How can the researches arrive at the conclusion that violent media (whether holy books, video games, movies, etc.) lead those that identify with the material to be more aggressive/violent without taking into account the histories of the subjects?

Attributing aggressive behaviors to media seems awfully simplistic. It doesn’t take into account social status (whether the individuals are wealthy or poor for example), education, upbringing, emotional intelligence, etc., etc., etc., ? all of which, it seems to me, would be factors in influencing/creating aggressive personalities and behaviors.

He understands that this is simply fantasy role-playing. He doesn’t identify with the characters beyond that.

He is a very sweet, loving, caring person who deplores actual violence.

He also happens to deplore the violence depicted in the Bible, because he knows that the Bible isn’t touted as fiction by the general public, but rather they believe it to be historical fact. He knows that to act violently is wrong and hurtful. He also knows that way too many people see certain acts of violence as right and helpful because they believe God says it is. He is very sad for these people. He also avoids them.

participants read a passage adapted from the King James Bible that described a woman’s brutal murder and her husband’s revenge on her attackers. Half the participants were told that the passage came from the Old Testament, half that it came from an ancient scroll found by archeologists. Half the participants from each of these groups read a version of the passage that included a sentence in which God commanded his followers to take arms against others

I wonder what “adapted” means…

of course… the whole bible was “adapted” into the kings english, from versions which had been “adapted” by hand from one generation to the next, from versions which were “adapted” into latin by monks…

I guess the important thing is what the students beleived they were reading. ie: the word of god.

“Violent stories that teach moral lessons or that are balanced with descriptions of victims’ suffering or the aggressor’s remorse can teach important lessons and have legitimate artistic merit. But taking a single violent episode out of its overall context, as we did in these studies, can produce a significant increase in aggression.”

But there is hardly any Biblical violent stories that balance it with descriptions of remorse or suffering. That is, unless the suffering is jewish (OT) or christian (NT).

For example, did you see the Chinese delegate that flinched when there was an explosion? He was ready to hit the ditch! The Middle Eastern delegates who were standing next to the Chinese fella never batted an eyelash. My guess–they were used to it, and quite desensitized.

Just like Shrek said, we are like onions, made up of layers.

Most people are very squeamish about what lies under the skin of a human’s body. We work very hard at not thinking about it and generally succeed, often for long stretches of time. That is, barring reminders from shows like House and the media of violence, and even then…

Likewise what we consider our self is the intellectual layer which spends much of its time pretending not to be influenced by the emotional layers hidden away underneath.

Imagine if you were the one that had pushed the button and what sorts of coping mechanisms would need to be invoked to absolve the guilt.

Consider how the religious lie to themselves intellectually in order to hold onto their emotionally rewarding thoughts of an afterlife, etc.

Given that more than half of the people on the planet do this, it must be considered normative human behaviour and we are the exceptions, in this area at least.

I feel fortunate that I did not grow up in a conflict zone like Belfast or Beirut or Baghdad. I will never know, but just looking at the effects on all those people, the raw odds say that I would have hated and sought revenge, in spite of what I like to think about myself.

The sun is shining and I am going to hug someone close.

Some of the new video games are pretty damn realistic. I’ve had a few flashbacks after playing BF2.

The researchers actually could have saved a lot of time by simply studying Islam’s effects on its adherents! What more evidence would they need?

forgive me for asking, since I’m relatively new here and these questions may have been answered already…

But what exactly is the correct “context” of dashing babies against rocks, putting people to death for collecting sticks on the Sabbath, bears slaughtering children for making fun of an old man, etc… ?