Northern Friends Peace Board

Hitting Out:

Stemming the rising tide of violence in entertainment


Some reflections and suggestions
Summer 2005


"Carelessness with material that contains extreme violent and sexual imagery might even be regarded as a form of emotional maltreatment of the child"
The Lancet, February 2005 (reporting on research undertaken by the University of Birmingham)

"Peace begins within ourselves.  It is to be implemented within the family ... in our work and leisure, in our localities ... The task will never be done.  Peace is a process to engage in, not a goal to be reached"
Quaker Faith and Practice (24.57) Sydney Bailey, 1993

Violence in our lives

Whilst there is no unanimity of opinion in research findings and the views of psychologists or media-gurus about the direct connection between violence as portrayed in entertainment and violent behaviour in society, there is an increasing unease about the ‘threshold’ of what is now deemed acceptable on TV, in the cinema and in video games.

Anecdotal evidence abounds in relation to 'copycat' violent crimes, mirroring deeply disturbing and gratuitous acts of violence, which have appeared in the media under the heading of 'entertainment'.  Direct comparisons (by independent researchers) of episodes of well-known soap series (eg. Eastenders) over the past 25 years reveals an alarming increase in the amount of both physical and verbal violence between characters -- with ever more graphic representations of the acts themselves.

This 'climate' can denigrate the atmosphere of mutual respect, within which we would all like to live, and risks undermining fundamental values of what is seen as acceptable behaviour.  Soap operas (for example) can hardly claim on the one hand that they are highly influential in the way they can deal with current social issues (eg. drug taking, alcoholism and attitudes to homosexuality) whilst at the same time assuming that the dramatic rise in the level of verbal and physical violence portrayed has no impact on the viewer.

We do, however, need to be wary of sanctimony:

"Conflict is a part of life, a necessary result of the varying needs, aims and perspectives of individuals and communities.  It is a part of our daily experience, both directly and through television and other news media"
Quaker Faith and Practice (24.54) Sue Bowers and Tom Leindorfer
 
It is of course, ultimately all a matter of degree.  Certainly, not all violence should be 'demonised'.  Our main concern should be with gratuitous violence -- or violence as entertainment in itself -- not violence with a moral message (as we might find, for example, in a Shakespeare play). Long-term de-sensitisation towards violent acts and violent words/behaviour means that we can become lulled into acceptance and cease to recognise its potentially corrosive effect (on young minds in particular).

What can we do?

Raise awareness -- including our own -- of the issues
Quakers (along with some other groups in society) are not the world’s most fervent TV viewers, filmgoers or video-game players!  This can mean that there is a ‘blind spot’ in relation to how much they have personally experienced or know about the problem.  We need to become more aware -- through reading, conversations with family and friends etc.

Compile evidence

  •     What is being shown, when and which groups of people in society?  We need specific and well-documented examples.  What is the degree of regulation, control and censorship?  How effective is it (especially in relation to young people)?
  •     What direction is the entertainment industry going in as regards explicit and graphic violence?
  •     Who are the producers of the material and who are the decision makers who control how the material is distributed to the public?
  •     What is happening in other countries?  Hilary Clinton has condemned a recent video game in the United States as a ‘major threat to moral health’

Get the message out

Writing articles, letters to newspapers, politicians, the Video Standards Council and Ofcom (standards in broadcasting) as well as producers, writers and software developers.  

Keeping the matter at the front of people's consciousness and in public debate is important -- as is alerting people to the significance of peer pressure as an inducement to choosing violent entertainment.  Passivity and indifference are the enemies.

We need to focus on the consumer to highlight the dangers of violence as entertainment, particularly on young people as the more vulnerable and impressionable

Come up with alternatives

But castigating the entertainment industry is only one approach.  There is a demand for their products and we need to be aware of the need for something (stimulating and exciting) to take the place of violence.  A good example can be found in the recent UN World Food Programme's Food Force video game, where players must get past enemy checkpoints, avoid rebels in the jungle an deliver supplies by helicopter -- not shoot and kill anyone that moves.  What about a simulation of Ellen Macarthur's round the world sailing record?

And what about other ways of giving young people a taste of risk, danger and excitement -- via adventure sports such as climbing?

Talking about it

Much could be achieved by families talking about the violence which comes into their homes via TV and video games etc.  Sharing views on how it is affecting family members and how they might handle its impact on their lives could be very constructive.

"We communicate our values by the manner of our lives, but how many of us negate the peaceful attitudes we fervently profess by our own aggressive behaviour?"
Quaker Faith and Practice (23.84) Eva I Pinthus, 1982

Are not values also communicated by the nature, tone and demeanour of our entertainment industry?

Northern Friends Peace Board would welcome responses to this leaflet, including practical suggestions that might be shared more widely with others and personal experiences that might help inform any further work in this area.

Contact us at:

Northern Friends Peace Board, Victoria Hall, Knowsley Street, Bolton BL1 2AS  Tel: 0845 458 3095 (UK)   Email: nfpb@gn.apc.org   Web: www.nfpb.gn.apc.org

Here are some other contact details:

A.  TV or Radio Complaints: Ofcom (www.ofcom.org.uk)
Ofcom Contact Centre, Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road,  London  SE1 9HA
Tel: 0845 456 3000  or  020 7981 3040
The Ofcom advice is, however, to consider contacting the broadcaster first.  The Ofcom website gives full details of broadcasters.
 
B.  Films: British Board of Film Classification (www.bbfc.co.uk)
The British Board of Film Classification, 3 Soho Square, London  W1D 3HD
Tel: 020 7440 0299  General enquiries: webmaster@bbfc.co.uk
 
C.  The Press: Press Complaints Commission (www.pcc.org.uk)
Press Complaints Commission, 1 Salisbury Square, London  EC4Y 8JB
Tel: 0845 600 2757
 
D. Advertising: Advertising Standards Authority (www.asa.org.uk)
Advertising Standards Authority, Mid City Place, 71 High Holborn, London  WC1V 6QT
Tel: 020 7492 2222
 
E.  Videos/Videogames: Video Standards Council (www.videostandards.org.uk)
e-mail: vsc@videostandards.org.uk