Murders, assaults, rape, destruction of property and thefts have increased to the point that our jails are overflowing and our legal system is jammed with criminal cases. I do not believe that this is a coincidence. In sporting events, the message is to defeat our opponent to gain the spoils of victory. While we don't see rape on TV, sexual messages are often embedded implicitly in many commercial advertisements and TV shows. The educational research on student engagement is pretty clear.
Students tend to learn more in subjects they spend more time on.
But we should not let that stop us from acting sensibly when there are obvious indicators of the relation. Most physicians and life insurance companies are convinced of the relation between smoking and lung cancer, even though causality is difficult to prove scientifically. While I disagree with Quayle's faulty moral reasoning, I nonetheless use his reaction as an example of the realization of the educational impact of television. I believe that Quayle is correct about that. I too am concerned about what is being taught and learned as well, and that is why I write this piece.