Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/59

Rh Many comic magazines are printed on cheap paper and their artwork, color, drawing and printing are of such quality as to strain children's eyes,

Since children are imitators ard tend to identify themselves with characters in the comie books, purticularly with heroes, it is dangerous for them to be duluenced by the large number of questionable characters paraded in the comics.

Eren thoneh some conics do profess (o teach that crime does not pay, the ehil- dren who read them may not get that lesson while they are following and enjoy- ing the exploits of some dashing hera-criminal, Even if they note the preach- ment in the last picture or two, some children are apt to say that the character should have been smarter than to get caught.

Some comics tend to stimulate unwholesome sexual and social attitudes,

Many comies show scenes and situalions that tend to frighten children and te leaye grucsome piciures in their minds, affecting them not only at the moment or soon after, hut also creating more lasting phobias and fears.

here is the danger that a child whe likes the comics will spend all bis tine or too Jarge a proportion of it in reading the comics and neglect good books; or read comics when he ought to be active and out of doors.

While it is difficult to trace all the causes for juvenile bad conduct today, if is logical to believe that it may have been accentuated by the reading of some of the comic books.

Jt must be assumed that comic houks are here to stay; therefore, it scems wise to take such steps as will offer the greatest promise of improvement. And the key to improvement is public opinion. If parents and organizations set au example of selective buying, it will soon be felt and heeded by the publishers. That is better than resorting to legal regulations and ordinances.

There are steps which iudividnals can take to improve the comic book situation,

Parents should know what their children are reading, Forbidding children to read the comics is apt to stimulate theic interest in them. There are wiser ways by which parents may advise and influence their children to buy and read the better eomics.

Tndividuals may eooperate in a volunteer organization such as the one im Cin- cinnati to encourage the reading of better comics. There can and should he such 2 group in every community.

Here are the methods that are used and standards for evaluating the comic books observed by the Cincinnati? cummittce:

No objection
 * 1. Good artwork, printing and color arrangement.
 * 2. Good diction.
 * 3. The overall effect pleasing.
 * 4. Any situation that docs not offend good taste from the viewpoint of art or mechanics.

Some objection
 * 1. Poor artwork, printing, and color arrangement.
 * 2. Mechanical setup injurious to children's eyes; print too small; artwork too crowded.
 * 3. Poor grammar, underworld slang.
 * 4. Uneermining in any way traditional American folkways.

Objectionable
 * 1. Propaganda against or belittling traditional American institutions.
 * 2. Obscenity, vulgarity, profanity, or the language of the underworld.
 * 3. Prejudice against class, race, creed, or nationality.
 * 4. Divorce treated humorously or as glamorous.
 * 5. Sympathy with crime and the criminal as against law and justice.
 * 6. Criminals and criminal acts made attractive.

Very objectionable
 * 1. An exaggerated degree of any of the above-mentioned acts or scenes.

No objection
 * 1. An uplifting plot.
 * 2. Wholesome characters.
 * 3. Characters dressed properly for the situation.