Children + Violence + Television = Bad Essay -- essays research pape

On September 11th, 2001, millions around the world crowded around televisions across the globe and watched the horrific scenes of terrorism that had struck New York City, Washington, D.C and Pennsylvania on that ill-fated and now infamous morning. Suddenly, in a crowded room everyone felt alone. As the Twin Towers vanished before our very eyes, so did our sense of security and protection. We watched with shock and horror, disbelief and grief as the images were repeatedly flashed before our eyes. There was no escape. Every television channel and every radio station constantly reminded us of the tragedy that we will never forget. Even today, over three years later, I can see the images and remember the desperate pleas for help of people searching for their loved ones in my mind – over and over. Every sympathetic person was captivated by the horror on the television. We felt like we were there. September 11th, 2001 was an unprecedented tragedy that undoubtedly proves that violenc e on television is a very powerful influence. In that crowded room, workplace, classroom, or living room we all felt alone. We could not have been more wrong. We were all probably feeling a lot of the same emotions. Children across the globe were seeing the same events unfold repeatedly too. For the next few days, the major broadcasting stations had twenty-four hour coverage of the â€Å"attack on America.† I remember turning off the television because I watched all I could bare. I laid in bed with my eyes closed, but all I could see were the images replay and all I could feel was the warmth of my tears on my pillow. If we as adults were so affected by the trauma of the events, then what about the children? With an undeveloped capacity to understand the world and the proximity of danger, how can anyone claim that children were not affected by the violence illustrated on television of this tragedy? In the weeks following the tragedy, the images of the attack on the Pentagon and World Trade Center were banned from the media. Government officials and scientific experts agreed that the trauma incited by these images were detrimental to children. President Bush expressed his concern for the welfare of our children who were exposed to violence in the media reports of the attack. It is evident that scientific experts, government officials, and The President of the United States all agree that vio... ... family fun. The worst thing I can remember ever hearing or seeing on that television show was Bart saying, â€Å"Eat my shorts.† That was near ten years ago. Things have certainly changed. That television show now covers a wide range of topics from puberty to pregnancy, from detentions to murder, from injury to death. Television shows on regular television need to rated and placed into appropriate time slots. How can people expect their children not to curse when that’s what they hear on television shows they watch with their parents? The line has to be drawn. Parenting is probably the most important job anyone can have. Unfortunately, it’s also the only job that does not come with training. If our government can regulate television shows to enhance the lives of every citizen by lessening the affects of violent television on children, then they should – and they can. The government just hasn’t done it. In my opinion, three words will always be synonymous with each other: politics, power, and money. If experts believed that this violence has no effects on children, why then would they regulate exposure to the images of violent destruction and terrorism that occurred on September 11th?