FCC Report: TV Violence Should Be Regulated

[Heracles 417]

I don't doubt it has an effect - but Television and video games are not the sole influence on children's behaviour, nor should they be.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that violence in the home has a more explicit effect on how kids turn out, rather than what shows or movies they are allowed to watch on TV.

Violence in the home as well as the lack of parental supervision and guidance.. Unfortantely we have no way of policing the home or ensuring a kids parents keep up with their social, moral, ethical and legal obligations..

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I don't doubt it has an effect - but Television and video games are not the sole influence on children's behaviour, nor should they be.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that violence in the home has a more explicit effect on how kids turn out, rather than what shows or movies they are allowed to watch on TV.

Violence in the home as well as the lack of parental supervision and guidance.. Unfortantely we have no way of policing the home or ensuring a kids parents keep up with their social, moral, ethical and legal obligations..

So blaming TV would seem to be something of a scapegoat for a problem you can't fix...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I love Guillermo Del Toro's Directing style in Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth - both show some very graphic depictions that made my skin crawl, but I felt it added to the story.

However, with regulating for an audience that is made up of mostly children, it shouldn't be that difficult to maintain consistency with standards. I actually think their should be more regulation beyond just limiting graphic content, but other things such as subversive advertising when it comes to children's programming. The average amount of hours spent in front of TV by children is staggering and they are being droned into becoming indiscriminate consumers.

I agree as far as it goes to permit what is shown during hours when children could be watching, but I'm uneasy about any legislation which limits what imagery programme makers can show, and what subject matter they can cover- period. If the violence in a particular movie/programme is justifiable in its specific context (you mention Pan's Labyrinth and the Devil's Backbone - both of which I also like) to what extent should limitations be imposed on the makers creativity? Usually I find that the people who are the ones directly in charge of TV standards are the most uncreative, unimaginative people you can meet. Who are these people to tell me what is suitable for me or my family to watch?

I personally find it highly distasteful that movies show on network TV are subject to any cuts whatsoever. I mean, what is the point? To make a movie that is clearly not intended for children palatable for a general audience? Personally I'd rather they not show those movies at all rather than butcher them the way they do.

The argument is similarly ludicrous when applied to art or books. Just because some people don't like the nudity in a painting - you don't see people covering up the "naughty bits". Similarly, you don't see people wasting their time trying to black the swear-words out of Fight Club, or cut the rape scene out of The Color Purple (which ruins an otherwise uplifting read) ;-)

Not too long ago I read about a 'netflix-like' company which was selling "Clean" versions of Hollywood movies, for the consumption of the easily offended. That sort of tinkering with a person's intellectual property without their permission is generally considered illegal...

I'm against censorship of adult material when it's for adults. With regard to regulating content on television, there should be time slots where the guidelines are more stringent on what content they can show. Content has been regulated since the beginning of television so this is nothing new. I just think since regulation exists and has all along, particularly when it comes to sexual content, violent content should also be regulated. Shows that are for an adult audience should then be aired after the time slot - which is what they currently do. There would essentially be no change except that the networks would be as mindful about the violent content as they are with sexual content.

[Heracles 417]

I don't doubt it has an effect - but Television and video games are not the sole influence on children's behaviour, nor should they be.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that violence in the home has a more explicit effect on how kids turn out, rather than what shows or movies they are allowed to watch on TV.

Violence in the home as well as the lack of parental supervision and guidance.. Unfortantely we have no way of policing the home or ensuring a kids parents keep up with their social, moral, ethical and legal obligations..

So blaming TV would seem to be something of a scapegoat for a problem you can't fix...

The TV is not to blame as there are so many shows and channels which expand and build a child's mind, such as the Discovery Channel. Whereas I have never ever seen any research indicate that horror or violence will expand and grow a child's mind.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I don't doubt it has an effect - but Television and video games are not the sole influence on children's behaviour, nor should they be.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that violence in the home has a more explicit effect on how kids turn out, rather than what shows or movies they are allowed to watch on TV.

Violence in the home as well as the lack of parental supervision and guidance.. Unfortantely we have no way of policing the home or ensuring a kids parents keep up with their social, moral, ethical and legal obligations..

