Fearfulness and moralizing aside, Americans practice and approve of violence. This pervasive mystifying ambivalence makes talking about violence a tricky job. Trickiest of all is the issue of cruelty to children, perhaps the most disquieting type of cruelty. Let's be clear about the facts. In war, combatants focus on children.
American media are awash in images and stories of cruelty to children.
That means they're popular enough to sell soap. Simultaneously, people who try to understand it and represent it accurately may be accused of peddling pornography. The ambivalence of Americans is almost as disquieting as the cruelties themselves. In response, Academe shies away in denial of violence. Reality becomes fog.