TV violence has been blamed for the increasing crime levels and child aggression for the longest time. Most of the proponents of that theory state that by witnessing a certain behavior in fiction people become more prone to repeating it in real life. They use the examples of the maniacs who have been found to enjoy violent movies and video games. However, that line of thought is heavily flawed. First of all, while the research does find a correlation between TV violence and aggressiveness in adolescents, it is important to remember that correlation does not equal causation. As the recent studies conducted in Kuwait have shown, parental mediation is an important factor determining how much the children are affected by violent TV programs. Parents who controlled TV consumption made it considerably less likely that their kids will be engaged in deviant behaviors in the future. That means that simply showing violence does not necessarily harm children – the lack of parental attention does. Secondly, an often overlooked fact with deviant behavior in fiction is that it attracts real-life deviants. It is incorrect to use the examples of the school shooting maniacs in this argument since it is very likely their own mental state has led them to seek media with high levels of violence.
When arguing about the negative effects of TV on society, it is important to remember that most scientific research only shows connections between facts, not concrete causality. While the emergence of television has been marked by the increased levels of deviant behavior, we must remember other facts about that era. The second part of the 20th century was marked by societal crisis, racial tensions, and unprecedented changes in the world. All of these factors undoubtedly contributed to the rising levels of violence in society. It is unfair and unwise to put all the blame for the deviant behaviors we experience these days on TV shows.
Sex of the children
As the humanity develops new technologies, we learn to manipulate the aspects of our lives previous generations thought impossible. One of the powers these advancements have given us is the ability to choose the sex of the children. That ability can be used for good, and I argue that it can become an important part of parenting.
Firstly, this technology can decrease the number of abortions, especially in the overpopulated countries like India and China. With the laws limiting the number of children per family, Chinese often chose to abort the kid of the undesired gender. In India, traditions prevent women inheritance, often making daughters a burden to the family. While all of these issues need to be fixed on a social level, the ability to control the gender of a child can prevent a large number of abortions in those states.
Secondly, this innovation allows parents a freedom of choice. Their child will be created from their genetic material one way or another, and an opportunity to control the process to a degree is valuable. It ensures that people can build their families the way they want without relying on chance.
Finally, some hereditary diseases only transmit to children of a specific sex. Using the gender selection technology in cases when of the parents has such disease is justifiable by the health considerations. If a disease can be avoided the codes of medical ethics dictate that every measure should be used to prevent it.
All of these factors speak in favor of the sex selection technology. In my opinion, they prove that the ability to manipulate a child during pregnancy will be an important aspect of parenting in the future.