Debate Do Anime/Cartoons Promote Violence?

Now, first of all, this is NOT a debate over whether these shows should be pulled from the air or anything of that nature. It's just a simple discussion on the content itself.

That said, do you believe that violent/action-oriented cartoons promote violence? As I've said before, I hate censorship and all that, but once I really started thinking about it I really began to see the other point of view. Take the most famous anime, Dragonball Z. The characters almost never try to reason with each other and always have to solve their problems through a battle. It's the same way with Yu Yu Hakusho, Inuyasha and even Rurouni Kenshin, though to differing degrees.

And of course we all know that Saturday morning cartoons are chock-full of mindless violence, going as far back as Looney Toons. Bugs Bunny delighted in finding new ways to hurt Elmer Fudd. Even if he had a good reason (Trying to not get killed), the youngest kids won't get a handle on that and just see the visual images - the violence.

So what do you all think? I'm not asking if you think these shows explicitly harm children, I'm just asking if you think they indirectly say violence is the best answer to solve problems. Every main hero, from Goku to Yusuke to Kenshin, is a master fighter and often kill hundreds if not thousands, regardless of whether it was for a good cause or not (Kenshin obviously never kills in the show, but it's said fairly often that in his past he killed countless other warriors). I'm really unsure of my opinion; I certainly would never ban or censor these shows in any way, but it does make me think.

(Author's edit): Just to be clear, I'm mainly referring to action/adventure shows that can be seen on Cartoon Network. Obviously shows like Hello Kitty don't fall into this category.

 

As a child I was exposed to quite a fair bit of violence in the forms of Transformers, Robotech, GI Joe, Star Trek (violence DOES exist in that show; it isnt all preachy), myriad video games, and many many movies. I also probably saw images of Desert Storm too.

To date I am a (mostly) reasonable person who only very very rarely gets into an actual physical fight.

Conversely, some family friends have tried very very hard to keep their son Sean from seeing violence in ANY form. He is currently 5 or 6, and his parents have not let him see anything more mature than Bob the Builder.

Last week, he was visiting and watching some kids tv show. We asked him what he was watching and he just started talking about killing people.

The only media he has ever been exposed to involving violence is the Bible.

So, in other words, no, anime and cartoons don't really promote violence.

 

Apparently,violent anime stuff shown on Japanese TV is'nt rated and can be shown at an early hour;If a video or DVD is rated 12/15/18 or whatever over here, then it's the responsibility of the parent/guardian to decide if their children should watch it. If a child is brought up to understand the difference between reality and fantasy, and that people get hurt in real life, then there should'nt be a problem. I think it's a matter of adults being responsible and checking the suitability of what their children watch.

 

Speaking of games, the head of the company(or someone like that!) who brought out GTA Vice City stated recently that a remark like "kill all Cubans" or something is to be removed from the game, because of protests. I suppose some kinds of movies/shows/games are closer to reality than others-although I'm not saying that game is particularly realistic!

 

I think that a child's interpetation of violence can not be solely blamed on what they watch or play. It is up to the parents to teach the kids the difference between anime(cartoon) fights and playground brawls.

It really cool to see a building dropped onto the villian in our favorite shows, but that should be no reason for a kid to try and through another kid off a roof because he saw it in the same show.

Violence is a part of or humanity. We can't make it all disappear, but we can control how our children absorb it.

This is a simple matter of common sense. Leave the programing alone and take some responsibility for your kids behavior.

Victor

 

Violence is part of human nature...if it can be enjoyed in a cathartic, entertainment form, it's not so bad... reality and fantasy should be understood to be very different!

 

uh... no.
you cant just blame everything on anime and cartoons. theres many other ways people get their violence. just turn on the TV.

~MAGs

 

No... I grew up watching violent shows and I turned out... fine. ^^;;
Either way, children can be violent (ex- imitating someone from a video game), but this is not the anime/game/cartoon's fault. I think the true source of violence is what enviroment the child grows up in and how they interpret things they see and watch.

If parents think an anime/cartoon is too "violent," they are just shielding their child from the real world. Cartoons are not to blame for the people walking around shooting people, now are they? That's pretty extreme.

 

I had exposure to violence before I knew the word. It's a simple case of upbringing and understanding. Humans have gotten 'civilized' and socialized, and forget their roots (nature). Hey, I ain't violent (I abuse my broadband bandwidth, so?)

If a lion didn't bite its prey, what would it do to get food? Start a farm? I think not...

I suppose 'violent' shows could teach one important lesson: Value yourself and others. If more people understood that, then maybe less lives would get wasted. Like if I watch something really horrific like guts being spilled out ... I would not want that to happen to myself or close ones, or anyone else for that matter (unless extreme cases ... nah)

And to second chiquitabanana's opinion, yes, just turn on the TV.

 

It really dosn't matter if you ask me. Kids who watch cartoons like Bugs Bunny and that are to young to realise what will happen if you are to drop an anvile or piano on somebody. They just watch it cause its funny an there attracted to the drawings. At least thats what i was like.

 

What's your point Bloodberry? Kids don't need to be told by there parent's that this is wrong. They usually have enough commen sense even at that age to tell the differene between a cartoon and reality.

Unless you meant my spelling mistake. If that's the case thank you.

 

Good question.

Why don't you ask my fist!!??

 

Aptly enough, the manga-prequel to Ichi the Killer has just been released..ban this sick trash,etc!

 

Just to tell all of you that this isn't my argument I going to put in, its somebody else, yet I agree with it except for the dank cell part. Some of you may recongize it. :sweat:


"Any pile of stunted growth unaware that entertainment is just that and nothing more, deserves to doom themselves to some dank cell, somewhere for having been so stupid! Movies, books, t.v., music- they are all just entertainment not guidebooks for damning yourself!

 

i think that some of them actually do. but not all.

 

Hmm...

I think that some individuals - not only children, but young adults and adults as well - can be influenced by the media. However, there's usually some other factor playing into that, such as poor adjustment, trauma, psychological or emotional disorders, mind-altering substances... etc. Any reasonable person isn't going to DBZ and think they can go around killing people, nor believe they can fly and shoot energy blasts. However, there are some very stupid, very disturbed people in the world too.

I grew up watching nature shows, which are often both brutally realistic in depiction of natural violence (animals fighting, etc.) and offer no moral lesson. I also have a strong interest in mental illnesses and characters who are disturbed; I read books that deal with abuse, molestation, and a variety of horrible things because the psychology fascinates me. However, I've never been tempted to do anything violent myself.

My nephew is a different story. He spends most of his time watching TV and playing shooter videogames or things like Driver (stealing and destroying cars, yay?). In his case, I think some of the shows and games he watches do tend to have a negative effect on him, and if I had any say, he wouldn't be playing or watching such violent stuff. But the thing is, he's got Attention Deficit Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and a mother who's irresponsible and neglectful (but not enough to take legal action, sadly). I think the material he's exposed to feeds anger already present in him; they don't create it. He's frustrated and bored most of the time, and is a complete social reject because he functions at an emotional age of about 6-7, though he's physically 13.

My basic point is that certain people are affected in different ways by what they're exposed to. The general population isn't going to be affected adversely by violence depicted in animation, or in any other media. Granted, senseless violence does bother me - I think it's stupid. Shows like DBZ have basically 0 entertainment value for me. But no, I don't think they make the average person more predisposed to violence.