Report of The Royal Commission on Violence in the Communications Industry

The Commission’s Definitions of Violence ---------- **The Nature of Violence** Violence is action which intrudes painfully or harmfully into the physical, psychological or social well-being of persons or groups. Violence or its effect may range from trivial to catastrophic. Violence may be obvious or subtle. It may arise naturally or by human design. Violence may take place against persons or against property. It may be justified or unjustified, or justified by some standards and not by others. It may be real or symbolic. Violence may be sudden or gradual. **The Nature of Media Violence** Violence depicted in film, television, sound, print or live performance is not necessarily the same as violence in real life Things not violent in reality may be violent in their portrayal. Violence presented in the media may reach large numbers of people, whereas real violence may not. The media may use many artificial devices to lessen or to amplify its emotional and social effects. Violence depicted may do harm the original violence may not have done—or it may have no impact at all. *Leasing our eyes and ears and nerves to commercial interests is like handing over the common speech to a private corporation, or like giving the earth’s atmosphere to a company as a monopoly.* —Marshall McLuhan Understanding Media, p. 57 McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1966 *Controlling violence means... . raising the level of society. The people who produce and sell socially irresponsible programs are thinking of their viewers as a mob rather than a community. The mob is the lowest form of community; it is a completely homogeneous society organized for hatred, and will not remain a mob long unless it can find someone to beat up, or... . something to smash.* —Northrop Frye, Commissioner Symposium on Television Violence, Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission Kingston, August, 1975