Mike Males

Mike Males, author of The Scapegoat Generation: America’s War on Adolescents, argues in the following viewpoint that real violence, not media violence, is responsible for juvenile crime. He maintains that teens who engage in risky behavior are often mimicking the behavior of their parents or other adults, not the violence they see depicted in television programs, films, and other media.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What proof does Males offer that media violence does not cause teen violence"

2. According to Males, what is America’s “biggest explosion in felony violence”"

3. In the author’s opinion, what influence do cigarette ads have on teens"

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders,” James Baldwin wrote in Nobody Knows My Name. &ldquo...