A couple of weeks ago, we went downtown to see the Chinese New Year parade. It was great fun, especially since this year it was not sleeting. After the parade, we picked up some steamed buns, ate some chocolate lucky money, and perused some of the stores. I got my daughter a backpack for kindergarten this fall. It’s covered with anime nature characters and little smiley faces. As we took the bus home we examined the backpack and discovered that one of the little smiling cartoon characters was carrying a gun. Discussion ensued, and we decided that taking a picture of a gun to school would not be appropriate. We’re going to cover it up with fabric transfers instead. Now, I realize that guns don’t have to mean violence, but this little cactus-covered cartoon character looks like she means business.
I like to think that I have limited my daughter’s exposure to violence in the media. She watches television that has no advertising and that is very, very innocuous and child-oriented. While Arthur may face bullies sometimes, he rarely faces blow-by-blow schoolyard violence. And Charlie and Lola and Sid the Science Kid don’t really rough others up either. However, I realize that my daughter’s greatest exposure to media violence is actually through me. We love Hayao Miyazaki’s anime-style movies and we watch them with our daughter. She loves them too.
Miyazaki’s movies are cartoons, but they are certainly not entirely for children. They focus on power struggles between good and evil, they have nature themes, and in general they are stunning movies. In these stunning movies, people hurt others. What makes them all right for my child?
Unlike some movies, the violence is in context and has an explanation. We can discuss the fact that people are hurting others, why people might hurt others, and what actions might also be appropriate in that situation. Also, the violence is not graphic and real. There are explosions and guns and anger, but there are no realistic-looking people, and they don’t tend to die or bleed on screen.
For the record, I grew up watching He Man and Transformers, both rather violent shows. and I was a self-declared pacifist by the seventh grade.
Would you let your preschooler watch violent television?