by Derek Draven

Created on: December 10, 2008

Whenever violent, newsworthy crime suddenly becomes the story of the week, the public is always quick to place blame where it is most convenient. This is done in an effort to rationalize and explain away the terrible atrocities that have been committed. After the Columbine school shootings occured, it was revealed that the gunmen were avid fans of violent video games, movies, and thunderous heavy metal music. Were these really the ingredients that formed the catalyst for such incomprehensible behavior?

It is impossible to determine what effects violent media will have on each member of society, purely because every single human is an altogether different creature. While predictable behavior among the majority of humans can be assessed in areas such as social interaction, sex, happiness and work, it is far less easy to predict the deeper emotions of each person. It was long thought that men with a certain chromosome combination were much more likely to engage in violent behavior than regular men. Further studies have indicated that this is less and less likely. Similarly, the ability to predict that violent media makes people more efficient killing machines is equally as unlikely.

Unfortunately, the capacity for violence has been inherent in humans since their earliest beginnings. Subjegation, domination, war and genocide have all been common staples of the human condition down throughout history. Empires have risen by the lash, and have fallen by the weight of the sword and the rifle. Is violent media a contributing factor to our ongoing barbarism? Or is it merely a reflection of our true nature?

There has been no conclusive evidence to link violent behavior to violent media. Studies have shown that it is far more likely for a violent offender to commit said acts through the horror of living in an abusive household with no moral compass or ethics, or a deteriorating mental state. Individuals in a healthy state of mind have a built-in mechanism that makes murder a very difficult thing to perform. When forced to draw a gun, most police officers will do everything in their power to keep from pulling the trigger, even going so far as to express feelings of nausea during the encounter. Wartime soldiers suffer severe psychological trauma from having to kill members of the enemy, and frequently return home in a shattered emotional state. Victims of violent offense who managed to subdue and kill their attackers out of self defense have often expressed guilt, sorrow and

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