[Professor S]

Agree. The world is far less violent and cruel than it has been historically. Man is a violent being, and because we have no superior being to concentrate that violence against, we turn it back to ourselves. Its our own survival instinct come home to roost, but you could also argue that it is that instinct that helped make us the dominant species on the planet.

Does television inspire violence? Maybe. Increase it? Hardly. Some of the most violent cultures in the world have the least amount of entertainment outlets. Hell, most primitive cultures viewed war as a part of everyday life. Mid-West Native American tribes had seasonal conflicts with one another, kind of like a really f***ed up football season.

Then again, TV has only been influencing our actions for 3 generations or so, lets give it time... it can catch up to our violent nature if it tries real hard.