it's grim but never dubious...

Since when is The Matrix a negative influence on children? I had no idea... This is even more ridiculous than the whole blame-Columbine-on-Marilyn-Manson fiasco. I suppose everyone needs a scapegoat. People are just afraid to admit that our society is one in which things like this happen not so much because of the influences in the media, but because of the everyday interactions (or lack thereof) that one has with people. The problem lies with the family and the community, not with the silly media.

People retort that the media is espousing certain negative values to the youth culture, and that kids are simply acting out accordingly. Well it's certainly true that television isn't the best place to look for values. But even so, the media is still not the problem. The problem again lies with the lack of moral guidance in the everyday lives of these kids. For most of these kids (and indeed, a growing number of kids in general), the family unit is either no longer in place (due to divorce, etc.), or has been rendered farcical by the lack of attention afforded them by their parents.

Kids are nothing if not hungry for something to believe in. Because of this enthusiasm to snap up whatever values come their way, it is necessary for them to be able to come home at the end of the day and see that the most important values of all are the ones that remain close and constant. It is only this sense of structure and foundation that will save them from themselves. And us, too.