Violence in the Movies: Cinematic Craft or Hollywood Gone Too Far?
Point: Hollywood, Stop Exposing Our Kids to Violence!
Violence in Hollywood movies has become excessive and is putting our youth and our entire society at risk for violent behaviors. In the golden age of Hollywood, filmmakers relied on solid storytelling techniques to entertain audiences. Unfortunately, today’s film industry often draws audiences to movie theaters with promotional promises of action-packed violence, brutal murders, and mass destruction.
Violence in movies is on the rise. Researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania found that “the amount of gun violence shown in PG-13 films has more than tripled since 1985.” Children are being exposed to high levels of violence in movies, television, and other media throughout the span of childhood. According to research published by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “The typical American child will view more than 200,000 acts of violence, including more than 16,000 murders, before age 18.”
Researchers have found tremendous evidence that links exposure to violence in media and violent behavior in children. In 2000, researchers from six leading medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association, identified a connection. They reviewed hundreds of scholarly studies on media violence and its influence on aggressive behavior in children. They reported their conclusions to Congress, stating that “viewing entertainment violence can lead to increases in aggressive attitudes, values, and behavior, particularly in children.”
Another 2005 review of such studies, published by The Lancet and reported by the New York Times, concurred. It found that “exposure to media violence leads to aggression, desensitization toward violence and lack of sympathy for victims of violence, particularly in children.” How can anyone deny the existence of a link between media violence and violent behavior in children when it is being proven and supported by our country’s top researchers? “The evidence is overwhelming,'' stated Jeffrey McIntyre of the American Psychological Association. ''To argue against it is like arguing against gravity.”
What Hollywood filmmakers must understand is that children mimic what they see in movies. When a hero exhibits violent behaviors to defeat an enemy, children follow his lead. They learn that violence is an acceptable form of problem solving. Those who see themselves as victims may be more likely to act out in violent behaviors. They may act against peers, parents, teachers, or other authority figures. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2011, students ages 12-18 were victims of 597,500 violent victimizations at school.
“Violence in the media has been increasing and reaching proportions that are dangerous,” Emanuel Tanay, MD, reported to Psychiatric Times. The former Wayne State University professor and forensic psychiatrist argues “What we call entertainment is really propaganda for violence. If you manufacture guns, you don’t need to advertise, because it is done by our entertainment industry.” Do we really want to teach our children that guns and violence are the answers to our problems?
Some people do not believe that exposure to violence in movies is a risk factor for violent behavior. This is because they themselves have not been affected by the exposure. However, no one would reasonably argue, “I’ve always ridden my bicycle without a helmet, and I have never incurred a head injury. Therefore, there is no link between not wearing a bicycle helmet and increasing your risk of getting a head injury.” Why apply such flawed reasoning when it comes to violence in Hollywood movies?
Others suggest that it is up to parents to protect their children from violence in films. They urge parents to follow the rating guidelines set by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). However, APPC researchers report that PG-13 movies portray the same amount of violence as R-rated movies. Parents can no longer rely on MPAA’s film ratings to help determine which movies are suitable for children.
Of course, media violence is not the only risk factor for violent behavior in children. Still, it is certainly a large threat. Screenwriters and moviemakers do not need to resort to depictions of sensational violence. There’s no need to put children and the society at large at risk in order to entertain audiences. Good storytelling creates suspense. It keeps an audience engaged with the suggestion that something terrible is about to happen. Playwrights of Ancient Greece included violent elements such as murder and suicide in their stories, but these violent actions happened offstage, and audiences remained emotionally engaged just the same. Movies should present scenarios in which conflict is resolved through nonviolent behaviors, without weapons. It’s time to hold filmmakers accountable for the violent messages they are sending out to society and to our children.
Counterpoint: Hollywood Filmmakers Should Not be Villainized for Movie Violence
Hollywood filmmakers include violence in movies as part of the craft of storytelling, to create an enjoyable movie-going experience for the audience. It is not right to restrict their ability to tell stories through film. It is also inappropriate to limit entertainment options for people who enjoy watching action and horror movies but have no tendency toward violence themselves.
Some people feel that violence in media causes people to act violently in real life. This just isn’t true. I watch violent movies on a regular basis, and I have never engaged in violent behavior. I’m not the only one, either. Millions of Americans see violent imagery in films and on TV every day, but very few commit violent crimes.
Violent behavior is an extremely complex issue that cannot be reduced to a simple cause-effect relationship. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified many risk factors for youth violence. These include history of early aggressive behavior, exposure to violence in the family, low parental involvement, association with delinquent peers, low IQ, poor academic performance, low socioeconomic status, and many others. Exposure to violence in movies does not appear on the CDC’s list.
Although some psychological studies seem to prove a connection between media violence and violent behavior, those links are not significant enough to justify restrictions on movies. Jonathan L. Freedman, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, reported “a very small correlation” between media violence and aggressive behavior in children. Freedman suggested that violent behavior is most likely present in children who lack regular adult supervision. How can we hold filmmakers responsible for putting children at risk when it’s a parental duty to monitor what children are watching? Parents must teach their children appropriate behaviors. They must help their children interpret the violence they encounter in movies as fantasy, not reality.
Opponents of movie violence claim that crime is on the rise. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, crime rates have dropped steadily since 1993, when 80 of every 1,000 people reported being victims of violent crime. The homicide rate declined 48% from 1993 to 2011. In fact, violent movies may actually play a part in this reduction in violent crime. Children who are watching a movie are taking part in a nonviolent activity. Movie watching provides time for entertainment. It takes away from the time in which these children might engage in violent behaviors. According to Gordon Dahl and Stefano DellaVigna, research associates of the National Bureau of Economic Research, “estimates suggest that in the short-run violent movies deter almost 1,000 assaults on an average weekend.” Because watching violent movies provides those who might otherwise engage in violent behaviors with an alternative, nonviolent activity, it turns out to be a beneficial activity to those with aggressive tendencies. Do we really want to restrict violence in movies and risk an increase in violent crime?
Violence has existed in entertainment for centuries. It began with the epic literature and mythology of ancient civilizations and continued through the sixteenth century works of William Shakespeare. Yet human societies have actually become less violent over time. The violence we see in movies does not dictate how we act toward one another in real life. It exists as a storytelling tool to engage an audience, much like the tools of suspense and humor. It is an effective aid to teach morality through stories of good and evil. We must leave filmmakers to their artistry and allow them to contribute to our culture without censoring their craft.