into the details of the film, suffice to say, it became super violent and I couldn’t sit and watch it any longer. My friend was going to go to sleep to shut it out as it was so grotesque. We both had a discussion about the violence in films, the lack of a good story and you come out just traumatised. We discussed children’s diet of violence and how when we were kids there was innocence in films and you could discuss the film to learn something. These days the films rely heavily on special effects and shock value, no nourishment for the soul or a sense of learning or growing from it. Always there are sex scenes as women are always depicted in this way. So boring from our perspective. I found it incredible that society thinks this is fine. We discussed males behind the making of these films and as women acknowledged other women would not make films like this. I acknowledge the men out there that wouldn’t as well, but I am speaking generally I sense this is a mindset and typically it involves males as the violent ones although sadly we see a growing genre of films where we witness women as violent, which is so untrue. Women have a different world view and would be concerned about the fear for children and how that affects their lives. Women would go for deeper story lines and really work on developing stories, definitely males go for the computer graphics and the simple ideas of win/lose and mega violence. Eckhart Tolle speaks of the pain body, that is where people have pain in their lives being activated by pain in films. They psychologically want more as the pain body feeds on it, that is why some love it. For me it is the opposite I can’t bare it, spiritually I feel to get out as it affects us psychically. It is a very concerning trend. The same applies to video games and violent media across the board.

As a society we have to decide the future we want for children. Do we raise them in insecurity, fear of murders and believe me I’ve heard my friend’s son terrified at being alone even for 5 minutes as he has been exposed to so much violence in the media. She would tell herself he is fine. Her other son was playing the most horrific games, again she allowed it, yet she said to me pleadingly that she couldn’t control the children and deeply wanted to believe it was okay for them. I tried to tell her it is not okay and they are influenced and desensitised by violence. Moreover, they use it as an escape. I advised her to create boundaries. The oldest son now wants to make these films and is learning animation, imagine if he succeeds the increase in fear he will create because his mother didn’t regulate what he watches. Moreover, her situation is complex as the boys fathers both have no issue with violence, so the modelling is there. I did take her point about powerlessness, but if everyone stands up and says no, then no it is. At least the children get one parent who points out values. If the films have violence and then show the impacts of it in reality and teach people the consequences as a documentary that is different, I would call that education if it is purely for profit and shock value, it has no value for society and works counterproductively if a culture of peace is what we want. My vote would be to get rid of computers and televisions and start to live as a family again. You would be amazed how much your fear de-escalates. I walk at night in a forest and have absolutely no fear as I don’t fill my head with junk or images that will haunt me. Once it is in you don’t forget, so better to create more positive and illuminating content that inspires rather than terrorises. Something to deeply think about.

I decided to have a look for information on Youtube about violent films. Here (below) is some credible information for parents and other members of society to consider deeply – is it okay to market and make available violence for children to see? Who do they become? What future do we set up for them and they create – one of peace or one of fearful conflict? I can tell you for sure we are changing their future, and they are also, as all thoughts create, we definitely create our reality.

The film indicates there is a definite link between watching aggression in the media and aggression in society which causes high levels of desensitisation and fear.

The film below talks about extremism in the media and desensitisation to achieve more arousal. People tend to not find the extreme content problematic given desensitisation as they see it as normal.

The film speaks of a scene in the first movie made and a scene were a cowboy points a gun and aims it at the camera, the very first audiences ran out of the theatre screaming. That was compared with the audiences today that sit through the most horrific scenes. I recall stories in Papua New Guinea where there were tribal wars, if one person was killed there was great commotion, yet today if a million people are killed say in Rwanda, no-one blinks an eye, such is our detachment from others. Is this normal? I’d say yes, but it is not natural or indeed our true nature.

What is disturbing as the depiction of real suffering and injury should be disturbing and shocking yet it is not. This is because empathy is not present. Lack of empathy is part of the desensitisation where we can’t imagine what it is like for the other, the person objectivises reality, they see objects and go for the thrill of the kill, or imagined kill. This sets up intent, that is more powerful as it can lead to action in my view. In the positive psychology area we know that intent predetermines outcomes.

Some claims in Hollywood that the movies reflect what is going on rather than making what is going on (cause and effect). It was discussed that the industry won’t recognise the psychological harm caused given it is a money making industry. The only change will happen when the society learns critical viewing skills. However, with rising law suits, perhaps the industry will find it no longer cost effective.

It is very interesting at the end of the video the writer of Extremities is quoted stating this generation of children are the most exploited in history in body mind and spirit.  He says we will be known as the sell out generation and Hollywood will stand for the Roman Coliseum a horror chamber where endless ways of killing were invented to entertain packed audiences and come to foretell the fall of an empire. Moreover, Dr. Oliver goes onto talk about the literature on the harmful effects and prevalence she considers that we may look back and wonder what we have done. When asked if it will get worse, she sees the rate of violence as stable, she sees the nature of it will change, how it is portrayed matters a great deal. Comparisons were made with the tobacco industry and societies attitudes and the denial in viewers about being affected.