Every child in America is exposed to violence of some kind. This is because violence comes from many sources such as the self, family, the community, peers and the media. Children of various ages are exposed to violence either as witnesses, victims or even as perpetrators (Emmons 1). Most of what is reported on child violence is predominantly on child abuse and media violence. Media violence is experience through television, video games film or the internet. 68% of the available video games. 60% of television shows have instances of violence (Emmons 1). The film Madagascar may be a very entertaining cartoon but some of its scenes involve subtle violence which may negatively impact the child audience.
There are many scenes in the movie that are perpetrated by humans against animals. These include instances where Captain DuBois verbally threatens the animals in the zoo. Captain Dubois also threatens to decapitate Alex with a saw which she brandishes menacingly. She also hits all the characters with darts and they fall down. Animals also return the human aggression in retaliation. Alex the lion has a fight with Dubois. The chimpanzee also fires bananas at Captain DuBois. Research reveals that children may learn that conflict resolution may be achieved through violent means. This is because movies may glamorize violence or use an attractive hero to perpetrate it. Repeated exposure reinforces the tendency to use violence in kids. Supporting evidence shows that TV shows that demonstrate cooperation and empathy, rather than violence, may improve the behavior of children between 3 and 5 years old in a period of approximately six months. Research by Brown and Bzostek (1) shows that there is an increase in violent content in TV shows and videogames and this may have an impact on the child’s behavior in future.
Works cited
Brown, Brett V. and Sharon Bzostek. "Violence in Lives of Children." Child Trends 4.1 (2003): 1-13. Print.
Emmons, Sasha. "Is media violence damaging to kids?" CNN. Version 1. Cable News Network, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/21/living/parenting-kids-violence-media>.
