Word: harm
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...most thorough scientific survey of violence on television ever undertaken," the study not only found a surprisingly high percentage of violent shows; it also made some damning observations about the way violence is presented. According to the survey, 47% of the violent acts shown resulted in no observable harm to the victim; only 16% of violent shows contained a message about the long-term negative repercussions of violence; and in a whopping 73% of all violent scenes, the perpetrator went unpunished. These figures, however, were based on some overly strict guidelines: perpetrators of violence, for example, must be punished...
...researchers' definition of violence did, at least, avoid some of the absurdities of previous studies, in which every comic pratfall was counted. Violent acts were defined as those physical acts intended to cause harm to another; also included were verbal threats of physical harm as well as scenes showing the aftermath of violence. Thus, finding a body in a pool of blood on NYPD Blue counts as a violent act; Kramer bumping into a door on Seinfeld does not. A cartoon character whacking another with a mallet counts; but the accidental buffoonery of America's Funniest Home Videos doesn...
...irony is that some of the most objectionable shows, in the survey's view, are cartoons and other children's shows: they are the ones that portray violence "unrealistically," without consequences or punishment. "When you show a young kid somebody being run over and they pop back up without harm, that's a problem," says Donnerstein. Maybe so, but a kid who grows up without Batman or Bugs Bunny misses something else: a chance to engage in playful fantasy. And the V chip can't make up for that...
...here to claim that authoritarianism is great and that we do not need freedom at all. A politically apathetic population would definitely do harm to a country's growth in the long run. However, in the case of China, there are some other things to accomplish before finally embracing it. Freedom should come from, and will usually be the natural result of, economic sufficiency. We can only wait for the emergence of a true democracy after the country accomplishes industrialization...
...many respects, the Court's decision falls into the larger category of parental responsibilities to children. If a mother leaves her child alone for a number of days and he dies of starvation, she is responsible--despite the fact that she did not actively harm him. In some cities, if a kid is playing hooky from school, her parents can be put in jail--even though they themselves broke no laws. When a child dies because his or her parents neglected to provide medical care, the parents are similarly held accountable for their lack of attention and their parental irresponsibility...