We aren't robots. Network executives can't produce violent shows and force us to watch them. Somewhere out there, we have grown accustomed to violence, we have welcomed it. It should seem clear that a society cannot long endure if its citizens are prone to violent conflict. The answer is that there isn't a simple answer.
Violence occurs in many forms with as many pulsepoints.
Tougher sentencing, more prisons, urban development, they all have their place. Certainly, gun control and media monitoring are part of the package, but the real change must come in our psyches. Like any other addict, we're in denial. We don't want to see a connection between our actions and the pathology of our culture. We cheer Rambo when he shoots up a crowd, but we draw back in disgust when a young boy is slain for his jacket.