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I hope not. While I can't comment on the video games (not as familiar) from what I've read, television and movie violence almost certainly does have a negative
by retrac 5y ago
I hope not. While I can't comment on the video games (not as familiar) from what I've read, television and movie violence almost certainly does have a negative effect on the viewer, much like people were worried about in the 80s and 90s during that small moral panic. Unlike some hypothesized, it doesn't make us into cold-blooded murderers. But it does seem to result in higher levels of anxiety, distrust and fear of being murdered. Studies pretty reliably show an effect correlating how much someone watches violent movies and how much anxiety they have around experiencing interpersonal violence.
Yes, TV violence was a moral panic to some degree, and it's so easy to get carried away with thinking these are mind control boxes. But I'm kind of alarmed that we stopped talking about that angle almost entirely. (There may be similar issues with sexualized imagery. It doesn't make us hyper-promiscuous, but it may make us detest our bodies and induce unhealthy sexual jealousy.)
- gameman144 5y agoThis totally makes sense, but I'm always curious what the suggested mitigations here are. Even if I like watching Game of Thrones or other violent shows, it might indeed make me more worried of being murdered. But it seems like that's the tradeoff I (as an individual) take for consuming the content. You can water down your booze to handle the drunk, but you're also ruining the flavor.
- Gravyness 5y ago> Studies pretty reliably show an effect correlating how much someone watches violent movies and how much anxiety they have around experiencing interpersonal violence. Care to share? how can I search this?
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- a0-prw 5y agoYou are supposed to have anxiety around experiencing interpersonal violence. It's a survival mechanism.
- retrac 5y agoOf course. But people's level of apprehension is quite out of whack with the actual risk sometimes. I'd guess some people spend far worrying about safe neighbourhoods and being stabbed vs. their diet and impending heart disease.