Product Description

There is perhaps no bigger or more important issue in America at present than youth violence. Jonesboro; Paducah; Pearl, Mississippi; Stamps, Arkansas; Conyers, Georgia; and, of course, Littleton, Colorado. We know them all too well, and for all the wrong reasons: kids, some as young as eleven years old, taking up arms and, with deadly, frightening accuracy, murdering anyone in their paths. What is going on? According to the authors of Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill, there is blame to be laid right at the feet of the makers of violent video games (called "murder trainers" by one expert), the TV networks, and the Hollywood movie studios--the people responsible for the fact that children witness literally thousands of violent images a day.

Authors Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and Gloria DeGaetano offer incontrovertible evidence, much of it based on recent major scientific studies and empirical research, that movies, TV, and video games are not just conditioning children to be violent--and unaware of the consequences of that violence--but are teaching the very mechanics of killing. Their book is a much-needed call to action for every parent, teacher, and citizen to help our children and stop the wave of killing and violence gripping America's youth. And, most important, it is a blueprint for us all on how that can be achieved.

In Paducah, Kentucky, Michael Carneal, a fourteen-year-old boy who stole a gun from a neighbor's house, brought it to school and fired eight shots at a student prayer group as they were breaking up. Prior to this event, he had never shot a real gun before. Of the eight shots he fired, he had eight hits on eight different kids. Five were head shots, the other three upper torso. The result was three dead, one paralyzed for life. The FBI says that the average, experienced, qualified law enforcement officer, in the average shootout, at an average range of seven yards, hits with less than one bullet in five. How does a child acquire such killing ability? What would lead him to go out and commit such a horrific act?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24790 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-05
• Released on: 1999-10-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Review
The goal of this book is to make people aware of what the prolific use of violence in television, movies, and video games is doing to our children. Teaching Our Kids to Kill calls to the table the makers of this violence to address the myriad scientific research on the subject--research that couldn't make it clearer how solid and deadly the link is between this kind of graphic imagery and the escalating incidences of youth violence--and understand and change what they are doing and the dangerous effects their products are having on our children.
Using this book, parents, educators, social service workers, youth advocates, and anyone interested in the welfare of our children will have a solid foundation for effective action. We give you the facts--what's behind the statistics, how to interpret the copious, empirical research that exists on the subject, and the many ways to make a difference in your own home, at school, in your community, in the courts, and in the larger world--so that we all can work together to help end this problem and create a safer environment in which to live. If by doing this we can prevent future Paducahs, Jonesboros, and Littletons, it will be well worth it.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
Gloria DeGaetano -- Review

Review
The goal of this book is to make people aware of what the prolific use of violence in television, movies, and video games is doing to our children. Teaching Our Kids to Kill calls to the table the makers of this violence to address the myriad scientific research on the subject--research that couldn't make it clearer how solid and deadly the link is between this kind of graphic imagery and the escalating incidences of youth violence--and understand and change what they are doing and the dangerous effects their products are having on our children.
Using this book, parents, educators, social service workers, youth advocates, and anyone interested in the welfare of our children will have a solid foundation for effective action. We give you the facts--what's behind the statistics, how to interpret the copious, empirical research that exists on the subject, and the many ways to make a difference in your own home, at school, in your community, in the courts, and in the larger world--so that we all can work together to help end this problem and create a safer environment in which to live. If by doing this we can prevent future Paducahs, Jonesboros, and Littletons, it will be well worth it.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
Gloria DeGaetano

From the Inside Flap
There is perhaps no bigger or more important issue in America at present than youth violence. Jonesboro; Paducah; Pearl, Mississippi; Stamps, Arkansas; Conyers, Georgia; and, of course, Littleton, Colorado. We know them all too well, and for all the wrong reasons: kids, some as young as eleven years old, taking up arms and, with deadly, frightening accuracy, murdering anyone in their paths. What is going on? According to the authors of Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill, there is blame to be laid right at the feet of the makers of violent video games (called "murder trainers" by one expert), the TV networks, and the Hollywood movie studios--the people responsible for the fact that children witness literally thousands of violent images a day.

