Violent Tv Programs - Article

Violent TV programs have been blamed for causing crime rates to rise in many cities. But many people do not agree that violence is related to TV viewing. Discuss the possible reasons for both opinions. Give your opinion as to whether or not violent programs should be taken off the air.

There is much debate over whether violent TV programs are relevant to the rise of crime rates or not. Some people assert that it is obvious that violent TV programs cause violence. Others, however, do not agree that violence is related to TV viewing at all. As far as I am concerned, the disgraceful violent TV programs should be largely responsible for the rising rates of crime in modern cities. Why do some people disagree that the violence on TV programs should be blamed for the rise of crime rates? For one thing, they presuppose that everyone has self-control. Except by force, one cannot make a person do anything which he or she is not willing to. Since TV programs are something over the air broadcast simply for fun, how can they control a person without recourse to any physical means? For another, those people believe that everything can be changed except the essential character of an individual. In most cases, just as a law-abiding citizen always abides by the law, criminals cannot change their own character no matter how much punishment they have suffered in jail. It is their character rather than TV violence that drives them to commit crimes. Violent TV programs, they conclude, are innocent Although I agree that the individual's self-control and character has certain effect on his or her behavior, I insist that the external environment plays a far more important role in forming people's moral values and behavior, to say nothing of children and the youth who have not yet fully developed their own "self-control and character." In the first place, violent TV programs tend to obscure the difference between good and evil, harming the social morals and values. As we know, Evil is the next-door neighbor of Good; even an adult sometimes cannot distinguish them, needless to say a teenager. Consider the case of a boy who imitates the violence on TV just out of curiosity without knowing that he is doing something that he would regret in his rest life. Can you still claim that it is the fault of the boy, not the violent programs, because he is a born criminal?! In the second place, violent TV programs can gradually change people's behavior, misleading them to the belief that violence is the most effective way to resolve conflicts. Nowadays, as soon as you turn on your TV, violence is vividly presented before you, with the success of the criminals encouraging you, the luxurious booty tempting you, and the stupidity of the police cheering you. The implied message is obvious: if you want to get rich fast, STEAL, ROB AND MURDER! How many people can resist this tempting invitation? From what has been discussed above, we may draw the conclusion that violent TV programs have in a large sense caused crime rates to rise not only because of their destructive influence on people's morality, but also because of their vicious effect on people's behavior. Therefore, I strongly hold that they should be censored strictly.