“Hollow Claims About Violence”

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“Hollow Claims about Violence” Summary and Response “Hollow Claims about Violence”, is an opinion-editorial article written by Richard Rhodes. In his editorial Rhodes argues that mock violence in America and the developed behavior in children are not due to the entertainment/media industry, rather is created by abuse, neglect and violence in the home. Rhodes writes, “In fact, no direct, casual link between exposure to mock violence in the media and subsequent violent behavior has ever been demonstrated, and the few claims of modest correlation have been contradicted by other findings, sometimes same studies” (Rhodes 325). Rhodes then uses research to back up his findings, history has shown us an improvement in violent behavior because of “courts of law—and to shift away from brutal physical punishment in child-rearing ( a practice that still appears as a common factor in the background of violent criminals today)” (325). He then talks about laboratory studies on televised violence and finds research points to more aggressive behavior in children. But also comedy can also produce aggressiveness. Rhodes comes to the conclusion that despite violent video games, viewed mock violence on TV, parents are responsible for the behaviors of their children. “Violence is on the decline in America, but if we want to reduce it even further, protecting children from real violence in their lives—not the pale shadow of mock violence—is the place to begin” (327), This feeling is mutual for me. I feel that violence in the home makes a huge impact on our adult lives. If a child is exposed to various types of abuse or neglect, they will fell a sense of hopelessness and act out. Thus leading the way for a “lost” sense of self and tainted future relationships. Rhodes makes a great point, “that it’s learned in personal violent encounters, beginning with the brutalization
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