Does Movie Violence Lead to REAL Violence?

Does movie violence lead to real violence? This question continues to be debated. And Hollywood has rolled out its usual quota of violent films this season.

In the January 7th edition of the New York Times, Peter S. Goodman writes about a new study that seems to prove that “violent films PREVENT violent crime by attracting would-be assailants and keeping them cloistered in darkened, alcohol-free environments.” In other words, the theory goes, potential criminals go to the movies instead of committing crimes.

But don’t they have to commit a crime in order to get the money to buy the ticket??especially since movies tickets have risen in price so much during the past few years (not to mention the high cost of popcorn and a soft drink!) But Goodman quotes researcher Gordon Dahl as insisting that, “In the short run, if you take away violent movies, you?re going to increase violent crime.”

They base this on statistics: over the past decade, crime has dropped at the same time that movie violence has risen. In fact, during weekends when violent movies open at theaters, incidents of violent criminal attacks go down.

Art credit: freeimages.co.uk

Whitley once made the acquaintance of someone he calls the Master of the Key, who (despite breaking into his hotel room) turned out not to be a criminal, but to be full of wisdom, such as: “Mankind is trapped. I want to help you spring the trap. The veil between the worlds can fall. The undiscovered country can become your backyard. Your destiny, each of you, is to become all of God.” Find out who said those provocative words.

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