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Chapter 8 Purpose and Tone             Violence, of course,…

Chapter 8 Purpose and Tone             Violence, of course, is rampant in the media. But it is usually set in some kind of moral context. It’s usually only the bad guys who commit violent acts against the innocent. When the good guy gets violent, it’s against those who deserve it. Dirty Harry blows away the scum; he doesn’t walk up to a toddler and say, “Make my day.”             But in some rock songs, it’s the “heroes” who commit the acts. The people we are programmed to identify with are the ones being violent, with women on the receiving end. In a society where rape and assaults on women are endemic, this is no small problem, with millions of young boys watching on their TV screens and listening to their Walkmans.             I think something needs to be done. I’d like to see people in the industry respond to the problem. I’d love to see some women rock stars speak out against violence against women. I would like to see disc jockeys refuse to air records and videos that contain such violence. At the very least, I want to see the end of the silence. I want journalists and parents and critics and performing arts to keep this issue alive in the public forum. The author’s tone is _____.