Sun, December 5, 2004
Endless diet of horrible images
By Joanne Richard
TURN OFF the news, stresses New York child psychiatrist Dr. Alvin Rosenfeld. "Nothing frightens children more -- and distorts their vision -- than the evening news."
FEELS NEARBY
To children, the TV news happens not across the oceans or in a galaxy far, far, away, but right around the corner to people who look just like Mom and me, says Rosenfeld, a New York child psychiatrist. "Miles don't mean a thing."
Rosenfeld says coverage distorts our sense of time and frequency. "We see every high-profile crime from every angle, over and over. Although each horrible event -- like the Challenger exploding or Polly Klaas being abducted, abused and killed -- occurred only once, we and our children see it five, 10, 100 times, which makes it seem like it is happening all the time.
TERRIFIED
"We become terrified, unwilling, vicarious participants in a tragedy. Even though the crime rate has dropped, we become convinced that danger lurks everywhere and buy more locks for our doors," he adds.
Hearing about crimes creates anxiety, adds Rosenfeld: "The question is why we, as a society, feed young hearts and minds an endless diet of horrible images and then expect them to be sensitive, thoughtful and generous."
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