Prose Reader
Prose Reader “We Are Training Our Kids to Kill”
Understanding Details
1. According to Grossman, the “virus of violence” is referring to the increase of murder, attempted murder, and assault rates in not only America but many places around the world. Although the population has been increasing, both the assault and murder rate are significantly high. Grossman quotes, “Today, both our assault rate and murder rate are at phenomenally high levels. Both are increasing worldwide” (Paragraph 6) Then he continues giving examples of the rising assault and murder rates in different parts of the world. For example,” In Canada, according to their Center for Justice, per capita assaults increased almost fivefold between 1964 and 2002, attempted murder increased nearly sevenfold, and murders doubled.” (Paragraph 6) Many factors could be accounted for while searching for the virus of violence. But Grossman stresses, “And though we should never downplay child abuse, poverty, or racism, there is only one new variable present in each of these countries that bears the exact same fruit: media violence presented as entertainment for children.” (Paragraph 7) Here is he pointing out the main influence to the virus of violence: our kids believe the violence that they watch in the media, whether it is television or the internet, to be a laughing matter. As a result, the “virus of violence” is the damaging influence that violence has on the people around the world.
2. As evidence of the author uses to argue that ‘killing is unnatural” Grossman starts off saying, “Within the midbrain, there is a powerful, God-given resistance to killing your own kind.” (Paragraph 12) He states that every species, with a few exceptions, has a hardwired resistance to killing its own kind. Also, when humans are overwhelmed with anger and fear we slam on the midbrain resistance that prevents us from killing one of our own. Since sociopaths don’t carry this resistance, they are likely to kill people
Understanding Details
1. According to Grossman, the “virus of violence” is referring to the increase of murder, attempted murder, and assault rates in not only America but many places around the world. Although the population has been increasing, both the assault and murder rate are significantly high. Grossman quotes, “Today, both our assault rate and murder rate are at phenomenally high levels. Both are increasing worldwide” (Paragraph 6) Then he continues giving examples of the rising assault and murder rates in different parts of the world. For example,” In Canada, according to their Center for Justice, per capita assaults increased almost fivefold between 1964 and 2002, attempted murder increased nearly sevenfold, and murders doubled.” (Paragraph 6) Many factors could be accounted for while searching for the virus of violence. But Grossman stresses, “And though we should never downplay child abuse, poverty, or racism, there is only one new variable present in each of these countries that bears the exact same fruit: media violence presented as entertainment for children.” (Paragraph 7) Here is he pointing out the main influence to the virus of violence: our kids believe the violence that they watch in the media, whether it is television or the internet, to be a laughing matter. As a result, the “virus of violence” is the damaging influence that violence has on the people around the world.
2. As evidence of the author uses to argue that ‘killing is unnatural” Grossman starts off saying, “Within the midbrain, there is a powerful, God-given resistance to killing your own kind.” (Paragraph 12) He states that every species, with a few exceptions, has a hardwired resistance to killing its own kind. Also, when humans are overwhelmed with anger and fear we slam on the midbrain resistance that prevents us from killing one of our own. Since sociopaths don’t carry this resistance, they are likely to kill people