--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The copycat effects of media violence…" description: "\"The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and comic books, are easy to exaggerate.\" — Hu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/hugh-mackay-16277_books_the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-si_1168648.png" --- # The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those… ![“The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and comic books, are easy to exaggerate.” quote by Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/hugh-mackay-16277_books_the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-si_1168648.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/hugh-mackay-16277_books_the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-si_1168648.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/hugh-mackay-16277_books_the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-si_1168648.png) > “The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and comic books, are easy to exaggerate.” [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Media violence effects are often overstated compared to past concerns about other media. **In simple terms:** Violence impact is exaggerated. Key Takeaway Question claims critically. Themes media influence exaggeration historical comparison Mood skeptical analytical Type critical informative When to use this quote - policy debates - parental guidance - media literacy - academic research Key Concepts cultivation theory moral panic Questions to Reflect On - How do we measure true impact? - What evidence supports current concerns? A Different Perspective Historical media fears may be valid in context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comic book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-book/) [Comic books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-books/) [Copycat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copycat/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Media violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media-violence/) [Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [So, if falling crime rates coincide with the rise of violent video games and increasing violence on TV and at the cinema, should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/so-if-falling-crime-rates-coincide-with-the-rise-of-violent-video/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [“The tendency to want what has been banned and therefore to presume that it is more worthwhile is not limited to such commodities as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-cialdini/the-tendency-to-want-what-has-been-banned-and-therefore-to-presume/) [Robert B. Cialdini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-cialdini/) > [By the age of 18, the average child has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence, including 18,000 simulated murders, on television. It is not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-illsley-clarke/by-the-age-of-18-the-average-child-has-witnessed-200-000-acts-of/) Jean Illsley Clarke > [Back in the Clinton White House, I was a middling staffer on the Domestic Policy Council, working on issues ranging from the adoption tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neera-tanden/back-in-the-clinton-white-house-i-was-a-middling-staffer-on-the/) [Neera Tanden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neera-tanden/) > [The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-ultimate-weakness-of-violence-is-that-it-is-a-descending-spiral-3/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Violent video games played in public places are a tiny fraction of the media violence to which modern American children are exposed. Tiny -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-posner/violent-video-games-played-in-public-places-are-a-tiny-fraction-of/) [Richard Posner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-posner/) > [It is incumbent on the media industry to discourage the glorification of media violence. It is also incumbent on consumers who love America to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-king/it-is-incumbent-on-the-media-industry-to-discourage-the-glorification/) [Bernice King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-king/) > [Violence in our society has reached epidemic proportions. ... Violence in the media for entertainment purposes has been established as a major contributing factor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-prothrow-stith/violence-in-our-society-has-reached-epidemic-proportions-violence-in/) Deborah Prothrow-Stith > [Today the data linking violence in the media to violence in society are superior to those linking cancer and tobacco.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/today-the-data-linking-violence-in-the-media-to-violence-in-society/) [David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/) > [“Not even a lane could be changed without an exact copycat movement by my Secret Service.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pierce-bush/not-even-a-lane-could-be-changed-without-an-exact-copycat-movement-by/) Barbara Pierce Bush > [I'm not really against a lot of things unless they are just pure exploitation and then they create their own copycat culture that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leguizamo/i-m-not-really-against-a-lot-of-things-unless-they-are-just-pure/) [John Leguizamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leguizamo/) > [It's hard work to find your own voice and not to copycat anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnaud-desplechin/it-s-hard-work-to-find-your-own-voice-and-not-to-copycat-anything/) [Arnaud Desplechin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnaud-desplechin/) > [“Be yourself because an original is worth more than just a copy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/be-yourself-because-an-original-is-worth-more-than-just-a-copy/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Everyone goes to the same exhibitions and the same parties, stays in the same handful of hotels, eats at the same no-star restaurants, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/everyone-goes-to-the-same-exhibitions-and-the-same-parties-stays-in/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [“When you are gunning to be like other people, you are foolishly repeating their mistakes, and the worst of it all is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/when-you-are-gunning-to-be-like-other-people-you-are-foolishly/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) ## More by Hugh Mackay > [“Only those who have been on the receiving end of poverty, unemployment, homelessess, mental illness, domestic violence, racism, sexism or ageism can fully identify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/only-those-who-have-been-on-the-receiving-end-of-poverty-unemployment/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Actually, I can't imagine anything more tedious than a perfect person, especially if it was someone who also demanded perfection from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/actually-i-can-t-imagine-anything-more-tedious-than-a-perfect-person/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Obviously, every child should be given the best possible opportunity to acquire literacy skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/obviously-every-child-should-be-given-the-best-possible-opportunity/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [“I actually attack the concept of happiness. The idea that—I don't mind people being happy—but the idea that everything we do is part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/i-actually-attack-the-concept-of-happiness-the-idea-that-i-don-t-mind/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Some researchers sensibly suggest that rather than worrying too much about which programs our children are watching, we should concentrate on trying to reduce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/some-researchers-sensibly-suggest-that-rather-than-worrying-too-much/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [If I were asked about what to do about the level of insecurity and anxiety in contemporary Australian society, I wouldn't start with politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/if-i-were-asked-about-what-to-do-about-the-level-of-insecurity-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [One of the most important responsibilities of leaders in any setting - including business organisations - is to tell us our own story; to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/one-of-the-most-important-responsibilities-of-leaders-in-any-setting/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Recounting their histories, people often sound like interested bystanders to their own lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/recounting-their-histories-people-often-sound-like-interested/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [With increasing frequency and growing vehemence, you hear people saying they are ashamed to be Australians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/with-increasing-frequency-and-growing-vehemence-you-hear-people/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [I wish we didn't have to own up to a policy deliberately designed to inflict suffering on people who have already been traumatised in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/i-wish-we-didn-t-have-to-own-up-to-a-policy-deliberately-designed-to/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [It is the misfortune of contemporary leaders, across the whole spectrum of Australian life, that the community's demand for strong leadership is growing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/it-is-the-misfortune-of-contemporary-leaders-across-the-whole/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [“You have five hundred Facebook 'friends'? That simply means you've redefined 'friend' to make it something like 'a contact I exchange data with'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/you-have-five-hundred-facebook-friends-that-simply-means-you-ve/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [It seems inevitable that the magic of the written word will fade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/it-seems-inevitable-that-the-magic-of-the-written-word-will-fade/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [Still, most of those effects occur in the context of harmless play and it is patently obvious that children are not normally turned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/still-most-of-those-effects-occur-in-the-context-of-harmless-play-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) [Explore all 40 Hugh Mackay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and comic books, are easy to exaggerate.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hugh Mackay" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-similar-to-those-previously/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-similar-to-those-previously/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/hugh-mackay-16277_books_the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-si_1168648.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/hugh-mackay-16277_books_the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-si_1168648.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/hugh-mackay-16277_books_the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-si_1168648.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and…” — Hugh Mackay", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hugh Mackay", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The copycat effects of media violence,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-similar-to-those-previously/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/the-copycat-effects-of-media-violence-similar-to-those-previously/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```