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Impact of Violence in Entertainment on Children

L.M. Hosler

A young boy playing with a gun

A young boy experimenting with a weapon
A young boy experimenting with a weapon | Source

Violence And Our Society

There is no doubt about it, everyday we hear so much violence on the news. It seems our society is becoming more violent with each passing generation. We, as parents, grandparents and society in general have an obligation to try to stem the tides of violence. So where do we start? Our government wants to take away our rights to own firearms. They also want to remove our ability to protect ourselves. They think the solution is gun control. But most of us, know that if a criminal wants to inflict violence on others, they will find a way. They may choose to steal guns. Recently, there have been cases where they used various other weapons. These include knives, ropes, bricks, hammers or rocks.

We know that mental illness plays a role in most cases of violence. But, here again, there are many who suffer from some form of mental illness, who would never harm someone else. But suppose a slightly mentally ill young person grows up viewing violence every day. They see this violence in their television programs, movies, and video games. Would that make the chances of that person committing a violent act increase? If they view this every day, does it not distort their thinking and reasoning ability? If a mentally ill person views violence as a way of life, do they choose violence? Do they use it when they have issues with others? Is violence their method of resolving conflicts?

Children Learn Violence

Most children are not born with violent tendency, except for certain mental illnesses. They learn what their surroundings and those people around them teach them. A National Television Violence Study project was done by the government nearly twenty years ago. The studies results showed the following.

  1. Children learn aggressive behaviors
  2. Children who watched a lot of violent television and movie content seemed to lose their empathy towards others
  3. Some children would develop fears of becoming victims of violence

Yes, children do learn from watching violence on television. A friend of mine has the scar to prove it. Her brother, after watching cowboy and Indian shows decided to try to scalp my friend with his pocket knife. Of course, in this case, the child was punished and made sure he knew what he had done was wrong. My own son, after watching a show called Circus of The Stars, decided to try to ride his bike over his younger brother. These are just two example of how children react to what they see on Television.

Hero Or Nasty Villain

We have all watched movies where the hero did some very extreme acts of violence himself. However, the hero is shown as being glamorized and his actions are excusable in his efforts to destroy the villain. The villain is portrayed as so evil, that any violent acts the hero does is justifiable even if the hero has killed, harmed or damaged just as many people as the villain.

Now movies, and television drama shows would be very dull without some sort of conflict, I agree. But, do they have to show in graphic detail, blood and body parts flying? I think not. Movies were just as good years ago, without having to see blood smeared and detached limbs and heads.Some of these shows, movies and video games are so graphic that children are growing up seeing blood splatter that it has no effect on them and it doesn’t seem to bother them. In fact, to them this is exciting and normal. Some movies I have watched recently have shown people being tortured or being beaten so badly, that I had to turn off what might have otherwise been a good movie. In fact, it was a remake of Bonnie and Clyde, but it was so much more violent than the original, which was quite violent enough.

Everyone Can Help Change The Violence

All of us have the ability to help to curb violence in the media and protect our young people from its harmful effects. Here are some tips that may help parents or caregivers of young children.

  • Know what programs your child is viewing and what video games they are playing.
  • Watch with your child the games they are playing and the television programs they are watching
  • Limit the amount of time the child is allowed to play games or watch television
  • Make use of the time you spend watching television programs by discussing how this is not what reality is
  • Talk about the violence and let your child know it is not reality and there are consequences to violent behavior
  • Change the channel and explain why you are doing so
  • Refuse to watch overly violent shows or movies
  • Talk with other parents and encourage them to avoid violent games, movies and television programs
  • Also discuss with other parents if there are violent games or shows you do not wish your child to be exposed to. Chances are they may agree with you.
  • There are groups that try to curb violence that children are exposed to. Join one and make a difference
  • Most televisions have parental controls which can be used to help eliminate viewing violent and sexual content. Be sure to use these controls
  • Join groups that work towards curbing violent games and television

The Good Things

Yes, there are good programs on television and good movies. It is just getting harder to find good family type movies. There are some good educational channels, such as the History Channel, and some good family movies can be found on the Hallmark Channel. Teach your children to look for the good and protect them from being overly exposed to the violence. Hopefully, our society may change its course amid all the violence and eventually hold the entertainment industry accountable for what it produces.

