Craig Hill
KC Hill
Paladin
Oracle of DelphiWrestling Makes You Violent
August 16th 2006 04:06
Mexican Wrestling Masks, photgraph by Ardelfin from www.morguefile.com
Wrestling is one of my favourite spectator sports. And I don’t mean that boring Greco-Roman stuff. I mean the Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Stone Cold Steve Austin, kissing your muscles and bad mouthing the opponent stuff. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching it with my dad. Or maybe it’s just the ridiculous outfits, the random chucking around of chairs and the beating up of umpires. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s just something about Wrestle Mania and RAW that draws me in and keep me there for hours and hours.
I remember how my dad always flicked the channel when things started getting too rough for my little eyes or when women with massive breast implants in nothing more than a bikini top and g-string came out to…I don’t know, what is it that they do?? I never understood why my dad conveniently asked me to make him a cup of tea at the time, or why he would sometimes even turn off the tele. But now that I’m older, it all makes sense…
There is always so much discussion about whether or not violence on television, in music and in video games is affecting the minds of our children. The discussion reached it’s peak when the unbelievably tragic case of little Jamie Bulger made headlines throughout the world. For those who might not remember, two young boys kidnapped and murdered a 2 year old child by tying him to some train tracks and leaving him there to be run over. Authorities found the boys had copied a scene from a violent movie to carry out the killing.
Now, there is a study that proves violence in the media does in fact influence the behaviour of our younger ones.
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina recently studied over 2000 random school students. The study shows that high school boys and girls who regularly watch ‘wrestling’ programs are more likely to act violently towards their partners and/or carry weapons. In fact, the study showed that girls are even MORE likely than boys to engage in such behaviour - Boys who watch wrestling programs 6 or more times over the space of 2 weeks are 77% more likely to engage in violent behaviour than those who don’t watch it at all. Whereas girls are 170% more likely to do so!
Co-author of the study, Dr Robert DuRant says that parents may not be affected by the viewing and so allow their children to watch. But the fact is that even “high school students are in a very rapid developmental process.” They are affected by the images portrayed to them – violence, offensive language, and women as sexual, inferiour objects.
Although the study was confined to the watching of wrestling programs, I think we can take it one step further and say that exposing children to ANY sort of violence in the media will clearly influence their actions and behaviour.
Afterall, you and I both learnt how to walk and talk because we SAW and HEARD those around us doing it, right?
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Comment by The Pianist
A Wrestling fan? How anyone can be drawn into watching a "sport" that features men who probably spend as much money on vasaline as they do on petrol and women who's bodies are over 60% "enhanced" is beyond me.
The study's results I don't have a problem with and maybe it will lead to bigger and brighter things, but labelling prime time ballet shows like WWE Slammiversary, TNA Raw or any other that features competitors with an IQ less than that of an average house fly as violent? For my daily fix of bloodshed I'll stick with the xbox.
Comment by Legally Brunette
My Wedding
Having said that, I have convinced a few people to watch it with me in the past and they are hooked now. I think it ALL depends on whether I'm around when you're watching it Pianist. Trust me, I get so involved you'll be laughing your head off...
Comment by The Pianist