ABSTRACT
Advanced capitalist economies generate not only an ever increasing array of products but growing emphasis on creating new demands. Fewer needs, desires and wants are a must as our collective ecological footprints grow. One of the biggest challenges for educators in this digital age is to dissect the myth that has sprung up in the last century and a half about the evils of government regulation of media. Harmful media content also fuels climate change and social upheaval in ways that go far beyond obvious concerns about fair and accurate reporting or the effects of violent entertainment. Violent video and computer games are also helping to fuel terrorism. In 2001, a leading Japanese brain specialist found that playing Nintendo video games renders parts of the brain inert. Canadian organizations such as Edupax, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and Canadians Concerned about Violence in Entertainment have taken public stands against media violence marketed to children.
