those around you are watching. It is just as much our personal and parental responsibility to monitor what we watch, as it is the governments duty to censor the media messages. Film and television are forms of artistic expression. Our Freedom of Speech, endowed to us by the Constitution clearly allows for expression through the media. We will never all appreciate the same art, just as we will never all have a shared appreciation for what is on television. This is why it is important to not turn the government into vigilant media babysitters. It is not the governments’ role to interpret art and separate the good from the bad. It is however the duty of the government to regulate the media enough that violence simply for the sake of violence is kept off the air during hours heavily watched by children, and out of movies marketed directly to children. The government currently does an acceptable job of allowing artistic expression, and regulating the portrayal of violence in the media.What does Hollywood teach us about violence? Young boys believe that they can mimic Jackie Chan, and get the bad guy. We are shown that the bad guy always loses, and the good guy always wins. Television and Movies show us the physical pain and emotional heartache caused by acts of violence. These are not bad lessons to learn. In fact, there is tremendous value in teaching these lessons to young people, and reaffirming these beliefs amongst ourselves. Without a doubt, all of the media does not contain value. All of the lessons taught on the screen are not beneficial to society as a whole. But the messages out there worth accepting should be noted. We absorb everything around us, whether we realize it or not. When you watch the latest “Die Hard” movie, yes, you do see assault and murder, and yes, these messages do slowly attribute to a lowered resistance to violence. You also see Bruce Willis fighting the bad guy for some noble c...