Authors Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and Gloria DeGaetano offer incontrovertible evidence, much of it based on recent major scientific studies and empirical research, that movies, TV, and video games are not just conditioning children to be violent--and unaware of the consequences of that violence--but are teaching the very mechanics of killing. Their book is a much-needed call to action for every parent, teacher, and citizen to help our children and stop the wave of killing and violence gripping America's youth. And, most important, it is a blueprint for us all on how that can be achieved.

In Paducah, Kentucky, Michael Carneal, a fourteen-year-old boy who stole a gun from a neighbor's house, brought it to school and fired eight shots at a student prayer group as they were breaking up. Prior to this event, he had never shot a real gun before. Of the eight shots he fired, he had eight hits on eight different kids. Five were head shots, the other three upper torso. The result was three dead, one paralyzed for life. The FBI says that the average, experienced, qualified law enforcement officer, in the average shootout, at an average range of seven yards, hits with less than one bullet in five. How does a child acquire such killing ability? What would lead him to go out and commit such a horrific act?

Customer Reviews

"I watched all those shows and I'm not VIOLENT" rethought . . .
"I watched all those shows and I'm not VIOLENT" is often the retort. A sandwich is mine. Violent behavior results from a stacking effect per endless studies. Whoever is saying "they are not violent" probably didn't have an additional ingredient of home violence and neighborhood violence or an aggressive goading friend,or violent big brother reverence or later, constant road rage or was really unjustly fired or cheated on in their personal lives. Out comes are a result of the stacking of ingredients. We do not know what futures hold for kids so why stack on another heavy ingredient to clog the veins just hoping.

The new plague that has swept America.
I've often found it fascinating whenever the media is blamed for the violence that happens in the world. This is yet another pretentious, self-righteous individual who offers the media as the problem. The finger-pointing concept is one that is oh so tedious and moronic. No one is responsible for their own actions anymore. This kid killed himself, oh he was listening to heavy metal. This kid killed another kid, oh he was playing violent video games, let's go sue them. There is always a scapegoat. The very thought that the media is this powerful entity that controls the minds of millions of people is absurdly childish and idiotic. I find it extremely hard to take people who like that seriously.

As children, we are taught to take responsibility for our choices. Somewhere along the line, this excellent, reasonable concept got lost and forgotten. And oh how pathetic it is when we can't live up to those ideals, not to mention when the people that teach this to us can't live up to it. It's sad, really.

Movies, music, and video games are made for entertainment. Did you read that? Here, I'll re-type that. Movies, music, and video games are made for ENTERTAINMENT. They are not designed to teach people how to kill, like the author of this ridiculous book insists. I have seen lots of violent films, and I listen to a lot of music that deals with dark themes such as depression, death, loss of loved ones, tragedies, etc. I have yet to be warped by any of it. Whoah, trippy isn't it? I stand in awe and bewilderment in the presence of the idiots who are too stupid to look for a problem beyond the media.

To say that the media is the cause of violence says much more than it seems. It means that people expect every aspect of TV, music, and video games to be educational and "happy." My point is that if you expect these 3 things to be teachers, well... no comment. The responsibility lies with the parents or guardians. If you expect something like TV babysit your kid, you need your head examined. It will most likely fail, but that is YOUR fault, because you choose to do something that TV in no way could control. It's something that you just can't expect. I'm not even thinking that deep here. It's basic logic.

If we continue to go down this road of "Poor me I am the victim of my own environment", then we had better buckle up for a bumpy ride. It would be nice if everyone could just wake up and realize that we control our own actions. That is the simple, logical, and basic truth. It is something that we used to know, but is now forgotten. Eventually, the media will be blamed for every bad thing that happens in the world, and we will never have to feel bad for or do anything ever again.

*Raises flame shield*

Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill
This book hits upon a topic that has become severe in this country; youth violence. It discusses many avenues that contribute to our youth using violence against each other. It brings to light numerous strategies that parents, teachers, and other adult agencies can use to decrease, if not completely vanish, the violence seen in our youth. Fantastically written, this book is a must read for anyone who has kids, deals with kids, or is just a member of our society.