Violence on television has been the subject of debate for decades in the United States. It seems as though everyone has an opinion on the topic. Many observers argue that there is an excessive amount of bloodshed on television. In fact, a 1999 national poll by the Pew Research Center found that 70 percent of Americans believe that entertainment programs contain too much violence. Others criticize certain types of portrayals that seem overly graphic or gratuitous. Still others defend the use of violence in the media by pointing to movies such as Schindler's List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), both of which contain a great deal of physical aggression but have educational value.

Spending an evening with the television remote control can fuel this debate. After the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, Josh Getlin (1999, p. A17), a reporter for the Los Angeles Times...