What we say versus what we do

What must children think when they detect a contradiction between what adults say and what they do?

The release this week of the long-anticipated prequel to "Star Wars" coincided with President Clinton's appeal to movie and television producers to be more responsible in how they portray violence. Speaking to media bigwigs in Los Angeles last weekend, the President asked producers to tone down violence and to become more aware of how it affects young viewers.

He then accepted $2 million from those same producers, money they earned in part by turning out movies and TV shows that celebrate violence and, in his own words, desensitize young people, making it "more likely" that those who are "vulnerable [will be pushed] into destructive behavior."

As it listened to the President, much of Hollywood was exulting in the premiere of "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," in which light sabers and laser weapons kill hundreds of life forms (see back page). Part of the packaging of the film aims its appeal at small children through toys and games that invite them to act out the space warfare they see on the screen.

Mr. Clinton told producers and actors that "there is still too much violence on our nation's screens, large and small," unreal violence that can trigger real violence, such as the murders at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. He did not mention that real-life misbehavior by adults, such as his own, sends children equally destructive messages about far more common conduct, like lying.

"Every one of us has a role to play in giving our kids a safe future, and those with greater influence have greater responsibility," President Clinton said, without a trace of irony regarding his own situation as one of the greatest influences in the nation.

Children who weigh the past week's events -- a President who scolds movie producers with one hand while taking their checks with the other, a President who wants adults to be good influences but who committed perjury about his adultery, and an entertainment industry that celebrates the arrival of a violent movie aimed at eight-year-olds -- might understandably scratch their heads and ask for help in sorting out the fantasy from the reality.

(05-20-99)

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