Nancy Small, National Coordinator. In the days since the massacre, there has been a deep desire for answers to this senseless tragedy. As investigators search for clues within the Littleton community, we must also look at the culture in which our children are raised. We live in a culture of violence. Researchers estimate that the average U.S. child watches 200,000 acts of violence on television before the age of 18.
Studies link the amount of television violence watched by children to aggressive behavior in school.
Children learn that violence is an appropriate response to problems from the time that they begin watching cartoons. This message gets reinforced each time they watch a television program or movie where violence is the response used to deal with the problem at hand. Violence becomes child's play, and our children become desensitized to the tragic consequences of violence. In his comments to the people of Littleton, President Clinton stressed the importance of teaching children to resolve conflicts without violence and anger. However, this message came from the same president who authorized U.S. participation in NATO bombardments of Serbia and prior bombings of Iraq, Afghanistan and the Sudan.