What HE said...

It is fun to have a thought and then find out that others are thinking similar things.  Helps make me feel less like a freak! 
 
Mikey and I were having a discussion this morning about artistic violence (the kind you find in pictures, movies, television, video games) and its effect on people.  There are many out there who think that these things should be censored more, citing Columbine and the like as evidence that children can't handle seeing violence.  Artists (such as my darling) are understandably upset at the idea of censorship, arguing that their art allows for people to confront and perhaps deal with the emotions that accompany violence, anger, and hatred.  (Okay, so Hamumu is more about having dumb fun than dealing with emotional scars...but you get my point, right?)

Our discussion was inspired by this article from the LA Times talking about the psychological effects of killing people in battle and how soldiers are not provided with enough of an emotional outlet during times of war.  The result is veterans returning home who have buried trauma that spills over to their everyday lives, often resulting in domestic violence, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or suicide.  In my opinion, providing a debriefing type session when soldiers could express their feelings without feeling ostracized or "weak" would allow them to vent these emotions and keep them from bottling up inside.  Of course, allowing soldiers to explore their real feelings toward killing might allow them to think for themselves and/or break free from the propaganda that makes them willing to do it in the first place.  We can't have that.  Sorry, got a little off topic there for a moment. 
 
We also discussed how open lines of communication between children and the adults who are responsible for them would reduce the desensitization that we are seeing due to unlimited access to artistic violence.  A child of 4, a child of 10, a teen, and an adult all have different levels of understanding regarding violence.  I said that allowing them monitored exposure to a variety of arts/media (movies, books, tv, games, etc) accompanied with adult guidance (answers to questions, pointing out important things, discussion of issues) will allow them to distinquish between right/wrong and reality/fantasy when faced with these things later in life.
 
I was facinated to find that my new friend, CJ, was discussing this very same thing on his blog.  Like I said, it makes me feel like what I am thinking makes some kind of sense.  It also encourages me to know that there are others out there.  Networking isn't just for CEOs you know!  :)