I have a somewhat different take on the prevalence of violence in society today. When I was young,the only people getting blown away were 'red indians,' who were as alien as ET from an English point of view.
Nowadays, violence seems to be the norm, and if you turn on the TV you will see several murders every night, and for some films violence is the REASON they were made.
Children play games on their computers that are just about killing.
I can separate fantasy from fact, but I wonder if someone growing up in this environment can.
Desensitisation is the term the shrinks use.
There is more violence in a Punch & Judy show than I have been exposed to in my entire (working-class) adult life.