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Just think of it. Yawning is contagious. Smiling is contagious. Crankiness can be spread throughout a group of people if there is one person who is habitually so.
So why not destructive violence? Some people, upon experiencing or witnessing violence, might take it as permission for them to be violent. This might be particularly true of impressionable young people - and impressionable people of all ages.
Today I broke up a potential fight between a recently released convict and a homeless man. The homeless man was in fear for his life, and the convict was chasing him and making threatening remarks. I stood between them and put a stop to it. The homeless man continued running until he was out of sight, and the convict gave up and headed down another street.
So a youngster or oldster sees violence on television, in a video game, on the streets as in the above situation, experiences it as abuse in the home or in school or even at work, or hears about it in the news. Next thing you know, violence breaks out and spreads.
The solution might be as simple as: see violence and stop it before it spreads. Don't let it hold a place in the hearts and minds of a nation. Stop individual acts of violence immediately. Hope that violent video games are a passing fad. Encourage news media to report something other than violence exclusively.
So why not destructive violence? Some people, upon experiencing or witnessing violence, might take it as permission for them to be violent. This might be particularly true of impressionable young people - and impressionable people of all ages.
Today I broke up a potential fight between a recently released convict and a homeless man. The homeless man was in fear for his life, and the convict was chasing him and making threatening remarks. I stood between them and put a stop to it. The homeless man continued running until he was out of sight, and the convict gave up and headed down another street.
So a youngster or oldster sees violence on television, in a video game, on the streets as in the above situation, experiences it as abuse in the home or in school or even at work, or hears about it in the news. Next thing you know, violence breaks out and spreads.
The solution might be as simple as: see violence and stop it before it spreads. Don't let it hold a place in the hearts and minds of a nation. Stop individual acts of violence immediately. Hope that violent video games are a passing fad. Encourage news media to report something other than violence exclusively.
Face to face violence is different though, maybe you are right there. But that is a quite different and very complicated issue with many factors including poverty, education etc which also affect it.
I am surprised you took it upon yourself to break up the fight, rather than calling 999/911 or whatever and leaving it to the professionals. Are you yourself professionally trained to stop fighting without injuring yourself or others? If not I would stay out of it to be honest. Police and security services have lengthy and comprehensive training, not just physically but in what to say, body language, all kinds of things which can help them defuse the situation.
I think it is unlikely that anyone can prevent the sale of violent movies or video games, as companies want to make money. And for similiar reasons we are unlikely to be able to stop news media reporting violent incidents as many people are interested in them so they want to subscribe to TV companies, buy papers etc. Also I think that it can be enlightening to read good journalism about violent incidents and wars. If it was not written anywhere or reported, we would have no history, or only oral history which can lack important facts or be easily misunderstood. And hypothetically, even if you did get every newspaper, TV station, media outlet in the world shut down or only reporting happy stories of kittens, people will still be interested and curious when violent incidents happen and will talk about them and find out that way.
"One of the most common criticisms of video games comes from those that believe they increase violent tendencies among youth. Numerous studies have been conducted on this topic and several have found that the two may be linked.[1][16][17]
However, several other major studies by groups such as The Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health, The Journal of Adolescent Health, and The British Medical Journal have found no conclusive link between video game usage and violent activity."[18][19][20]"
I no longer have teens in the house and I never played video games myself so I'm a 'by-stander' in the discussions but I do read up on the possibility that the violence seen splashed all over the front page of newspaper and the 'if it bleeds, it leads' standard in TV news is really caused by video games----- or not.
Since I can find as many valid studies that say "no, it doesn't promote violence' as the ones that the ones that say that video games do promote violence--- I have to assume that the problem, while possibly there for SOME people, isn't all encompassing.
One author said: "[...]video game publishers unethically train children in the use of weapons".
Without mentioning any names (grin) there IS a very large and influential group that promotes the selling and use of weapons by all 'red-blooded' Americans and actually use the Constitution to back up their claims.
I say that, as with all issues, the onus remains with the parent(s) both for what THEY are like at home and what they teach their children. There are MANY more studies that prove that parents who are violent will pass that behavior on to their children, video game or no video game.
What to do about the people are aren't 'kids'----- that's even more confusing.
According to The Entertainment Software Association,"26% are men and women over the age of 50. The average game player is 37 years old."
@Beaumont----- assuming that you actually did break up that fight and weren't using that story as a 'lead-in' to violence in video games (which is a valid literary device) ------- every law enforcement agency in the world, every sensible citizen in the world, will say---- do not put yourself in harms way when you see violence on the streets! Call 911/999----- or yell for someone to do that.
You're lucky YOU didn't get hurt.
And are you sure you put your post in the correct forum?
Please don't go until you re-read what I wrote, which I'll re-copy for you here.
"@Beaumont----- assuming that you actually did break up that fight and weren't using that story as a 'lead-in' to violence in video games (which is a valid literary device)
I 'assumed' you were telling the truth.
Perhaps English isn't your first language? I'm also not assuming that, just wondering.
This may not have been the board for this, as this board is for DS issues and solutions:):)
Maybe an Anger Management board?? Not to say that we won't comment here................but ya might get better (?) replies there.
IMHO......I think TV and video games now a days do help to promote violence.......especially in the youths of today.................but not in ME............its not at all like a Yawn to ME..........if some fool wants to go shoot up sumptin, just doesn't mean I want to...............I'll have some ice cream instead:):)
But I am OLD.................maybe young folks feel different:(:( Sad to say:(