OVERVIEW

The actual bayoneting of 1,100 men found in Michener’s Texas did not "move from the page to the screen in ABC’s adaptation of the novel. And in their "Lois & Clark" series they decided to use a stun gun instead of bullets in a violent gang scene. Such restraint is possible whatever the full motives.

An important survey by U.S. News and the University of California at Los Angeles tried to determine just what is going on in the minds of (867) entertainment executives, writers, and actors. Here are some of the surprising findings:

• 63% Of the Hollywood elite say the industry glorifies violence.
• 59% Of respondents admit that TV and movie violence is a problem.
• 75% Admitted to seeing racial stereotyping as a problem.
• 74% Admitted to seeing gender stereotyping as a problem.
• 72% Of the Hollywood elite say the amount of violent programming on TV has increased over the preceding decade.
• 45% Of the Hollywood elite say the overall quality of TV programming has worsened over the past decade.
• 58% Of the Hollywood elite admitted to avoiding a program because of its violent content.
• It is interesting where Hollywood leaders place the blame for excessive violence:
• 49% Place it "significantly" on local newscasts.
• 41% Place it "significantly" on reality series.
• 38% Place it "significantly" on action dramas (police shows, movies, etc.).
• 30% Place it "significantly" on children’s cartoon shows.
• 28% Place it "significantly" on promotional spots for news and other shows.
• 25% Place it "significantly" on national newscasts.

What ultimately frustrates TV executives most is that they are seen as monsters when, in reality, they only provide what people want to buy. As Lily Tomlin says, its ‘show business not "show art." ’ The respondents to (this) survey names viewer’s and rating’s pressure as most responsible for encouraging violence on television.

Their frustration points to a "rampant hypocrisy" of Americans and viewers elsewhere. As Christine Hikawa, vice president of broadcast standards and practices, said of parent focus groups held by ABC in February, 1994:

‘In the abstract, they all said they objected to too much violence. But none of the viewers objected to violent scenes"—such as one from a TV movie of a woman being stalked and then accidentally murdered in a rape.’

Very few would want to see films like "Schindler’s List" prohibited. Yet there is a moral imperative, felt by most film producers and executives, to restrict excessive violence. A few have compunctions about gratuitous sexual content. The question is whether or not self-policing by the media themselves will work.

What, then, did the respondents to this survey consider the best solution to excessive media violence?

• Create a voluntary rating system for violent programs (63%).
• Monitor and regulate the content of children’s programming (61%).
• Restrict the hours when certain shows can be broadcast (56%).
• Issue reports that measure the level of violence on specific shows (49%).
• Issue reports that measure the level of violence on entire broadcast and cable networks (42%).
• Create a mandatory rating system for violent programs (37%).
• Pressure television manufacturers to install electronic devices to allow parents to block out selected shows (31%).

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. How surprised, pleased, or disappointed are you in the results of this survey? How would you like to respond?
2. What most impressed you about this survey?
3. When is violence acceptable to you, and what are your viewing habits regarding violence in news, docu-dramas, and dramas?
4. What are your views about media violence and its control?
5. How do you deal with the publics ambivalence or hypocrisy?
6. How would you discuss this issue with pre-teens? With teenagers?

IMPLICATIONS

• The religious books of the Western religions contain a great deal of violence. It is a violent world, and it seems impossible to insulate oneself from violence.
• Curiosity and quest for vicarious experience draw people to violence. Children seem to need to work this issue out in playful ways. We must also recognize "the rush" that can be associated with violence.
• World peace seems to demand the control of violent tendencies and reconciliation among those caught in a spiral of revenge.

Dean Borgman cCYS