by Allen Alberson

Created on: June 27, 2009   Last Updated: July 09, 2009

It's all too easy to blame television, video games and movies on the violence in schoolyards and for that matter for violence in general. We ask ourselves how can impressionable children not be affected by the violence they see every day. Maybe they are affected, maybe it does desensitize them to some extent. However saying that watching a violent movie can persuade a kid to pick up a gun and kill people is a cop out. It's just another example of people refusing to take responsibility for their own actions.

You can't just give kids a free pass because they are not adults. We hold them responsible for many less serious things. If a kid doesn't do his homework, who do we blame? Most of the responsibility has to fall on the kid. Likewise the responsibility for a murder has to fall, for the most part on the shoulder of the shooter. Yes he his young, but unless he has some psychological damage most of these shooters have been old enough to understand that killing is wrong. If they don't then we can lay some of the blame on their parents. If you are a parent and you notice disturbing traits in your child, get help. By all means don't allow him access to guns.

What upsets me most is that most of these kids left warning signs and in some cases outright manifestos to what they were intending. Did no one around them notice signs that something was wrong? Did anyone take the time to ask the kids if anything was wrong? I know we all are rushed and overworked. We feel pulled in every direction at once. Still having children comes with it a big responsibility. A responsibility that goes beyond birthday parties and making sure they have the newest games. It goes beyond even keeping them fed and clothed. Parents have a responsibility to nurture their children and teach them a set of principles. They have a responsibility to pay attention to them and notice when they have problems. We leave the children in front of the TV and the Playstation and then when life goes wrong we blame these pseudo parents for the aftermath.

No game or movie can cause a balanced child to become a murdered. It is impossible. Maybe in a future with subliminal messaging, people can be programmed to act in a certain way. In fact I have no doubt children are influenced by television, just as I was influenced. They are programmed to think they have to have that new game or toy. Movies and games are all entertainment and entertainment is a business. There is no incentive for game manufacturers to have kids

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