So blaming TV would seem to be something of a scapegoat for a problem you can't fix...

The TV is not to blame as there are so many shows and channels which expand and build a child's mind, such as the Discovery Channel. Whereas I have never ever seen any research indicate that horror or violence will expand and grow a child's mind.

There's an obvious difference between educational programming and fictional drama. More to the point "horror and violence" generally aren't aimed at children - so what's the point?

As Steven pointed out about - we're not splitting hairs when we say that "regulation" is not the same as censorship.

[Heracles 417]

There's an obvious difference between educational programming and fictional drama. More to the point "horror and violence" generally aren't aimed at children - so what's the point?

As Steven pointed out about - we're not splitting hairs when we say that "regulation" is not the same as censorship.

Yes there is. Unfortunately kids do not have the ability to differentiate.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yes there is. Unfortunately kids do not have the ability to differentiate.

Kids cannot tell the difference between a nature documentary and a horror movie?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Has anyone proved conclusively that television violence is 'harmful'?

They didn't have to prove that titties are harmful to ban them from TV.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Has anyone proved conclusively that television violence is 'harmful'?

They didn't have to prove that titties are harmful to ban them from TV.

What gets me is that the networks still show adult-themed movies throughout the day with ridiculous cuts and censorship.

I saw one Ewan McGregor movie where he played a security guard. It was some sort of thriller where he gets framed by a serial killer. There was one scene where you saw a naked woman getting knifed, and then the killer planting semen (from a test tube) on her body. The dead woman is show full frontal nude - with her breasts and pubic hair fudged out by the network. I mean, what is the point in doing that? Why show the movie at all if you're just going to cover up / dub over the bits you don't like. I'd rather they show the movie later in its entirety than at 10 O'Clock in the morning when existing FCC regulations require that it be cut.

This wouldn't happen in an art gallery, its just as ridiculous here.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I always find it ironic that the country with the most violent films and video games -- Japan -- has some of the lowest levels of violent crime

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I always find it ironic that the country with the most violent films and video games -- Japan -- has some of the lowest levels of violent crime

The trailer for Ichi The Killer made me nauseous, I don't think I could stomach the movie itself.

On the other hand, the work of Peter Greenaway is extremely disturbing, while not being particularly graphic.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I always find it ironic that the country with the most violent films and video games -- Japan -- has some of the lowest levels of violent crime

Oh, I don't know...maybe the crime rates are lower than many other industrialized nations, but that doesn't mean the crime rates aren't on the rise either.

For instance, according to a 2001 BBC article, there was a school slaying by a psychotic man with knife who killed eight children. Then there was a kid who beat his mother's head in with a baseball bat (after getting ridiculed over his haircut by his peers) because she refused to give him "pocket money." In another case, a boy beat passengers on a Tokyo subway with a baseball bat after getting into a fight with his father. Meanwhile, a pair of teenage lovers stabbed a taxi driver and stole his earnings "so they could live together." In 1997, there was a 14 year-old boy in Kobe (western Japan) who cut off an 11 year-old playmate's head and jammed it on his school's gate -- all of this after bludgeoning another child to death with a hammer two months earlier.

So while there is less crime in Japan, it seems the rates are on the rise within recent years (at least juvenile crime anyway) and perhaps within the decade or so, Japan's crime rate will catch up with other industrialized nations.

[almaty 19]

Has anyone proved conclusively that television violence is 'harmful'?

They didn't have to prove that titties are harmful to ban them from TV.

there was a study years ago..Bandura did it.

[DeadPoolX 9]

That's Albert Bandura's famous Bobo Doll experiment Almaty is talking about. It's quite interesting. I remember learning about it in a number of my classes.

In case anyone wishes to read about it, I linked to a Wikipedia description of the experiment up above. I figured that'd be a more concise telling of what happened, rather than have any one of us here recall it from memory.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Has anyone proved conclusively that television violence is 'harmful'?

They didn't have to prove that titties are harmful to ban them from TV.

there was a study years ago..Bandura did it.

An actual study on the harmful effects of titties on TV?