Final Exam Part 3

I have to agree that you can find some pretty violent stuff on television. Movies like Saving Private Ryan and Die Hard, and TV shows like Cops are pretty violent. Does that mean that the violence portrayed in those movies is bad, and somehow affects society in a negative way? Heck no. Do we benefit from portrayals of violence in film and TV? Na. But violence we see on screen doesn't translate to violence in real life. In fact, violence on TV is just another way of entertaining people in film.

It's no wonder why movies and TV with violence do so well. It's because, to put it bluntly, violence is entertaining to people if we aren't actively engaged in it. While super violent shoot em' up movies are fun, I think the best way to portray violence in a movie is to show how horrible violence can be when you aren't behind a TV screen, because it can provide the same rush of adrenaline humans feel when they see violence, but it also reminds us that violence is a horrible thing in the real world, and can actually help people to respect and understand those who have gone through actual violence in their lives. An example would be the movie Saving Private Ryan. Aside from being a great movie, it  also doesn't follow the typical World War 2 good guys versus bad guys idea. It shows the gritty, frightening side of violence. It portrays violence in a very real and historical way. There aren't any heroes leading a violent charge and destroying the enemy, bathed in glory. Instead it shows soldiers being obliterated. There are no glorious charges, just people trying to stay alive, and it shows the real fear that soldiers felt at that time while also keeping the audience on edge.

I can tell you for a fact that nobody came out of the theater and said, "Well, since that movie included people shooting each other, I guess that means it's okay if I go buy a gun and shoot some people." No sane person would ever do that. It's the same thing with TV. Maybe people are just fundamentally bad and that's why so many of us get a kick out of watching criminals get tackled, or grip to the edge of our seats when Rambo sprays bullets everywhere. That doesn't mean that we are going to shoot real people, the real problem is not the media, but rather it is mental health. While we are busy trying to censor what people see on TV, people with mental health problems are in prison without proper care, and are slowly getting worse.

You might be thinking that so much exposure on violence on children's minds can effect their mental stability late on, but that isn't true. Violence is scary, even in movies, so seeing violence as a kid will just strengthen their resolve that violence is bad and should stay behind the screen.