Danger in watching television
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The Danger in Watching Television
Violent movies and television shows have been popular since the mediums were invented. Westerns and police shows have kept us inundated with gun play and car chases. It is no wonder that television violence is generally popular among the public viewers, or is it? Recent studies have shown that approximately 78 percent of the viewers disapprove of the violence they see on television (Gerbner). If this is so, then why is television consumed with violence, and what are the consequences of watching such violence? George Gerbner, author of "Television Violence and the Art of Asking the Wrong Question" and Sissela Bok, author of "The Erosion of Empathy," discuses the answers to these questions and ultimately the harm it can cause.
One of the major reasons there is so much violence on TV, is because violence is the easiest to be translated. "Everyone understands an action movie. If I tell a joke, you may not get it but if a bullet goes through the window, we all know how to hit the floor, no matter the language" (Gerbner) Producers are forced to look to foreign sales in order to compensate for the costly production, and violence is the easiest form to translate. Violence is an action rather than words, therefore it can be understood in any language without being translated (Gerbner)...