In addition to reducing violent crime rates, adolescents and young adults in the United States experience over 6 million crimes each year (US Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001) . Since the previous statement seems contradictory, research has found that the media plays one of the largest contributors to this annual crime rate. Interestingly, the rate is decreasing; yet the annual crime is so great. According to sources, violence in screen-based media, such as television, movies, the Internet, and video games, is the most dominant and common one influencing adolescents. This is very plausible given that teenagers at that age are influential and their main source of news is TV or video games. Some of the predicted mechanisms of influence are similar to those thought to be active in exposure to community violence. These are very similar to highlighting and reinforcing violent actions. Desensitization to the real-life consequences of violence along with increases in pro-violent attitudes and changes in cognitive processing (Huesmann & Malamuth, 1986; Rule & Ferguson, 1986; Cantor, 2000; Strasburger & Wilson, 2002; Funk, 2003 ). The demonstration and reinforcement of violent actions through the media occurs when a child watches a television program in which the main character is shot numerous times and never dies. Not only that, but he can kill as many people as he wants for a "good purpose", and somehow get to experience the "happily ever after" ending. This is altering the perception of the consequences of violence in real life and causing adolescents to perceive such behavior as acceptable. We know that kids want to grow up and become superheroes of a certain kind, but we are allowing it... middle of paper......culture war. New York: New York University Press. O'Neill, Kevin Lewis. (2007). -Armed Citizens and the Stories They Tell: The National Rifle Association's Achievement of Terror and Masculinity. Men and Masculinity 9:457-75.Sheley, Joseph, and James Wright. (1995). In the Line of Fire: Youth, Guns, and Violence in America. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.Strange, Mary Zeiss, and Carol K. Oyster. (2000). Armed Women: Guns and Feminism in Contemporary America. New York: New York University Press. Stretesky, Paul B. and Mark R. Pogrebin. (2007). Gang-related violence: Socialization, identity, and the self. Journal of contemporary ethnography. ESSAY 36:85.Stroud, Angela. (2012). Good guys with guns: Hegemonic masculinity and hidden guns. Gender and society. WISE 26:216.Vigilia, James. (2003). Urban violence and street gangs. Annual review of anthropology 32:225-42.