this topic was The National Television Violence Study; a three-year research project funded by the .
National Cable Television Association issued in 1996. The study involved efforts from media scholars .
from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill among other schools. The study found that violence .
is often presented in ways that could harm viewers. Perpetrators go unpunished in 73% of all violent .
scenes. This should be of great concern because when violence is presented without punishment, and .
oftentimes with rewards, viewers are more likely to learn that violence is successful. In addition to the .
perpetrators going unpunished, in 47% of violent scenes no harm is actually shown to the victim. In 58% .
of scenes no pain is shown. In only 16% of programs that portray violence the long-term negative .
affects such as psychological, financial, and emotional harm are shown. There are programs that show .
violence but emphasize an anti-violence theme by condemning the violence. Sadly these are a rarity, .
only accounting for 4% of all the violent programs on television. (Media Violence, 1999) Although it's .
not likely for people to be lured into a life of violence by seeing a body on TV or a barroom fight, the .
context of the violence is important. When violence seems justified it is more likely to be imitated, and .
look at how much of the violence we see on television seems justified and for a good cause. Many .
programs draw viewers in and make them "see the side" of the criminal. This can have negative affects .
because research shows that the more we identify and empathize with a character the more likely we .
are to imitate the character. .
Not all movies get you to empathize with the bad guy but they often portray .
him as a powerful and very often rich. Imitating people who are powerful gives us the illusion of .
borrowing some of their power. Many popular movies carry messages that violence is the "manly" .
