Across the country, it seems that divisiveness and political turmoil have risen to a fever pitch. Family, friends, and neighbors are often at odds over issues that can cause anger and hurt. With the election behind us, it will take understanding, patience, and determination to heal the country as we move forward. We thank you for joining us in taking a pledge to develop and sustain a personal sense of peace and nonviolence in all aspects of our lives and bring us together.
Each Monday, from November 9 through December 21, we will be sending you a list of resources and suggestions on how to lead a more peaceful, just, and sustainable life. It’s a way of working toward eliminating violence, one step at a time, starting with ourselves.
Peace and all good!
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WEEK FIVE
To Choose Nonviolent Entertainment: To select entertainment and toys that support our nonviolent values and to avoid entertainment that makes violence look exciting, funny, or acceptable.
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Common Sense Media rates movies, TV shows, books, and more so parents can feel good about the entertainment choices they make for their kids. They offer the largest, most trusted library of independent age-based ratings and reviews. Their timely parenting advice supports families as they navigate the challenges and possibilities of raising kids in the digital age and helping families taking charge of their digital choices. MORE
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TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment) is a grassroots organization of educators who prepare materials and provide information to help parents and educators work to counteract the harmful impact of commercial culture, media, and marketing on children's play, learning, and behavior. Their website includes resources for encouraging child-directed, free play, suggestions for choosing appropriate toys, and current research and information about the impact of media and technology on young children. MORE
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Children have always learned how to behave in the world from the stories of their time. If the stories our children consume routinely involve violence as a solution to problems what kind of personal value system are we passing on to our children? The Center for Media Literacy suggests steps that each of us can take to reduce the amount and the impact of violent images in our lives and in the lives of our children. MORE
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In the past, many non-violent games simply weren’t fun. Today, that’s no longer the case–and the list of qualifying games is growing. TeachThought releases an annual list of the best new non-violent video games. Whether for game-based learning or simply for fun, the list for 2021 represents impressive design achievement, and games definitely worth a play. MORE
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Talking to kids about violence in the media they consume – television, movies, video games, music, and the Internet – can help them put media violence into perspective and perhaps diffuse some of its power. Canada’s Center for Digital and Media Literacy provides a list of “discussion starters” designed to help kids develop the critical thinking skills they need to understand and question the use of violence in media. MORE
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National public health organizations– including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have confirmed that violent video games, movies, and music lead to increased aggressive behavior, particularly in children. The Center for Domestic Peace provides tips on how to support a child’s healthy development through pretend play, helping them to develop empathy towards others, and offering praise for their qualities such as kindness, intelligence, caring, and creativity. MORE
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The multibillion-dollar toy and game industries in the United States continue to market violent entertainment geared toward children. Peace and Change: A Journal of Peace Research, examines the efforts of peace groups that have challenged the trend toward military and war‐related toys and games and their commodification for children. Beginning in the immediate post–World War I period and continuing through the twentieth century, peace organizations developed advocacy campaigns focused on changing consumers’ behavior. MORE
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Inspired by the Pledge of Nonviolence
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