Extensions of Remarks

September 27, 1977 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 31:279 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS TV, REAL-LIFE VIOLENCE LINKED examples: knocking a boy off his bike, break ambiguously to offer any firm assurance that ing a telephone in a booth, throwing bricks the mass media in general, and films and at a girl, kicking a boy hard in the crotch, television in particular, either exercise a so HON. NEWTON I. STEERS, JR. burning a boy's chest with a cigarette, at cially harmful effect or that they do not ... OF MARYLAND tempting rape and bashing a boy's head "The mass media are no different than against a wall. other forms of cultural expression, which, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Of Belson's group of 1,565, only 725 claimed though they reveal the state of a society or Tuesday, September 27, 1977 not to have committed a single serious vio civilization, cannot be said to determine its lent act. development." Mr. STEERS. Mr. Speaker, the bene To determine television's effect, Belson, a fits of a highly technical, consumer professor at North East London Polytechnic, oriented society are many, but the split his group in two. Those who spent the dangers accompanying such a system most time watching more-violent programs were "qualifi·ers"; those who watched less ROSE-HULMAN PRESIDENT SPEAKS should not be ignored. Television is one violent fare and less often were his "con OUT ABOUT BENEFITS OF FREE of these dangers. It is my belief that the trols." MARKET hours of commercially popular, violent His most dramatic finding is that the pro programs are distorting the picture that longed violence-watchers had engaged on American children get of the role of vio average in 7.48 acts of serious violence in the HON. JOHN T. MYERS lence in society. past six months. The "controls," however, had OF INDIANA committed an average o! 5.02 such acts. For that reason, I have cosponsored IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES House Resolution 345, introduced by my Skeptics might contend that this simply reflects an extraordinary amount of violence Tuesday, September 27, 1977 distinguished colleague from Illinois among London's youths. But Belson argues <Mr. RAILSBACK), which expresses that that it shows a serious difl'erence in behavior Mr. JOHN T. MYERS. Mr. Speaker, it is the sense of the House of Represen traceable to violence on television. Dr. Samuel F. Hulbert, president of the tatives that there exists a sufficient in Among the more violent shows Belson sin Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in dication of a relationship "between the gled out were several American series that Terre Haute, Ind., recently called atten level of violence depicted on television have drawn big audiences here; "Starsky and tion to the alarming degree of misunder and a distorted view of social reality held Hutch," "The Untouchables," "Hawaii Five- standing among today's college students 0" and "The Man From UNCLE." by heavy viewers of television to warrant The professor makes no distinction be about the basics of the economic system considerat:.on of such relationship by tween the crime-generating consequences of that propelled the United States into a those persons responsible for television a violent Western or classincal drama. position of world leadership. programing and broadcasting in the What about "Hamlet," he was asked, with Dr. Hulbert outlined Rose-Hulman's United States." its four killings and one suicide on stage, two philosophy in the following comment. I I think that the Congress should be executions a nd another suicide off stage? call it to the attention of my colleagues extremely cautious in approaching this "'Hamlet' would rate very high" on his and educators across the country with national problem. We must not impose violence scale, Belson said in an interview. "The fact that it's art makes no differences. the hope that his warning will spur restrictions on the constitutionally It's pretty violent." others to return to teaching the basics so guaranteed rights of expression, but this What of the argument that the violence that future generations will fully ap does not condone congressional inaction. prone watch violence more than others? Bel preciate the importance of a "free mar I urge my colleagues to examine this son conceded that "we do not have a method ket" to our way of life. problem. I am therefore inserting into for unambiguously resolving" this question. IT Is TIME SOMEONE IN EDUCATION SPOKE OUT the RECORD the following article that ap But he said that his full report, still un ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF THE FREE MARKET peared in the Washington Post on Sep published. attempts to deal with it. (By Dr. Samuel F. Hulbert) tember 13, 1977. His findings give a clean blll of health to violence in cartoons, science fiction, slap A number of recent surveys have shown CBS