Gerard Jones's Violent Media Is Good For Kids

Violent media, no matter the form, is largely viewed in a negative light among the general population, especially among parents and the political class. Politicians, showing their contempt for violent content, have conducted congressional hearings on violent video games and their supposed negative effects on America’s youth (Kohler, Chris). Going beyond theatrics, they have also proposed making the selling of ‘M’ rated games to minors a criminal offense; however, this proposal would later be struck down by the Supreme Court as being in violation of the First Amendment (Biskupic, Joan, and Mike Snider). Simply put, these actions show that politicians view violent media as serving no legitimate function, especially for children. Gerard Jones, a comic book writer and author of the essay, “Violent Media Is Good for Kids,” disavows such a belief and states that violent media can serve as a necessary emotional outlet for children to express common, but nonetheless suppressed emotions such as rage, fear, and loneliness (Jones, Gerard). In his essay, the author is mostly effective in arguing his claim because of the relatable, clear examples that he provides; however, what makes the essay less persuasive than it would be otherwise is the lack of credible scientific evidence.
In order to demonstrate that violent media does not always psychologically harm children,

It, instead, can serve as an effective emotional outlet. This is the author’s position, and he competently argues for it in his essay. On the positive side, he gives examples that clearly illustrate how violent media can play a positive role in the emotional development of children, but on the negative side, he provides weak empirical/scientific evidence to support his thesis. The essay would have been more affective if he left out the study, and instead used outside sources to support his