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Understanding the Tragedy of Native American Displacement

L.M. Hosler

Andrew Jackson Is Elected President

In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected president of the United States. AS president, he had promised that if elected he would have the Indians removed. Jackson had always disliked the Indians and had been involved in several brutal attacks on the Creek and Seminole Indians. Gold had also been discovered that year in Georgia, which led to more settlers laying claim to Cherokee land. After Jackson took office he promptly began working on passing a law to remove the Indians. On May 28, 1830, he signed into law “The Indian Removal Act.”

This act resulted in two lawsuits being filed with the US Supreme Court. John Ross was the principal Cherokee chief at the time. He filed one of these suits. He claimed that the Cherokee were a sovereign nation and thus the law was illegal. The court decided in favor of the Cherokee. It declared that the Cherokee were indeed a “domestic, dependent nation.” They were under the protection of the United States government.

The second case was Cherokee Nation vs Georgia. It was decided in favor of Georgia. This happened due to the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case. The Supreme Court declared it did not have any authority to hear the case. This was because the Cherokee Nation was not a foreign nation. They were also not a state. This decision left the Cherokee vulnerable to President Jackson’s “Indian Removal Act.”

Politicians Broken Promises and Lies

In May 1838, General Winfield Scott was given the assignment of driving the Cherokee from their homes. He did this by burning their homes and killing families if they resisted. Those who did not resist were moved into stockades, also know as forts, which had been built in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina. The stockades had little food, sanitation or even blankets and the water was unsafe for drinking. The Indians were crammed together in unhealthy and overcrowded conditions. The weather was extremely hot that summer. Diseases such as measles, dysentery and other diseases, spread rapidly and left an estimate of 2000 dead Indians in the camp. The government had promised the Cherokee money for things such as food, blankets, medicine and sanitation needs but the money never arrived for those things. Instead, as in many cases involving the government, it lined the pockets of greedy politicians and military officials.

The Trail Of Tears Begins

Some of the luckier prisoners were finally moved by boat, in June and July, while others would be forced to wait months in the camps and then would be forced by the U.S. army to travel by foot with only a few wagons to haul supplies for the trip. In October, the remaining Indians were organized in groups of 1000 to begin the journey west. Many would not live to see their new homeland. They would be forced to travel in horrible winter weather conditions, with little food or warm clothing or even shoes on their feet for the winter months. Thousands would die from starvation, disease, or would freeze to death before reaching their destination. Many of the old would simply die of exhaustion along the way. Death occurred on a daily basis and the dead were buried along the trail. Mothers would be forced to bury their children and then proceed to move westward. This forced removal from their homes and the march of the Cherokee Indians became known as the “Trail of Tears” because of the heartache and the millions of tears shed by mothers and families along the way.

Trail of tears marker honoring those who were forcibly removed from their land. Source: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Legend Of The Cherokee Rose

As the Cherokee walked the trail to their new home, there were many tears, especially from the mothers. One of the elders of the tribe sought to ease their pain and suffering by praying for a sign. Soon after that, each time a mother’s tear fell to the earth, a beautiful white rose with a gold center would grow. It was said that the white represented the mother’s tear while the gold center was the gold stolen from their lands. The seven leaves represented the seven Cherokee nations. Today, these beautiful white roses grow wild along “The Trail of Tears.”

A National Disgrace

This is perhaps one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the United States. Government tyranny, greed and power outweighed common decency and kindness. Basically, our native American citizens were forced into concentration camps, much like Hitler did to the Jewish people. For this, Presidents Andrew Jackson and President Martin Van Buren, who was elected president after Andrew Jackson and finished carrying out Jackson’s evil work, will both have to account for all the pain and suffering they were responsible for.

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True Sisters is a novel written by Sandra Dallas

L.M. Hosler

A Story of Struggles Survival and Love

True Sisters is a novel written by Sandra Dallas. While this story is not an actual true story and the characters are not based on real people, it is a story of an event in American history. It is based on journals, accounts and stories from the people who survived the hardships of the 1,300 mile journey across the United States from Iowa to Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the story of strong courageous women.
This novel is about the struggle for survival against enormous hardships. At the same time it is also the story of strong, courageous women from very different backgrounds who learn to love each other and form bonds as strong as any blood sisters, thus making them True Sisters.

