Column:

Students desensitized to daily displays of violence

By Andrea Fuhrer

Published Nov. 6, 2008

Each time I call my parents, I can anticipate a number of things that will occur during the conversation. I can expect my dad to give me a full report on the weather forecast for the next day. I can expect them to ask me what I ate for dinner, and that they'll be concerned when I answer with Ramen noodles - for the fourth time in one week. And I can always expect them to inform me of yet another burglary, assault or rape that has occurred in Columbia.

Although crime rates in Columbia haven't risen in the past year, it's disturbing to look at how much the occurrence of violent crimes has increased in the past few decades, in Missouri as well as throughout the entire country. In 1960, Missouri had a population of 4,319,813, and there were 7,468 recorded violent crimes in that year. In 2006 the population had only grown to 5,878,415, but violent crimes skyrocketed - 26,682 occurred that year. Our population was only 1.4 times larger, but we had more than 3.5 times the amount of violent offenses. So what gives?

Personally, I don't put much belief in the theory that this growth in crime is the media's fault. I find it difficult to believe that violent television shows and video games are brainwashing today's youth into becoming aggressive thugs. I sit through hours of criminal dramas most evenings and I've never had the urge to act out one of the horrific scenes.

However, I do think that increases in crime and glorified violence in the media has a more subtle impact on our society; it's desensitized everyone and instilled in us a paranoia that didn't exist 50 years ago.

Sometimes when I'm watching the news I catch myself being unimpressed with the crimes that seem like "just rapes" or "just murders," instead of the sick, ritualistic crimes that are glamorized in criminal dramas. And I find it completely disturbing that in only 19 years of life, I've been exposed to enough televised crime that nothing can really shock me anymore.

I think it's sad that when I was a little kid I wasn't afraid of monsters in my closet at night; I was afraid of kidnappers and burglars because of the stories I'd seen on "Dateline." It's sad that now I can't enjoy a mid-afternoon run on one of Columbia's gorgeous trails because I've heard too many stories about women being preyed upon in isolated areas. And it's sad that I have to be escorted to the parking lot when I visit my fiancé after dark, and that I lock the doors the second I get inside my car because there have been so many reported crimes in his neighborhood.

Statistics show that teenagers are committing a growing number of violent crimes. I don't think all fault falls on the media's shoulders; I think we can attribute it to the fact that today's youth as a whole have been spoiled. We expect everything to be given to us and we expect instant gratification for everything that we want. So why wouldn't this translate into crime? If today's teenager wants more money, why not steal it? If they want to have sex, why not force a girl into it?

Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to see a significant reduction in violence until we do something about the selfishness in American society. And until someone can solve this problem, we'll all be looking over our shoulders, locking our doors tight and hoping we don't become victims of crime ourselves.