robert+flannery+interview

The interview subjects I chose were a married couple and their 15 year old son. They are a middle class family. I asked four questions and asked them to explain their answers. 1. What do you think are the effects of media violence? 2. Do you watch violent media? 3. Do you or would you allow your children to watch violent media? 4. Do you think that violent media is a problem?

Mother Age: 37 1. I feel that media violence may cause some people to think that violence happens more than it actually does. 2. Yes, I watch violent media. Many shows on television contain violence and are entertaining. I don’t watch the shows because they have violence it’s just that some of the shows that I watch have violence in them. 3. I do allow my child to watch violent media. I would like to think that I have raised them well enough where they don’t think that violence is acceptable. 4. I don’t think that violent media is a big problem. As long as people don’t carry out what they see on television or anywhere else then it really is not a problem. I could see how some people would start to think that violence isn’t a big deal too. If you see something all the time you get used to it and that is a problem. Father Age: 40 1. I definitely think that violence helps the popularity of a show. Some of the most popular shows on TV either center on it or have it as a major part of their story. 2. Yes, I watch violent media. Like I said some of the most popular shows have violence in them. Some of my favorite shows have violence. 3. My kids do take part in violent media. My son plays video games that are violent. He knows that he can’t go out with his friends and hurt people. He knows it’s not OK to act that way. 4. For some people sure, it’s a problem. I know that my son is very excited after he watches or plays a game with violence. Sometimes he gets a little loud or just all around excited. We tell him to calm down and he listens, but I don’t think he would be some perfectly behaved child if he didn’t watch or play violent games.

Son Age: 15 1. I guess violence on TV or whatever makes some people do it in real life. Those people have problems though. Just because I see something on TV doesn’t mean I can do it in real life. I would get in trouble. 2. I watch UFC and play video games. Some shows I watch have violence in them too. 3. I guess I would let my kids watch or play what they wanted as long as it didn’t give them nightmares. I don’t know, my sister can’t watch stuff like that because it bothers her. 4. It is not a problem for me. Some of my friends wrestle like the fighting shows or slap box. Some of my friends get into real fights too but it isn’t because of TV or video games. We would do that stuff anyway.

RESPONSE It seems as though my interview subjects don’t feel as though violent media is a huge problem. They all agree that it is entertaining. The parents both agree that as long as they discipline their child and make sure their children know what is acceptable and what is not, media violence should not be a problem. However, some parents don’t have the time to monitor every piece of media their children view. Some media is extremely violent. Parents think that their child may be playing some video game that is like a video game they have seen before. Many parents buy their children video games that are not intended to be played by someone under 17 because their child wants that game. Parents think that if I tell my child what is wrong and what is right there is no problem. Still some things should not be seen by children. I admit that I am in the group of people who feel that it is the parents’ responsibility to monitor what their children are doing. However, I also feel that it is getting to be a full time job to keep track of everything that a child is viewing or playing. Many homes are single parent homes. Homes in which the parent is very busy. A simple sticker on a box or a 3 second clip on the screen is not going to make a parent say “NO, turn that off.” There has to be some communication between government, industry, and family so that a generation is not raised in visions of violence. media type="youtube" key="HFuDTs-_8nM" height="340" width="560"