"Mayhem"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that author Sissela Bok, in her book, "Mayhem," states that the United States stands to learn a lot from the programs and policies created by other democratic nations like Canada and Norway, who have encouraged media literacy and frank, open discussions about media violence without resorting to unnecessary forms of governmental censorship. The author points out Bok's claim that the most significant potential effects of media violence include fearfulness, progressive desensitization, increased appetite for more frequent and more violent programming, and higher levels of aggression, in general; therefore, media violence can be posed as a significant public health issue. The paper stresses that parental responsibility is a major issue in the media violence versus censorship debate; parents can act in a responsible fashion and alter the character of our society by using new technologies that block undesirable, publicly-broadcasted media, including web sites.

From the Paper:

"One of the reasons why the United States is locked in a near stalemate over the media violence issue is because we value strongly our First Amendment Rights. The freedom of expression guaranteed by the American constitution prevents the government from prohibiting politically threatening material and allows for a rich and diverse cultural fabric. The First Amendment can and should guarantee that anyone can express an opinion or a belief, so long as that opinion or belief does not directly harm others. Moreover, the First Amendment guarantees that the media can be self-regulated; that the government cannot determine the public's appetites."

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