Media Violence
No, the media does not influence the American population towards using violence as the singular solution to their problems. It is often misconstrued thought that the media is always to blame for any of the problems within our society. Too often in fact, is the media blamed for this. "It's the Video Games that are making our students go off on rampages," "its the nudity on TV that is polluting our children's minds," no wait "it's the violent movies kung fu movies that make our kids fight." Too often are these things said instead of the responsibility being placed where it really belongs, on human beings. The majority of people tend to put their blame off on others, projecting their own guilt, freeing them of the burden to having to cope with the problems and consequences they've brought up.
Violence is a part of human nature plain and simple. The media certainly plays off of this fact, since we have a certain apparent attraction to it, amongst other things (sex, etc.). The basis of our society has been focused around trying to find away around resulting to violence to solve our problems. Within our nation alone, the government is certain example of how our decisions can be made, without having to the use of violence, though argumentation is always a necessary facet of discussion. This in fact proves that violence is never the "singular solution" to solving ones own problems - we are a more complicated race of beings than that.
Never do we as humans see the only result to our every problem is violence. If that were so, there'd be a way more deaths in this world than ever before. People have and will learn to work things out in different fashions than these. It is not the result of the media that we as humans have a tendency toward using violence (which is always the easiest solution, yet often wrong). On occasion yes, our population resorts to violence, due to a combination of factors. A lot of it might be populace animosity - the so called "Mob Effect" - or it might be because on occasion it IS necessary for violence to occur. George Gerbener states this fact quite simply as "Violence is power." It couldn't really have been said any better.
Violence, by its very nature carries with it an ambiance of power. It emits from its every pore. And it is almost too often that we come upon a situation as humans where we have to demonstrate and REMIND others of our power, as a people, and as a nation. Most often we first attempt to negotiate with others. If those negotiations go awry it is because those people will only speak in one language, war (a demonstration of each nations power). Never shall we humans be controlled and led to a common solution to our problems such as violence. If that were the case, we'd have people pulling out guns at banks because they couldn't get a loan, people beating insurance agents with bats cause they feel their premiums are too high, and husbands and wives beating each other up every time they have a fight. And though this happens on occasion, it isn't always the violence that solves the problem, it often makes it worse.
So no, the media isn't the entity that directs human problem solving skills toward violence, war, death, or any other manifestation thereof. It is the human aspect that constitutes our nature of violence. Our primitive - "R" complex - being, this is what leads us to have a certain affection for violence, in its every aspect. The media portrays violence as fun and exciting? No, the media portrays how humans feel about it, that is until they're actually and personally involved in such situations. People need to face themselves in order to deal with their problems/conflicts, the media is not, and should not be responsible for carrying the burden of violence being a viable option to humans solving a problem.