Violence in movies, violence in life

Keanu Reeves says it is difficult to link violence in films to violence in life? And we think his opinion is valid based on what?

We keep insisting that because you can't draw a straight and immediate line from any particular film (or video game) to any particular act of violence then there is no connection. People don't watch "The Matrix" and then go on a shooting rampage as the credits roll. That's not how it works. People also don't eat a chili dog and then drop dead. What does happen, is that over time, exposure to violence accumulates into an increasingly aggressive personality and a significant decrease in compassion. The chili dog analogy holds: eat a chili dog a day and over time your heart will pay for it.

The science is clear about the negative impact of violence, but because we like our violence and facing our culpability is uncomfortable, we allow ourselves to ignore the science and grab on to the opinions of people who let us keep our violence guilt-free. Need I mention that the people most vocal about the insignificance of violence in the media are a)people who profit from the media and b) people who are profiting the media by spending their money to get vicarious violent thrills.

Am I a violence free zone? No. In fact one of my favorite shows, "Supernatural," is a weekly violence fest. I will return to the food analogy. One chili dog a week is not going to kill me; especially if I supplement my diet with beneficial foods and activities. Here is my question: What is the media equivalent of a vegetable, or a workout? If you insist on consuming violence, then how can you do that conscientiously? What are you doing to undo the negative outcomes? (Here I am assuming that you don't want to be an aggressive, un-compassionate person who treats others badly.)

Karen Armstrong has a new book out Twelve Steps To A Compassionate Life. The Dalai Lama has some great ideas, too. Maybe check out the New Testament? I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I do know that it is important to ask the questions.

(For a much, much better exploration into this topic, check out Karen Dill's work: http://www.amazon.com/How-Fantasy-Becomes-Reality-Influence/dp/0195372085/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1)