LETTER: Appreciation of violence does not constitute normal behavior

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This letter is in response to the letters by Mikael Thompson and Pete Irot ("Society cannot dictate moral judgment" and "Movie violence shocks us into seeing reality's problems") in last week's Thresher .

First of all, just the fact that violence is currently considered entertainment is alarming. When most people are first told about the ancient Romans and the Colosseum where people went to cheer as people were eaten alive by wild animals or fought each other to death, they react in a way that says: "Oh my God! How primitive. How savage. How could they do that?"

Nevertheless, the same people go and see a movie where someone's brains are blown out and call that entertainment. Don't they see the contradiction?

Of course, one might say, "Movies are not real. The person in the movie is not really dying. It's all just make-believe."

However, if I find it repulsive to see someone defecating in real life, how can I find it entertaining to see someone defecating in a movie? By the same token, how can I find it entertaining to see someone's brains splattered all over the wall in a movie? Yet some do.

This is not normal. Again, as in my previous letter, I stress that the media is not the sole culprit.

However, it does play a crucial role. Even though it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out, here is an excerpt from the American Medical Association's web site ( http://www.ama-assn.org ): "... an extensive body of research amply documents a strong correlation between children's exposure to media violence and a number of behavioral and psychological problems, primarily increased aggressive behavior. The evidence further shows that these problems are caused by the exposure itself."

Given these findings, it would be extremely naive to believe that these children will grow up to be enlightened citizens who, of their own free will, choose to be good.

The reason? They won't know what "good" is. The New York Times reported on Jan. 6, that according to the Council on Crime in America, "Violent crime in the United States is a `ticking time bomb' that will explode in the next few years."

The facts are there for everyone to see. Yet, everyone goes about everyday life worrying about trouble at work, a raise in taxes, the national debt, etc. when they should be worrying about the fact that they may be shot in the parking lot tonight after coming home a little late. (As we all know, even the Rice campus is not immune to similar events.)

Only one thing remains to be said: Wake up, everybody. Do something about this horrendous situation. Wake up before the barrel of a robber's gun pressed against your forehead wakes you up.

Andrew Sendonaris

Graduate student

Department of ECE

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the September 27, 1996 issue.

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