Media and Violence

* Thank you, Karen Sternheimer, for “Blaming Television and Movies Is Easy and Wrong” (Opinion, Feb. 4). Comparatively, and certainly in this country, our time is one of the safest ever. At least violence is not sanctioned for the masses by dictators, royalty and the church. Can we do better? Of course. The media consistently fail to put reports of violence and crime into perspective. We used to underreport crime and now overreport even the most trivial crimes. As for movies and TV, just because they are there doesn’t mean you have to watch them. Find other things to do with your children that are of value. Read a book. Go to museums. Go to the park. Go to the library. Hike.

Politicians who are using this as an excuse to censor what we do, see, listen to and read are not only shallow thinkers but dangerous to our society in ways we can’t even begin to imagine.

JUDITH GREGG PETERS

Monrovia

* If watching television does not affect behavior, then why would anyone spend $2.3 million for a 30-second commercial?

JANET ENSLEY

Long Beach