Laughing at Pain

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Recommended: Problem of violence in media

One of my favorite shows growing up was Tom and Jerry. Every time Tom got hit by a pan or crushed by bowling ball or burned on a stove I couldn’t help but laugh, never thinking about the violence behind Jerry’s actions. Shows like Tom and Jerry emphasize humor, one of America’s most valued virtues, but also expose children to aggression at a young age. This slapstick comedy has long been a part of children’s entertainment and society in general. Popular culture exposes children to humorous violence that desensitizes children and increases bullying and aggression.
Popular TV shows and movies consistently contain violent humor that desensitizes children to violence. Tom and Jerry is a perfect example of this violent form of children’s humor. In the cartoon, Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse constantly chase and assault each other while drawing laughs from the audience. In one episode, after Tom attempts to murder Jerry with a stick of dynamite, Jerry retaliates by plugging Tom’s tail into an electrical socket and electrocuting him. By combining violence and humor, this show leads children to connect violence, a destructive behavior, with humor. This connection “can desensitize [children] or lead them to believe that violence is more prevalent — and acceptable — in real life than it really is” (Associated Press). This violent humor is also evident in movies. In the film Home Alone, a boy uses everything from paint cans to BB guns to defend his home from two burglars. In one scene, the boy drops bricks on the burglars from the roof of a building while the audience laughs (Home Alone). This movie encourages children to laugh at the pain of others and even shows children that violence can be comedic. In fact, immediately after viewing a violent m...

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...ated Press. "Study: Children's TV Studded with Dark, Violent Acts." USA Today. N.p., 2 Mar. 2006. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. .
Bushman, Brad J., and Craig A. Anderson. "Comfortably Numb." Psychological Science. U of Michigan, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. .
Layton, Julia. "Do Violent Video Games Lead to Real Violence?" Video Game Development. Iowa State University, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. .
Murphy, Alexa Gordon. Dealing with Bullying. N.p.: Infobase, 2009. Print.
Sommerfield, Julia. "Seattle Study of Kids Links Bullying to TV." The Seattle Times. Seattle Times Company, 5 Apr. 2005. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. .

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