Senior government and politics and information systems major

What really causes violence in our society? Ever since the tragedies in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., in 2012, there’s been a desperate attempt by legislators to continuously blame gun crime on a variety of factors, including our culture of violent video games, films and music.

Across party lines, politicians seem at ease speaking on behalf of the American public in support of blaming the video game industry for extreme violence in the real world. Last week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called for Congress to be prepared to “take action” against the video game industry if it doesn’t decrease gun glorification in its games. Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) blamed the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on the violence in popular video games and music. Politicians justify this stance because Sandy Hook gunman Adam Lanza played violent games such as Call of Duty and StarCraft.

Let’s face it — video games, film and music in our society are pretty violent. But as much as media critics like to blame bloody Quentin Tarantino films, suggestive rap lyrics, Call of Duty and television shows oozing with sex and crime for violence in society, studies doesn’t always seem to agree.

In fact, past research conducted on the link between violent video games and physical violence never appears consistent, which is why the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2011 that violent video game content could not be regulated by governments and was constitutional under the First Amendment.

Additionally, researchers who did conclude media and game violence led to aggressive behavior may not have used valid measurements to calculate aggression. Lurking variables also played a huge role — perhaps certain individuals were only likely to be influenced by video games if they were already suffering from a psychological condition.

It’s irresponsible for lawmakers to always use films and video games as scapegoats for the violence we see in the U.S. without assuming there may be other causes.

And do video games even correlate with violence among individuals in other countries? Some of the largest markets in the video game industry include the Netherlands, South Korea, France and Canada — all of which have dramatically fewer gun-related crimes per year than the U.S.

It’s easy to point a finger at virtual violence — after all, much of our society is defined by it. But rather than brashly blame our generation’s use of video games and enjoyment in watching violent action films, legislators should analyze other factors.

Our generation’s heavy affinity for violence may be attributed to our country’s involvement in all kinds of war for the majority of our lives.

Yale Law School professor Dan Kahan blames the war on drugs because “illegal markets breed competition-driven” violence among suppliers throughout the country and in cities such as Chicago.

Regardless of whether people believe our so-called violent pop culture actually causes violence, legislators need to analyze American life from multiple perspectives — from the condition of people’s mental health to the effects of being constantly involved in war — before calling certain industries out.

Caroline Carlson is a sophomore government and politics and information systems major. She can be reached at caroline.crlsn@gmail.com.