General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Do you think violent movies, TV, and video games contribute NOTHING to the carnage in this country? [View all]Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)In the early phase of WWI the U.S. military was having problems getting soldiers to shoot at other human beings, even after training with targets. They made a simple change and altered the shape of the target to human shape. After training shooting at human shaped targets soldiers lost much of their reluctance to shooting human shaped humans.
In many video games, especially first person shooters, people spend hours killing not simply human shaped targets but virtual humans. Whole genres have flourished on television and in movies around hyper violence, and the violence in these movies continues to be more graphic and realistic. What does that easy training to kill and to enjoy violence do to the human mind, especially the young whose brains continue to develop until they are twenty-five. What does it do to minds that are more amenable to suggestion or are already flawed to to other mental illnesses?
Edward Bernays made a science out of using media to influence human behavior. It does, and of that there is no doubt.