The Elephant in the Room
Why isn’t anyone talking about it?
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President Richard Nixon signed a bill on April 1, 1970, banning cigarette ads on TV and radio. Thank you Tricky Dickie. When I was having children during the 1970s there were tons of commercials promoting baby formula and baby bottles. I attribute those commercials to making a decision not to breastfeed my babies. I was 19 when I had my first child and had no mentor to guide me.
My male obstetrician asked me if I was going to breastfeed. When I told him no, he said he thought I had made the right decision. It was more trouble than it was worth. I wonder how many pregnancies he had.
This article is not about cigarettes, breastfeeding, or liquor. This article is about violence in the media and guns.If you watch any old movies from the 30s and 40s and beyond, you’ll notice the actors puffing and drinking their way through scene after scene. Liquor ads were banned from TV for 50 years during the 20th century. However, I digress.
My favorite kind of movie is a drama that makes viewers think and pay attention. You won’t see car chases, shoot-outs, or blood and gore. I often complain to a friend about the violence in movies. I ended my subscription to Netflix because most of the movies are violent. My friend always comments that they’re made for young males because that viewing audience is where the most money is made.
Therein lies the problem with the U.S. today.
Do you wonder why we live in such a violent society? Do you wonder why young boys are shooting up schools, grocery stores, and shopping malls?
If a commercial can influence you to buy a cleaning product or toothpaste, don’t you think violent movies and video games can influence young minds to solve problems by picking up a gun and comitting mass murder?
There is no reason U.S. citizens need military weapons. A quick fix would be to make it illegal to own them. Keep your gun for protection at home, but you don’t need an AK-47 or an AR-15.
America’s obsession with guns is a symptom of a much bigger problem. Nobody is talking about the elephant in the room which is our broken society. We are no longer the United States.
A house divided against itself cannot stand. Abraham Lincoln
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