Youth Violence in Japan

[grendelsage]

I read recently read this article about the rise of violence in among Japanese school children, and it took me by surprise. Maybe I am not as jaded as I wish to be, but I was shocked by the nonchalant brutality. I haven't been in grade school for quite sometime, but was (or is) it ever that bad in American schools?

The article does mention two anime titles, Battle Royale and Gunslinger Girl. I don't think the article was trying to show a direct causal relationship between anime violence and real life violence, but the author does draw a passing relation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5642715/

[ladysilverice]

Well, there was the Columbine incident. Most Americans know that story. I myself knew someone who used to be friends with the two shooters, but he stopped talking to them about a year before the actual killings. The media and alot of parents blamed violent movies of the time and the rock culture. So I'm sure it would be normal for the Japanese media to blame some of the more violent anime.

[gubi-gubi]

Even Miyazaki said that the effects of the media are starting to show in Japan... The problem of 'shut ins' mentioned in the article are weird... I read somewhere else a while ago that all they do is lock themselves in their room and watch anime and play video games... One teenager even locked a 4 year old girl in his room for two weeks without anyone knowing and fed her noodles and what ever he found in the fridge...

[Mantis421]

I graduated in 1994 from a rather large city school in WA state violence has been there for a long time it is only in recent years that it has gotten worse. I even remember the security in my high school were alowed to carry fire arms that shot the rubber bullets and they carried handcuffs

____________________________________________
I said I was a preacher, I never said I was a good one though
D. Wolfwood

[ArkaidR]

It's this kind of crap that makes anime, gaphic movies, and video games look bad. Some retard goes out and kills somebody; when they investigate ther see that they played video games or watched anime, so they blame it on them be cause the anime or games has violence. First of the girl was like 11, why they hell do you think they come out with rating system. She has no buisness watching Battle Royale. It's friggin banned in the US. How about we make a rule: Killing people is bad. When it says 16 and up that means that if your younger than you might be falling under a different impression than your suppose to know. But, then again what the hell do I know.

[gubi-gubi]

Yeh there's a case in the UK which is blaming the manhunt video game for a kid who got his head cut off I think... Thing with the ratings is the parents dont have contact with the kids in Japan so they cant monitor what they are playing/watching... Guess thats why the have the 'hug your kids stuff'...

[ladysilverice]

No, I agree with you ArkaidR. Although at times it's difficult for parents to monitor what their kids are doing.

[Mantis421]

My strong personal opinion on this is most parents don't want to take responsibility for the fact they might be at least some to blame so they always say it was the music, its their friends, ect. Nothing bets good parenting when it is getting done right

__________________________
I said I was a preacher, I never said I was a good one.
D. Wolfwood

[ladysilverice]

That's very true and I agree. My point was simply that, despite how hard a parent may try, if the desire is there for them to do or watch something they shouldn't, then unless they're in the parent's face when they do it, the parent isn't always going to catch them. Personally, I'm disgusted with how much parents let their kids get away with these days.

[Mantis421]

Well if it is the wife or the husband their is almost no such thing as the stay at home parent anymore. I would say find an interest the child has an enroll them for times if posible when you have to work so they are supervised as much as posible

__________________________________
I said I was a preacher, I never said I was a good one though
D. Wolfwood

[gubi-gubi]

Its allways the parents if you ask me. Unless the child has some mental disorder... The parent child relationships in the west arnt the same as they are in Japan though...

[Andromeda18_]

I've been reading a lot about youth violence in Japan as well. And it seems teachers are also victims of that violence.
In my opinion it's the parents' fault. Parents take no responsability for their children's actions, they always blame someone else. The truth is that parents nowadays work a lot and don't have time to spend with their children, to guide them and teach them right from wrong. I have an aunt who's a surgeon and she works a lot, she's never home and when she is she's so tired she doesn't have patience to put up with my 15 year old cousin. Instead of talking to her and being a good mother she just fills my cousin's pockets with money. No wonder the girl gets in trouble!

[ladysilverice]

Jeez, that's no way to bring up a daughter... I was always angry at my parents for "poking their noses in my business," but that was their job. I'm thankful for it now, because I'm happy with how my life has turned out. My parents played an active role with me, my Dad wasn't around as much, but my Mom gave up earning more money to stay at home with my older brother and I. If she hadn't done that, I think he would have ended up in jail by now because of the personality type he had. Now he's a very successful 2LT in the Army Medservices Division. His team will be the prototype in Iraq come March as the first Medical Strike Team.

[grendelsage]

Originally posted by Mantis421
My strong personal opinion on this is most parents don't want to take responsibility for the fact they might be at least some to blame so they always say it was the music, its their friends, ect. Nothing bets good parenting when it is getting done right

__________________________
I said I was a preacher, I never said I was a good one.
D. Wolfwood

I agree wholeheartedly with you. The presence of a good parental figure in a child's life can never be measured. I know I would be in a much worse place if my parents were not there for me. Parents should take a more active role in their child's life. Why an 11 year old is watching Battle Royale is beyond me? I do not have any kids of my own as of yet, but I cannot imagine letting my children get away with the things I see kids get away with today.

As I mentioned before, I don't think the author was trying to show a direct link between anime and violence, but I do feel that even mentioning the anime was unnecessary. Entertainment isn't the cause of violence. The actual cause is far more pervasive.

[grendelsage]

Originally posted by Mantis421
My strong personal opinion on this is most parents don't want to take responsibility for the fact they might be at least some to blame so they always say it was the music, its their friends, ect. Nothing bets good parenting when it is getting done right

__________________________
I said I was a preacher, I never said I was a good one.
D. Wolfwood

I agree wholeheartedly with you. The presence of a good parental figure in a child's life can never be measured. I know I would be in a much worse place if my parents were not there for me. Parents should take a more active role in their child's life. Why an 11 year old is watching Battle Royale is beyond me? I do not have any kids of my own as of yet, but I cannot imagine letting my children get away with the things I see kids get away with today.

As I mentioned before, I don't think the author was trying to show a direct link between anime and violence, but I do feel that even mentioning the anime was unnecessary. Entertainment isn't the cause of violence. The actual cause is far more pervasive.