Includes bibliographical references (p. [124]-136) and index.

Introduction : the media violence Tower of Babble -- What is media violence? -- A cacophony of voices -- 1. We like to watch : a brief history of media violence -- Media violence in historical perspective -- Regulation efforts -- Historical continuities in media violence debates -- Media hysteria and the culture of fear -- The media hysteria cycle -- The win-win situation -- The facts about crime and violence -- 2. Watching doesn't make us violent : assessing the research on media violence -- The biology of violence -- The psychology of violence -- Cultures of violence -- Researching the effects of media violence -- Laboratory and field research -- Long-term research -- Content analysis -- The war of the professors -- Film and media studies -- The pleasure of terror -- The "new violence" -- 3. We are afraid : media violence and society -- Identity and fear -- Fear and desire -- Gender and race -- Crime and politics -- The war on terrorism -- 4. We can't stop the violence : the uses and importance of media violence -- Violence and education -- Violence and art -- Violence and news -- The media violence industry -- The new economics of entertainment -- The movie business -- Disaster movies -- Science fiction -- Horror -- Beyond the theater and into the toy store -- Television -- Critical viewing -- Dramatic programs -- Reality television -- Music television -- TV news -- Children's programming -- Sports on TV -- 5. But we can understand it : beyond polemics in the media violence debate -- Publishing violence -- Computer and video games -- The desire for media violence -- The aesthetics of violence -- Narratives of violence -- The ethics of media violence -- Violence and memory -- Responding to media violence.