Is there too much violence in the media? And is there too much blood and gore depicted on the evening news? Is there too much violence in society? And is it affecting children? In a country where the murder rate is among the top 5 in the world, and in a city with possibly the second or third highest murder rate in the world, behind only Juarez, Mexico and San Pedro Sula, those are relevant questions.
So with all this violence, is the media reflecting or directing it? Indeed, that is a question which we grapple with very regularly – and that's what a visiting Jamaican sociologist, Dr. Leith Dunn is discussing in a series of lectures and presentations in Belize. Today she had a meeting with the media – a meeting, which we should note was poorly attended. She said portrayals of violence do affect children:
Dr Leith Dunn - Sociologist/Senior Lecturer/Head of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies UWI
"We're saying that it's not that you should have censorship, but you need to avoid sensationalism. And what we have observed online and in the print is that you have images and texts for the least common denominator, the gore, the blood, and all of that, which violates basic rights, and basic principles of international standards of journalism. It says that we need to dialogue with our media owners, and our advertisers. We need to do a lot of research, and not assume that this is what the audience wants. We need to think about the impact of this on our children, the wider society and the economy."
Jules Vasquez
"How does exposure to to toxic levels of violence, both in the media and in real life, affect or stunt the mental development of children?"
Dr. Leith Dunn
"One of the big problems is that it increases the tolerance of violence. They don't know that this is wrong. They assume that this is normal, and this is not normal. It damages their brains; it damages their emotions, and the research shows us, right. They are fearful of their lives. They don't expect to live long, and that is a tragedy."
Jules Vasquez
"The fact is that children and young people are served a buffet of violence. They're served it in Jamaican music, video games, and North American Rock music."
Dr. Leith Dunn
"We need to regulate what our children are listening to, what they are watching, and the kind of video games. It speaks about parenting. It speaks about going back to values that we're saying that in our churches, and in our communities. We need as a village to protect children, and not allow them to become violent individuals. How we treat them, even flogging, sometimes we have parents who abuse their children. What you are saying is that it's okay to use violence to solve disputes. So, it is not co-incidental that when they go to school, or when they interact with their siblings, something that could be a simple difference of opinion ends up in a stabbing and a death."
Jules Vasquez
"The issue is parenting. So-"
Dr. Leith Dunn
"It's partly parenting, but it is a collective responsiblity. The regulators who say what is aired, how it is aired, what are the licenses that are given, and ensuring that those are monitored, they are part of the solution."
Jules Vasquez
"But with the internet, there are no gatekeepers any more-"
Dr. Leith Dunn
"But yes, you might not be able to control the internet to that extent, but what you can control, you must."
And starting in a few minutes at the Bliss center, Dr. Dunn will present a lecture on the media's portrayal of violence and its impact on the society. It is open to the public.
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