EDWARD DE BONO'S MESSAGE

24th May 1999

TV - Violence

From time to time I shall make suggestions here which can be downloaded, disseminated and used in any way provided the message is kept intact without additions or alterations and provided acknowledgement is made as to its source. Where this is permitted I shall indicate it - as with the following message.

The usual question arises as to whether violence on TV, movies and net games encourages children to violence in real life. Statistics are hard to come by as only a small percentage of people may be affected by such violence. Non-susceptible people may be immune.

The following idea is one that I suggested some years ago.

There could be a tax on media violence. If you need to shoot a certain scene in Tahiti that is a production cost. If you need a well known actor that is a production cost. If your drama required a murder scene that is a production cost. I you insist on five murder scenes then the cost is five times as high.

So there would be a tax tariff. So much for a murder scene. So much for for rape scene. So much for annihilation etc. The tax could either be paid as a lump sum when the production is made or else it could be a 'per view' tax: for example $5,000 every time the production was aired. The money would go to a 'victim's fund' or to pay insurance premiums for violence insurance.

In this way there is no 'censorship' as such. Nothing is now forbidden. But there is a cost. A cost means choices. Instead of mindless violence which is inserted because it may 'sell' the programme, there is now a cost consideration. "Do we really need four murders - would three not do?" Where violence is strictly necessary the cost would be met just as the cost of going to Tahiti is met if this is judged to be necessary.

Such a scheme would gradually drive down the violence content.

Edward de Bono
Malta
23rd May 1999