Television perpetuates violence. Bullets whiz, knives spin, fists fly -- it's not an uncommon sight on today's televisions. From cartoons to sitcoms, television shows depict acts of violence that go unpunished and result in no painful consequences. This worldview does not reflect reality and does not teach our children the values, morals, or behaviors we constantly tell them to practice. Many parents don't realize that their children see the most violence while watching the most innocent shows. For example, Nickelodeon's "Loony Tunes" actually has 80 acts of violence per hour and prime time shows have 60 acts of violence per hour. Children's programs are least likely to show the negative and harmful consequences of acts of violence. Even more appalling than the neglect of consequences is that two-thirds of children's programs depict violence as humorous. Because violence is framed as funny, children are less likely to be bothered by violence in general or see something wrong with it. This desensitizes children, who become more willing to tolerate increasing levels of violence in our society and also become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others. When the typical American child witnesses 200,000 acts of televised violence before the age of 18, this desensitization becomes inevitable.(1) Children predisposed to this violent behavior accept acts of violence and view them as more "normal ". Television shows give children the false belief that they are invincible. In the cartoon "The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote", the coyote miraculously survived countless acts of violence. During one such episode, the coyote attempted to catch the roadrunner by setting up a catapult to throw a huge boulder as the roadrunner passed in front of it. As we... middle of paper ...... are not in favor of violent or sexually explicit programs, this backfires because it attracts children to such shows. Parents need to stand up and take control. Watch TV with your children and talk about what you see. Limit your child's exposure to inappropriate programs. (5) Television mercilessly allows a parade of losers, crooks, murderers and rapists to parade through our homes and influence our children. Works Cited Murray, John. “Children and violence”. Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy 04.3 (1995): 7-14Solutions to Violence. http://edie.cprost.sfu.ca/gcnet/iss4-21d.htmlTelevision. http://www.local.access.com/hardebeck/killtv4.htmVasta, Ross, Marshall M. Haith and Scott A. Miller. Child psychology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1995. Endnotes1. Murray2. Television3. Vast 47-49.4. Vast 49.5. Solutions