Mayhem: Violence As Public Entertainment: violence as public entertainment

The Story

What is the effect of long-term exposure to media violence on our national character? While almost everyone has a strong opinion on this question, it is usually seen as a hopeless standoff between the threat of censorship and the threat of disintegrating public morality. In Mayhem, Sissela Bok brilliantly reframes the issue, showing that we need not feel so helpless. As in Lying and Secrets, she puts the question in clarifying perspective and reveals how our ways of dealing with it not only express but also shape our character and lives.