Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Inoculation

With senseless violence everywhere in the media around us, I tried inoculating my kids, age 9 and 11 by watching with them the Spielberg classic "Saving Private Ryan" a couple weeks ago. I figure at the very least, I am there to explain to them the brutalities of war in context of a fictional story that is probably graphically accurate. There are other war movies that are most violent and some that are fairly mild but Saving Private Ryan seems like a good choice. Having seen it at least 3 times before, it does seem to get better with each viewing. Unlike other war movies with tough guy leading men, Spielberg's epic stars Tom Hanks, who looks like and plays a school teacher who just wants to go home. Whatever glamorous image war had in my kids mind before the movie seemed to have changed a bit after almost 3 hrs. I guess I am one of those parents these social conservatives refer to as "irresponsible left coast liberals."

No comments: