Comedy on the streets?

"There's so much comedy on television. Does that cause comedy on the streets?". So said Dick Cavett. Dick apparently is a US comedian and television host and the statement was probably meant to be funny because you don't see mass outbreaks of comedy on the streets ... or do you?
Also I suspect the statement was a dig at those people who say that violence on TV causes violence on our streets. I daresay that Dick doesn't agree with this sentiment.

So back to the question of whether or not comedy on TV causes comedy on the streets. If the every increasing antisocial and supposedly humourous behaviour is any indication, then comedy on TV does cause comedy in real life. A lot of the comedy these days in stand up and sitcoms revolve around disfunctional behaviour and anti-establishment sentiment. Coincidentally I am seeing more of this sort of behaviour from people in public also. Many young people are louder, more brazen and more obnoxious than ever before, just like many characters and comedians on TV. I think most definitely that the flavour of comedy influences the behaviour of people on the street.

Likewise it seems clear that the increased level of violence and sexual permissiveness on TV has influenced the behaviour of generation Y in the real world. I know this is a big issue and there are strong opinions for both sides of the fence, however I just don't understand why some people cannot see that there is a correlation between what you see and hear and what you do.

When a person first views somethingt that is offensive or shocking, it has a big effect on their mind and emotions. If they disagree with it then they will reject it as inappropriate or unacceptable. The more they are exposed to similar things, the less shocking and offensive it becomes, until eventually it becomes accepted. And this I believe is what has happened through our media. you only need to look back to recent times when certain things like homosexuality and other sexual permissiveness was considered wrong and perverted, and when gory violence was considered damaging for a person to view. Now with the media becoming ever more brazen, and the easy accessibility of inappropriate material on the internet, young people are completely anaesthetised to the point that they can no longer tell the difference between right and wrong.
you may think I am exaggerating, but I have witnessed it happening to people close to me as they grow up and I find it quite disturbing.

The things that a man exposes his eyes and ears to will effect his mind and emotions. The things that he dwells upon will reside in his heart. And as Luke says in Luke 6:45, "out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."