Violence is everywhere: 33 Die Monday at Virginia Tech; 183 Die Wednesday in Baghdad. Though the numbers are numbing, we can't permit ourselves to become numb. To anyone who watches television news, seeing the immediate and lingering consequences of these events is almost unavoidable, maybe even necessary. I don't shirk from that, from being informed. But with so much violence in the real world, I'm less willing to subject myself to it on a voluntary basis.
Television and cinema present sanitized violence in the guise of crime-fighting, war-winning, and WrestleMania. Sanitation of violence means that my favorite heroes can be shot or "knocked out" multiple times to minimal effect. They'll be back next week, same time, same station. Even soap operas, the guilty pleasure, abound with personal coercion, assault and character assassination, especially directed at women. The sheer volume is staggering. Ten years ago violence on TV, especially regarding its impact on children, was a cause célèbre. Most of us recall this statistic: By the time they graduate from high school, children born today will see over 200,000 violent acts on television.
Well, I'm not a child. I'm a 60 year old man who wants to see as little violence as possible before I graduate from this planet. I can only do that by watching less television. I'll miss my favorites. I'll wonder if Grissom ever solved the miniature murders. I'll wonder if Clark ever tells Lana about his superpowers. I'll wonder if Jack can find and disable the last dirty bomb before his allotted 24 hours expires. Not knowing won't be easy given my investment in these story lines, but there's no right time to cut the cord.
I'm announcing this publicly to strengthen my resolve. Whether I succeed or fail or something in between, I promise to give you a progress report three months from today, Thursday, July 19. Sigh, Thursday . . . C.S.I. and Smallville night. I've marked my calendar; more on this then.
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