Peace notes
War toys do affect child’s behaviour

by Alan Wilson

It’s just about that time of
year again when we start talking
about ‘‘Peace and goodwill to
all”’. Yet at the same time many
of us will be arming our
children with sub-machine
guns, military: vehicles, : and
laser weaponry.

A glance at the ‘toys’ on sale
this year highlights this curious
double-standard. There are toys

with names like: Enforcer,
_ Blaster, Destroyer, Bomber,
and Masher.

Then there is the new laser
tag game which is being seduc-
tively marketted with 5 poe
television commercials.

And I see that I can stimulate
my child’s imagination with a
seven and a half foot long air-
craft carrier! Or with a doll
named ‘‘Sergeant Slaughter’’.

For a mere $18 I could supply
* my child with a complete com-
bat set, including a sub-machine
gun, two hand grenades, a
holster, binoculars, dog tags,
and an ID card (for ages three
and up!).

Or I could buy the “Skyfire!

Or

aquariums,

or
musicaltoys such as guitars,

harmonicas,
xylophones, fishing gear, camp-

sets,

And of course, Books. Not

only are there storybooks for all
ages, but there are non-fiction

microscopes, telescopes, chemis-

ing equipment, electronics kits,

recorders,
stationery, etc.

try

Assault Copter’’ which ‘‘strikes
like lightning to destroy evil
forces’’.

Or the ‘‘Savage Strike
Cycle...the meanest motorcycle
anywhere!”’ A ‘‘concealed mini-
gun, MAC-10 sub-machine
guns, and six Belgian grenades
add to the excitement’’.

Those that feel there is harm
in this militarization of the toy
department have banded
together to pressure toy com-
panies, stores, and advertisers
not to market these things, and
they have declared November
29 as International Day Against
War Toys.

But it’s an uphill struggle
because our children are being
bombarded (note the military
origin of this term) with televi-
sion commercials and cartoon

shows developed around these .

violent toys (She-Ra, GI Joe,
Transformers, He-Man, etc).
These cartoons are shown week-
day afternoons, and on
weekends, amounting annually
to the equivalent of 22 days of
classroom instruction in war-
fare!

War cartoon programming

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guns when They were kids and

has grown from one and a half
hours per week in 1982, to 27
hours per week in 1985, with six
new shows in production this
year.

Researchers concerned about
this trend, such as Doctor Ron
Slaby (Center for Research on
Children’s Television at Har-
vard University) writes:

‘From research findings on
the effects of playing with toys
with aggressive themes, we can
say that playing with these toys

is likely to stimulate higher ©

levels of aggression...even in
normal children, as well as in
children who already have pro-
blems with violence. —
“These toys and programs
teach healthy, non-violent
children new ways of behaving
aggressively, besides teaching
violent behaviour in problem
children.’’
. Doctor Thomas Radecki,
Research Director of the Na-
tional Coalition on Television
Violence: ‘‘The cartoon and
violent toys studies show that
these materials cause children to
hit, kick, choke, push and hold
down other children. They have

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thinking.

found increases in selfishness,
anxiety, and the hurting of,
Sharing and school’

animals.
performance have been found
to decrease. '

“The repeated teaching of
seeing your opponent as so-:
meone despicably evil who can
only be dealt with through com-'
bat is very harmful... :

“‘We have become so desen-
sitized from our own exposure
to television that we forget that’
the first television generation
has turned out to be the most
violent in America’s recorded
history. Now the second genera-
tion is being raised on much
stronger stuff’’.

Doctor Charles W. Turner,
Researcher on the effects of war
toys, University of Utah: ‘‘Play-
ing with violent toys increases
the risk that children are going
to use aggression in real life at a
later time. The violent toys serve
as a way of rehearsing the
violent behaviour seen on televi-
sion. They increase the
likelihood that the effects of
cartoon violence will carry over

Please turn to page 21

Continued from page 2

to the playground and into their
everyday life’’.
Doctor Arnold Goldstein,

Director of the Center for
Research on Aggression, Uni-
versity of Syracuse: ‘‘Playing
with war toys legitimizes and
makes violent behaviours accep-
table. It desensitizes children to
the dangers and harm of violent
behaviour and increases the
chance that they will resort to
violent behaviour.

“The ‘degree that youngsters
are learning to take pleasure
from aggression decreases their
ability to learn empathy, nego-
tiation, and co-operation... I
would recommend that parents
now allow violent toys in, their
homes, but purchase non-
violent toys and games.’’

Are .there any good alter-
natives to war toys? Of course
there are:

Pets, dolls, blocks, puzzles,
records, games, for example
Yahtzee, Scrabble, etc., sports
equipment, frizbees, kites, roller
skates, stilts, kitchen or garden

' tools, scientific and exploring

toys such as magnets,

COAST NEWS

December

3/86