Training Kids to Kill
Article 1: We Are Training Our Kids To Kill
In the article “We Are Training Our Kids To Kill”, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is very disturbed regarding today’s youth. He starts off by mentioning about the cluster of suicides that occurred in the 1970’s due to local TV reporting numerous teen suicides. This led to numerous copycat suicides by teenagers that had seen the stories on the news. Once they researched this and discovered the rise in suicides were linked to the news articles, the networks pulled it from the air. As a result, the suicide numbers went down. Grossman goes on to say that the average child watches way too much TV in the home on a weekly basis. So they learn more from TV than they do their parents and teachers combined. Due to this fact, we need to be careful what we put on TV. Children are very impressionable and vulnerable and can be persuaded very easily by what they see. He mentions that there is too much violence portrayed not just through the news networks but all other types of shows and video games as well. The author views video game violence as something that needs to be outlawed. “Violence is not a game; it’s not fun; it’s not something we do for entertainment.” He goes on to say that, “Violence kills and maims”. In my opinion he clearly thinks that children are being conditioned to violence and possibly even to kill through the negligence of the media, the TV networks, movies, violent video games, and even the lack of parenting. I agree with him on this matter completely. I do feel that violence is often glorified because it brings in a lot more money than it would without it. Some people might be getting reprogrammed by all the killing and violence in games and on TV. They may be desensitized actually to the point where they could kill someone without a second thought. I feel they are really targeting our young boys the most. It could possibly be to get them conditioned to be a part of the military when they are
In the article “We Are Training Our Kids To Kill”, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is very disturbed regarding today’s youth. He starts off by mentioning about the cluster of suicides that occurred in the 1970’s due to local TV reporting numerous teen suicides. This led to numerous copycat suicides by teenagers that had seen the stories on the news. Once they researched this and discovered the rise in suicides were linked to the news articles, the networks pulled it from the air. As a result, the suicide numbers went down. Grossman goes on to say that the average child watches way too much TV in the home on a weekly basis. So they learn more from TV than they do their parents and teachers combined. Due to this fact, we need to be careful what we put on TV. Children are very impressionable and vulnerable and can be persuaded very easily by what they see. He mentions that there is too much violence portrayed not just through the news networks but all other types of shows and video games as well. The author views video game violence as something that needs to be outlawed. “Violence is not a game; it’s not fun; it’s not something we do for entertainment.” He goes on to say that, “Violence kills and maims”. In my opinion he clearly thinks that children are being conditioned to violence and possibly even to kill through the negligence of the media, the TV networks, movies, violent video games, and even the lack of parenting. I agree with him on this matter completely. I do feel that violence is often glorified because it brings in a lot more money than it would without it. Some people might be getting reprogrammed by all the killing and violence in games and on TV. They may be desensitized actually to the point where they could kill someone without a second thought. I feel they are really targeting our young boys the most. It could possibly be to get them conditioned to be a part of the military when they are