by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright June 7, 1999
All Rights Reserved.

ointing the finger at Hollywood, the White House announced another Federal government study aimed, once and for all, at finding the link between 'entertainment' and youth violence. Capitalizing on yet another nightmare, Columbine High has become the new lightening rod in the interminable debate over whether packaged 'entertainment,' e.g., TV, movies, video games, etc., causes violent behavior. While there are abundant studies over the last 30 years attempting to draw such a link, no study has proved conclusive. That should come as little surprise, since we know that the 'soft' sciences — unlike medicine or dentistry — have considerable difficulty establishing causal relationships. Though most agree on what causes tooth decay, few agree on what causes violent behavior in youth or elsewhere.

       Popular as it is to throw good money after bad, launching into another costly boondoggle should help quell some immediate outrage, but realistically won’t uncover any definitive causes of violence. For some time, it’s been well known that violent behavior involves many variables, including, to name a few, sociocultural [like entertainment], biological [genes, hormones and neurochemistry], psychological, environmental, availability of weapons, family [abuse and neglect], stress, controlled substances, economic, etc. Isolating TV, movies or video games sadly misses the mark. So, why blame Hollywood?

       Like so many targets, Hollywood presents a large immovable object, easily identified, but, in the final analysis, perhaps the weakest cause on the list. Though some in Hollywood feel singled out, they should be reminded that they also bought into the right wing conspiracy about the Paula Corbin Jones and Monica Lewinsky affairs, despite the fact that many of the denials proved to be false. Can you really blame president Clinton now for jumping on Hollywood for indirectly causing tragedies like Jonesboro and Littleton? Seems reasonable, doesn’t it? I guess to some. Underestimating the public’s sophistication, the White House will eventually have trouble selling the 'entertainment' theory to a skeptical public. Today it plays well, but tomorrow, after the long awaited press release announces 'that no definitive cause [for youth violence] was found,' the money should have been spent on something with substance.

       Sex and violence have been humankind’s perpetual obsession since time immemorial. Freud proved this over 100 years ago. Blaming Hollywood for giving ordinary citizens a much needed catharsis is like lowering the boom on restaurants for serving high cholesterol foods. With the first amendment on peoples’ minds, the rush to censorship actually robs them of their freedom of choice and doesn’t solve the problem. Shouting fire [where none exists] in a crowded theater certainly demonstrates the limits of free speech, but blaming 'Mortal Combat' or 'Terminator' or any other entertainment product on inducing youth violence is quite a stretch. While certain 'unstable' personalities are always prone toward erratic behavior, posting warning labels on video games hardly addresses the more factual causes of violence.

       Many people may find sources of entertainment asthetically repugnant, but that doesn’t mean they deserve censorship to protect the public interest. Moral sensibilities have to be distinguished from scientific facts linking various forms of 'entertainment' with violent behavior. Rather than blaming 'Hollywood,' why aren’t people asking the more incriminating question: What are we [as parents] doing or not doing to our children who sometimes drift into dangerous activities? With over 50% of families ending in divorce, and with many single parents working overtime to make ends meet, what kind of structure does this provide wayward youth? What about intact, affluent families whose children take a backseat to parents’ careers, recreation, entertainment and travel? Where were the parents of the killers in Jonesboro and Littleton? Was the NRA or Hollywood responsible for creating latchkey kids whose parental supervision was conspicuously negligent? Are parental denials about how their children wound up with the cache of weapons and explosives really credible?

       Adolescence is that esoteric twilight zone between childhood and adulthood. Providing inadequate supervision — for whatever reason — and making guns and explosives available to their restless hands is bound to create bad results. Correlating recent tragedies with evidence of widespread escalation in violence among youth is without scientific foundation or even common sense. Throwing the book at misguided youths, trying them as adults, locking them up and throwing away the keys, doesn’t begin to deal with the real causes of youth violence. Grandstanding with unrealistic research grants makes good photo-ops and publicity stunts and helps assuage some national pain but offers no real solutions. Hollywood isn’t the one that needs a wake-up call, it’s the White House for demonstrating the type of cosmetic superficiality which glosses over the relevant issues.

       Whether 'Hollywood' violence has any measurable impact on adolescent violence is anyone’s guess. Jumping the gun to issue warning labels on packaged entertainment products seems premature and ineffectual. One thing remains certain: Guns, explosives and drugs are far too easy to procure for exuberant youth whose hands should be busy with other projects. It’s high time for politicians and parents to account for how the family arsenal gets into the hands of their offspring. With all we already know about the causes of violence, blaming 'Hollywood' or any other convenient scapegoat is truly inexcusable.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is director of a West Los Angeles think tank specializing in human behavior, health care and political research and media consultation. He’s a seminar trainer, columnist and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2000 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.