STUDY IN BRITAIN LINKS TV, REAL-LIFE stick comedy and sports-except for boxing that the American college students and VIOLENCE and wrestling. In fact, much youthful vio faculty members do not understand the (By Bernard D. Nossiter) lence here occurs every Saturday when rival meaning of basic economic terms like "free LONDON, Sept. 12-Does television violence soccer crowds assault each other and passers market," "mixed economic system" and "col breed violence? by. But this lies outside Belson's study. lectivistic system." Our educational system Emphatically yes, answers William Belson, He readily acknowledges that many other is creating an educated class capable o! who has just announced the central find factors besides television can induce vio building space ships or transplanting human ings of a six-year study here financed by the lence, including size of family, poverty and organs but which is basically composed of American tel·evision network, CBS. After pro environment. But he says he has succeeded economic illiterates. As a case in point, a longed interviews with 1,565 London boys, in isolating television as a contributing fac survey released by World Research INK in Belson concludes that those who watch tor and urges a "major cutback in the total June noted that only 16 % of American col screen violence for long periods commit 50 amount of violence being presented." lege students are consistently pro-free mar per cent more rape and other mayhem than Belson claims that television violence does ket. Another 28 % are consistently anti-free those whose viewing is limited. not affect conscious attitudes, that those who market: 67 % of American college students do Unproven, replies Stepehn Brody of the watch much and those who watch little dis not believe in a strictly limited government. British Home Office, who has coincidentally play the same attitudes toward authority More than 70 % of the students believe it is published a survey of all previous research and toward violence as a means to solve permissible for the government to force on the question. These studies suggest at problems. people to belong to a welfare security system. most, he argues, that the violent-prone may But he suggests that his results show that Only 30 % of the students think private enjoy and gain reinforcement from watch television "disinhibits," unconsciously re enterprise can do a better job than govern ing violence on the screen, but it is unlikely leasing constraints against violence. ment in allocating present energy supplies to affect the behavior of the ordinary viewer. This puts him squarely in contradiction and in finding new energy resources. Only The $290,000 study was done here rather with Aristotle's theory of catharsis: that ob 47 o-;, think that the private enterprise sys than in the United States because Belson and serving the portrayal of tragedy relieves ten tem can deliver gas and electric power more his London School of Economics survey team, sion and fear. efficiently than government, and 57 % o! the whom CBS wanted, preferred to do the work The study by Brody for the Home Office, students want to nationalize the Oil Com here. however, rediscovers the wisdom of the an panies. It has captured a great deal of attention cient Greeks. It notes that catharsis has There is a decided misconception of the here, largely because of its blunt conclusions. been out of fashion, but recently an "in level of profits made by American business. One of the most startling for a British creasing number of studies ... show some For example, 40 % of the students believe society that likes to regard itself as peaceful support for it." They suggest that films "can that the Oil Companies' profits are greater is the high level of violence among youths channel the expression of aggressive feelings than 20 % on each dollar of sales. The real aged 13 to 16. serving as a vehicle for the absorption figure is about 5 % . Again, I say American Nearly one in eight of those questioned, 12 and harmless amelioration of fears, anxieties colleges are training a group of economic per cent, told Belson's interviewers that they and hostilities." illiterates. had committed 10 or more serious acts of "It can be stated quite simple," he writes, The faculty and staff at Rose-Hulman In violence in the previous six months. Some "that social research has not been able un- stitute of Technology are committed to mak- CXXIII--1968-Part 24 31280 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS September 27, 1977 ing sure that our students understand the cultural community throughout the BALANCE(S) OF POWER: PART VI free market system and the dangers of gov country. And as the hard work and ernment that is not strictly limited in power (VII) THE NAVAL BALANCE: THE and the loss of incentive that accompanies planning became reality, Bill would step ROLE OF THE MODERN SOVIET a collective system.

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