No universal criteria for evaluating violence in the media In a famous 1995 speech, Bob Dole attempted to gain more conservative support for his upcoming Republican presidential nomination , unleashed a damning indictment of the film industry, seemingly unprovoked and somewhat disconcerting. (Lacayo) Dole's speech and especially his rebuttals raise many central questions in the debate on violence in films: is violence destructive to impressionable viewers, is violence fundamental to the success of the industry, does violence have aesthetic value, Who decides what is violent, and if something is violent, should it be banned? Going beyond Dole's speech to carefully examine these questions, one finds that, regardless of its effects on younger viewers, violence in films should not be hindered because of its benefits to the industry, its entertainment value, and the fact that the definitions of the term cannot be agreed upon between the parties involved. In 1997, the ten highest-grossing films (at the end of the year) all contained the fundamental element of violence: someone physically hitting someone else. These 10 films alone have grossed $1,672,200,000 domestically, which, combined with the rest of the monetary revenue from the 130 other major studio releases, represents a huge portion of the gross national product. By the end of 1997, the same ten films had amassed $1,444,000,000 in foreign markets, making the products of the American film industry accounted for much of the money earned through exports. Those of these films released on video by the end of 1997 accounted for another $640,200,000 in the video market. (Kilday) So the current American economy depends in part on money earned through paper... all for weapons, minus war. Cinema is a form of expression, very popular in today's culture and very important for the American economy, which cannot be hindered for the simple fact that it is not possible to create a universal criterion for evaluating violence. Works Cited Kilday, Gregg. "For the richest or the poorest." Entertainment Weekly January 30, 1998: 34-37.Lacayo, Richard. "Violent reaction". Time June 12, 1995: 24-30. The Lion King, Director Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. Perf. Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane. Walt Disney Productions. Natural born killers. Director Oliver Pietra. Perf. Woody Harrelson and Juliet Lewis. Warner Bros., 1994.Pulp Fiction. Director Quentin Tarantino. Perf. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. Miramax, 1994. The True Lies. Director James Cameron. Perf. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. Twentieth Century Fox, 1994.