Nita Lowey: “we are facing a crisis in our society. The violence that we see on television each day is part of an overall trend of…”

“we are facing a crisis in our society. The violence that we see on television each day is part of an overall trend of desensitization toward the violence that exists on our streets. This violence has transformed American society into a place where violence rules our communities, and law-abiding citizens are afraid to be outside their homes. Clearly, violence on television is not solely responsible for this breakdown in American society; but it does contribute to it. Our children are assaulted by a barrage of violent, sexually explicit, and otherwise obscene images each night on television. This constant stream of morally reprehensible acts being committed by their favorite characters on their favorite shows has a very real and a very frightening effect on them. Our children are becoming numb to real acts of violence through such constant exposure to 'fantasy' violence on television. It is time that we take real steps to stop this trend. It is time for the V-chip. I can tell you, Mr. Chairman, that as a mother of three and a former PTA president, I wish I had a V-chip in my TV when my kids were growing up. The V-chip will help to stem this dangerous tide by allowing parents to stop their children from viewing violent programs on TV. But make no mistake, the V-chip is not about censorship, and it is not about legislating morality. It is about parental responsibility.”