The Immigrants

Ella Buck is a young married woman, who along with her husband Andrew, and her sister Nannie have come from Edinburgh, Scotland as new Mormon converts. They made the decision to seek a better life and follow their faith all the way to Salt Lake City, Iowa. Brigham Young has declared that the Utah territory will be the Mormons new Zion. They will sail from Europe, then go by train to Iowa where they are to meet up with other new Mormon converts.Ella is pregnant with the couple’s first child and Nannie is hoping to find a husband when they arrive in Salt Lake City. All three are full of hope and confident of a bright, happy and prosperous future when they reach Salt Lake City. But they have no idea what hardships they will face along the way west.

Statue Honoring The Thousands Who Made The Journey Across America

Annie and John Sully

Annie Sully had been given little choice about making the trip to America and the journey west. She had not converted to Mormonism and did not want to give up her own faith but her husband John had converted and he had made the decision to leave London and join the other converts in Iowa. Annie had been quite content with her life in London. Her father had left her a successful gentlemen’s clothing shop which Annie was happy to continue the business with her husband. Annie also had three small children and is pregnant with a fourth child. She is quite concerned with giving birth in a strange country while pushing a handcart across the country for 1,300 miles. Nevertheless, John has sold their business and even given most of their money to the elders of the church so that others can afford to make the trip also. Annie has made the choice to follow John against her better judgment, but she will face many trials, heartache and hardships along the way. But she will also find other women who will love her, and care for her and her family even though she holds steadily to her own faith.

Louisa and Thales Tanner

Louisa Tanner is a newly married young woman whose husband is Thales Tanner, one of the missionary leaders. He is in charge of one hundred of the new converts who will be heading west. Louisa feels she is very lucky to have such an important man as her husband. Along with Louisa, her sister Huldah and her elderly parents will be making the journey west. Not all of them would survive the grueling journey.

Jessie Cooper

Jessie Cooper and Louisa Tanner have always been good friends. Before Louisa married Thales Tanner, he had previously courted Jessie. The two friends did not let this come between them, because truthfully Jessie was happy that Louisa had married Thales. She felt that Louisa was a much better match for Thales. Jessie was sure that when she arrived in Salt Lake City that she would find a husband of her own. Jessie and her brothers Ephraim and Sutter had made the decision to leave their tenant farm in the hopes of finding good fertile land in the Salt Lake Valley. So they sold their small farm and belongings and paid for their passage to America. They met the handcart train in Iowa. Jessie and her brothers were optimist and excited about their future never guessing what hardships lay in store for them. 

The Journey Begins

Near the end of July 1856, the Martin Company of converted Mormons slowly started on the long journey. Everyone was in high spirits and excited to be on their way. Families would walk and push and pull their handcarts which held their meager possessions. Each person was allowed seventeen pounds to be put on their carts but along the way much of their worldly goods would end up being left behind.
The carts were made of green lumber and poorly made. There were no oxen or horses to pull the carts, they would be pulled by human power only.This is the story of these four brave, courageous women as they faced unbelievable dangers, heartbreak, death of loved ones and hardships on their journey. These women would have to learn to help, love and lean on each other. There would of course, be many other members of the Martin Company they would meet and help along the way but these four would become Truly Sisters for the rest of their lives.


Reasons I Recommend Reading True Sisters

  • I truly enjoyed reading True Sisters. I had never even heard of this part of our American history until I read this book. If you enjoy reading about history, this is a great novel
  • The book is well written and the characters well developed
  • It is an emotional story that will tug at your heart. It did mine
  • It is the type of book that will keep you interested from start to finish

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THE DAME ELIZABETH TAYLOR

L.M. Hosler

Born Beautiful

Some people, it seems, are simply born to be beautiful and famous. Elizabeth Taylor was one of those people.

Elizabeth Her Early Years

Elizabeth Taylor, was born on Febuary 27, 1932 in London. She was the second child of Francis and Sara Taylor, and was welcomed home by an older brother, Howard, who was two at the time. 

