Teen Scene: Violence as entertainment ... nothing new

The question of who should be blamed for the problems in our society will always remain. Many people believe that if violence was censored from the media that our society would have fewer problems.

Parents these days try to keep a close eye on what their children watch on television, but at times it seems impossible with holding a job and constantly running errands. As a result, children at times are free to watch what they please. Having children witness their favorite superhero commit a crime and injure or kill someone may cause them to imitate these actions or think that this behavior is normal.

Ironically, these adults that criticize violence in the media turn around and buy tickets to the latest action-packed movie. Sadly, you can't deny that violence or sex and drugs turn the heads of audiences and provides interest and excitement in the movie. People crave it, simple as that. Although media violence has recently faced a rapid increase, it has existed for decades. Even filmmakers in the early 1900s realized that people are attracted to such things. As the movie industry progresses, however, the violent scenes seem to be more realistic and gory, and in some cases exaggerated.

The answer to whether or not society tends to imitate violent acts seen in the media can be answered by taking a deeper look into recent tragedies. In the 1999 film, "The Matrix," Keanu Reeves uses an obscene number of guns strapped into a long, black trench coat to obliterate a group of evil police. The manner he commits these murders in and the style of his wardrobe resembles those responsible for the incident in Littleton, Colo., a few years ago. According to reports these individuals, of course, already mapped out their shooting spree and what they were to wear before the movie was released. However, the connection is uncanny.

According to againstviolence.com in a small recent study with a limited number of select movies, the total number of violent acts committed totaled 2,319, with about three-fifths of them qualifying as serious acts. Overall, movies averaged about 46 violent acts per film. "Saving Private Ryan" topped the charts containing 275 violent acts, but who can blame producers when it is a almost a documentary on war. But, the interesting fact remains that "The Mask of Zorro" followed, recording 147 violent acts. This movie was aimed at a "family" audience.

In my opinion, with all of the new computerization skills and digital technology, someone should conduct a study to see if there does exist a statistical relationship between the violence witnessed in the media and the violence hourly updated on the news reports we all watch at night. We need to work on changing our world for the better, and if cutting out violent movies and TV shows will help, then so be it.

Katie Moon is a senior at Lely High School and an intern at the Daily News.