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<title> What can be done to reduce violent behavior? </title>
The amount of violence in society has increased in the US, as well as in Sweden. Is there a connection between what we watch on television and how we behave? According to many psychologists, there is a connection between if one has seen models with aggressive behavior, and acted aggression. This does not mean that if one sees a violent movie, one automatically becomes aggressive. According to Bandura one has to go through four steps first: "They must attend to the aggressive action, remember the information, enact what they have seen, and expect that rewards will be forthcoming." I will not go into the steps any further; the principle is that not all people are affected of what they observe. However, there has been found a clear connection between aggressive behavior, after watching an aggressive model, in the circumstances mention above. This is not the only explanation of the escalation of violent behavior, though, and probably not the most important one.
If one compares the US and Sweden for example, there is similarities with the amount of violence people watch, but there is much more acted violence in the US. One reason for this difference may be the accessibility of weapons in the US. Not all violence includes weapons, though, so there must be even more explanations to the difference. If one looks at the groups in Sweden, which have the most violent and criminal behavior, there is an overrepresentation of young, males, from poor circumstances; often immigrants. They feel that they are not fully integrated in the society. These boys usually have bad grades from school and they know that there is not much of a chance of them making a career; in the conventional way. This may be an important similarity between the people in the US, and in Sweden, who have a violent, and often a criminal behavior. They feel powerless, in a society where they never really have a fair chance. To start with, we must create a society where all people have a fair chance, and where people get the support they need. Even people who hates paying tax may notice it can be money well used, even for them. 
	Even if one, hopefully, deals with the main cause of violent behavior; i.e. the segregation in the society, there are still more factors to deal with. There is a myth that we are not affected of what we see on television. As mentioned above, there is, under certain circumstances, a clear connection with what we see, and how we behave. Children are often at home without their parents. Research has shown that many youths watch a lot of violent movies, and also advanced pornographic films. The climate at some schools, in Sweden today, is very hard. The language mirrors this phenomena. Teenagers have a difficult period in life; they have to cut loose from the parents, and their friends play an important role in this phase in life. It is common with group pressure; teenagers usually conform to what they think is the prevailing ideal. I think many of their parents would be shocked and upset if they knew what their children are watching, how they talk and behave, and what they are going through. Parents, who hopefully know what is, and what is not, a good influence on their children, have little possibility to regulate what the children should watch on television, today. This does not only apply to violence, but also to pornography. 
There is almost unanimity, in most western countries, in the fear of censorship. The Freedom of Speech is the most "holy cow" we have. I do agree with that, what I suppose was its original meaning, it is the most important pillar in a democratic society: the right to freely express any political, religious, or any other views, as long as it does not hurt other people. Today, however, many people are getting hurt; by the influence of violence, and as a consequence; the rawness in our society. The opponents of censorship make parents impotent to control the influence on their own children. I think the V chip was an excellent proposal. I do not find any good arguments against it, and I hope it will come to Sweden as well. Not that I think the violence on films is the main reason to a violent society, but I think that, that too, affect people, and especially children and teenagers.
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