The "isolated camera,"" "superslow motion,"" and "instant replay- allow us to consume again and again what is usually only a fraction of the total action. .
- Although TV and fairy tales are at opposite ends of the historical continuum of popular culture, they address many of the same audience concerns. Both deal with the most common anxieties of their dominant audience- the threat of violence- as well as with the most common resolution of problems- the initiation of revenge. I'm sure we all remember stories like "Jack & Jill,"" "Humpty Dumpty,"" "Rock-a-Bye Baby,"" and "Three Blind Mice-. These stories are loaded with physical trauma. In the 1950s Geoffrey Handley-Taylor undertook a content analysis of two hundred of the traditional Mother Goose nursery rhymes. Less than ½ showed a cheery side of life. The rest showed something similar to what can be seen on Saturday morning television. Here is just a small part of a list of some of the incidents that Handley-Taylor quoted "may be accepted as a reasonably conservative estimate based on a general survey of this type of literature-:.
9 cases of children being lost or abandoned.
1 case of decapitation.
1 case of death by drowning.
1 case of death by devouring.
1 case of death by starvation.
1 case of boiling to death.
8 cases of whipping and lashing.
7 cases relating to the severing of limbs.
23 cases of physical violence.
4 cases of killing domestic animals.
Fairytales such as "Little Red Riding Hood,"" "Hansel & Gretel,"" and "Snow White- are just as violent. (refer to posters).
.
THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE ON YOUTH.
- The pain and suffering inflicted on victims of violence is both extensive and depressing. The victims include not only victims of direct acts of violence, but also witnesses of violence inflicted on others, and family members and other loved ones who must help the victim and themselves cope with the aftermath. .
- The first impact of violence is often physical.