Good vs Evil

In the easy Violent Media is Good for Kids, Jones attempts to persuade the viewers from his own personal experience that letting children read and play violent video games can help them overcome fears in their everyday lives. However, I believe that exposing kids through too much violence will cause them to go out into the real world, and cause real harm to others in the world.

Jones uses his on personal experience to relate to children that are having the same issues as him with violence and rage. "Suddenly I had a fantasy self to carry my stifled rage and buried desire for power" (64). The only problem with this stamen is that he uses his personal experience and doesn't back it up with any factually information. Showing that reading violent comic books may have helped him, but it may not help everyone else it could make it worse for all we know.

Next, Jones try's and uses someone to show that violent comics can help people out in a time of need. Instead of himself thus time he uses his son's personal experience. His son had a problem overcoming a fear of climbing trees, because of the sharp limbs and of falling. However, Jones read his son the old comic Trazan and after that we put aside his fear and started climbing the tree (65). Again, the problem I see with this example that he uses is that it might have been successful for his child it might not be for some others. I would agree with his information if he had some source of data to back him up on that the fact of reading violent comic books is good for children then I would agree, but again he only used a personal experience. With this I can also see the issue of kids being exposed to this type of violence to early and actually want to go into the real world and hurt others.

For example, look at what just happened in the news down in Florida a long boy who was only 19 years of age when in a school and decided to open fire with others unarmed. With the media has said the cause of this was the exposure of violent games and books that the 19-year-old was sounding himself with.

Following up with what Jones has to say he even says himself "I think it has helped inspire some people to real-life violence" (67). Well if you believe that then why are you exposing your child to this type of violence so early? At that young of age to much exposure can lead to these mass shootings. Kids today read and play violent games knowing nothing will happen to them, but when they do it in the real world it’s a whole different issue. It’s not about trying to get your rage and power out its about protecting others from that type of violence.

Work cited

Jones, Gerard. "Violent Media is Good for Kids.” Practical Argument, 3rd ed., edited by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 64–67.