Based on a causal analysis of some current television programming, the analysis focuses on how television characters respond to potentially violent situations, who these characters are, the message the media is sending to young males, and the models for conflict resolution it is providing. Results reveal that television shows assume and perhaps teach that nonviolence is a loser's response, whereas violence is efficient and, for a good cause, appropriate. Findings suggest that television violence in general and the promotion of violent conflict resolution in particular are contributing to the increase in violence in the United States, but this mediated violence is not the sole cause of the problem. 24 reference notes