The Media and Violence

I think it is perfectably reasonable to say that everyone has an aggressive streak in them; it is human nature.

Violence is all over the media.

In soap operas such as Eastenders and Coranation street people physically fight and even murder others, and all this is shown before the watershed of 9pm. The big storyline in Coranation Street a few years ago of Richard Hillman who went on a killing spree.

Films such as "SAW" inspire violence where one man violently and physically tortures others.

Rap songs often talk about violent acts such as gun crime and spur people on to commit such crimes as they want to mirror the rappers lifestyles,

In video games such as "Call of Duty" characters kill each other in a variety of ways like by stabbing them, shooting them, etc.

There has been much discussion in the media about the profound effect that video games can have on children.

Claims are that they can lead to compulsive behaviour, loss of interest in other activities, association mainly with other addicts, and unusual symptoms when addicts are denied their favourite pastime - such as the shakes.

Dr Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University, an expert on video game addiction, thinks it could just happen:

"The video games of the 21st Century may in some ways be more psychologically rewarding than the 1980s games in that they require more complex skills, improved dexterity, and feature socially relevant topics and better graphics."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1036088.stm

Films can also spur people on to do violent crimes such as murder. Children are particularly susceptible to these plots and video game plots as they are very impressionable at that age.

The horror film "Scream" was aired in 1996 and it is said to have inspired crimes; a number of teenagers were inspired to murder: a boy and his cousin in Los Angeles obsessed with the film murdered his mother by stabbing her 45 times, a man wearing the mask shot and killed a woman in Florida, a boy in France killed his parents while acting as Ghostface, and in England, a pair of boys repeatedly stabbed a third one, claiming the film had prompted them to do it.
http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?s=0312b70879141b4ea1c65451b00e98e3&showtopic=95915