For the first seven years of young Elizabeth’s life, her family remained living in London, but as fears of World War began to look quite likely, Francis Taylor decided to move his family back to the safety of  Los Angeles, California. Sara Taylor had been an actress herself before marrying Francis Taylor so it was not surprising that after moving back to Los Angeles, she began actively encouraging her young daughter to seek work as an actress.

The Young Actress

It wasn’t long before Elizabeth began to be noticed and in 1943, she was signed on with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio, which was probably the biggest and the best studio in Hollywood at the time. Liz was cast as the rich Duke’s granddaughter in the highly success “Lassie Come Home”. In 1944, Liz starred in another smash movie “National Velvet” in which she plays a young girl who works with a wild but gifted horse and enters England’s Grand National Sweepstakes. While filming “National Velvet” Liz fell from a horse and broke her back, but she was so committed to her work that she refused to allow this to stop her from finishing the movie. 

Elizabeth loved being an actress. She loved the attention, the clothes, the makeup and the make believe, where she could be whoever her character was at the time. At the young age of fifteen, she was declared “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”.  As a result, while filming movies such as “Little Women” and “A Place in the Sun” Liz managed to acquire a reputation for being difficult, demanding and needing special treatment. Liz’s face was the cover of about one thousand magazines.

Liz, Romance and Marriage

One of the things that Liz would become famous for would be her many romances and her eight marriages. When Liz was barely 18, on May 6, 1950 she married hotel heir Conrad N Hilton Jr. aboard the Queen Mary. They were divorced a year later. On February 21,1952, she married Michael Wilding, with whom she had two sons and whom she divorced in 1956.  Michael Todd was Liz’s fourth husband. They were married on Februaruy 2, 1957 and had one daughter together. Michael Todd was killed on March 21, 1958, when his private plane crashed in New Mexico, on his way to an awards banquet. After losing her husband, Liz found comfort in the arms of Eddie Fisher, who was married to her friend Debbie Reynolds, at the time. Liz and Eddie Fisher were married on May 12, 1959 and divorced in March of 1964. On March 15, 1964 Liz married Richard Burton, whom she had co-starred with in the film “Cleopatra” with Burton playing the part of Marc Anthony. The couple divorced, then remarried Oct 10, 1975 only to be divorced again in July 1976. Liz’s husband number seven was John Warner, who was running for U.S. Senator from Virginia. They were married on December 4, 1976 in a sunset ceremony on his farm in Virginia. They divorced on December 15, 1981. Liz’s eighth and final husband,  was Larry Fortensky, whom she met while at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1988. They were married in 1991 and divorced in 1996.

A Young and Very Beautiful Liz Taylor

Awards and Achievements

Elizabeth Taylor is also know for the many awards she received for her work over her lifetime.  “Raintree Country” (1957) earned her the first of several Academy Award Nominations. “Butterfield 8” was her second nomination while “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” gave her a third nomination. Liz won the best actress Oscar for “Butterfield 8” and another Oscar for “Who’s Afraid of Virigina Woolf”? In 1993 the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences gave Liz Taylor a special humnitarian award for her work with the AIDS Foundation. Liz was also honored by the Queen of England and was given the honorary title of Dame.

After losing several close friends including actor Rock Hudson, fashion designer Halston and her own private secretary, Malcom Forbes to AIDS, Elizabeth Taylor became the first great legendary personality to speak out on behalf on AIDS research. In 1985, she became the co-founder and chair of the American Foundation for AIDS research. In 1999 Elizabeth was awarded the Angel Award for her work with patients inflicted with Aids.

An older but still beautiful Liz Taylor

Queen Elizabeth Honors Liz Taylor

In 2000, Elizabeth visited Buckingham palace with other celebrities where Queen Elizabeth II honored her with the title of Dame. Dame is the female word which is equal to the male term of Knight. This was one of the highest honors given in Britain.

The beautiful Elizabeth Taylor legend will continue and Liz will be remembered for her many husbands, her films, the White Diamonds Perfume, her trips to the Betty Ford Rehab Center and much more. She should always be remembered for her beauty. Perhaps she should be remembered most for the good works she has done in trying to help AIDS victims.