Violence in the Media
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Violence in the Media
Violence in the media has been a growing problem ever since the emergence of mass media. One wonders however, how violence has become so prominent in our culture, more so than other countries. More minors are being involved in heinous crimes such as murders and armed robberies. Even play on the school ground is getting rougher. There are many factors that play into the increasing violence, such as over population, religious struggles, and race. One factor that plays into the increase of violence would be mass media. Mass media has the power to reach and influence almost every American. Radio, newspaper, and television are all means by which media reaches people. Television however, can be considered the most influential. Ninety-eight percent of Americans have a television in their household. When it first came out it was considered a novelty, there were only a few channels and the signal was not very clear. Now it is available through air broadcast, cable, or satellite. Television has become part of everyday life. With the growing fixation and attraction to violence in the media, children in todays society are becoming more violent and aggressive than ever before. However, to obtain a true understanding of this problem we must look at all aspect that cause violence, and not just put all of the blame on the media. Nevertheless, we shouldnt forget the number one violence causing aspect, the media.
America was founded upon violence; and we have always been a society of power and control. This land was violently taken away from the American Indians. After this land was civilized, power and control was desired so much so that we rebelled against Great Britain to have this place for ourselves. We rebelled with violence and won. America ever since has always been the best at almost everything. America will achieve this most of the time through
violence. Both world wars and other political conflicts have been won by America using violence. Power achieved through
violence is one of Americas downfalls. People in America have the spirit that this country was founded upon, which has its negative and positive aspects. However, violence is finding its way into out culture everywhere, especially the television.
When it comes to children and television, there is much debate. Many argue that television is healthy for children. It opens up their eyes to the world and beyond. It stimulates their imagination and gets them thinking. A young child from rural Texas is able to see urban New York and its fantastic skyline. Kids can see other countries and cultures from around the world. Too see the world is to truly be educated, and television can do that in some ways by bringing to kids the vision of the world. There are also educational programs on TV; programs like Seasame Street and Barney. These programs teach children basic educational tools like the alphabet. They also teach children how to be loving and caring towards others.
However, with the popularity of television rising, so are all the problems related to it. Along with all the educational programming on television, there are violent and disturbing programs as well. The range of what they watch is anything and everything, whatever gets their attention. It used to be silly cartoons, but now its violent shows that grabs attention. Programs such as the WWE, where people violently wrestle each other, using jaw-breaking moves like the “pile-driver”(Children and TV Violence). Not only are children watching these programs as much as the educational ones, but they are getting hooked onto them. TV can be very addicting. Lots of children come home straight from school to just sit in front of the tube till dinnertime. Parents are getting lazier than ever and let their children watch TV to keep them occupied. TV has become a sort of babysitter for kids after school.
The effects of children watching violence on television has also been much disputed. Does the violence have long-term effects or do the children simply put it aside. First of all, young children do not process information in the same way as adults. Nor do they have the experience or judgment to evaluate what they see. Children will think what they see on TV is real life. If this is so, violence is very harmful. Children will be less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others. Children may become more fearful of the world around them. They will feel more entitles to act aggressively towards others. Real life studies have shown that violence on TV can have long-term effects as well.
Today, 99% of homes have a television and children are spending more time learning about life through that television than from their own parents or teachers (Facts about Media Violence). Nowadays, in most families, both parents work and their children are sitting at home watching television and learning about sex, drugs, and violence. Most parents do not even know what shows their children are watching. The average American child will witness over 200,000 acts of violence on television including 16,000 murders before the age of 18 (Facts about Media Violence). When a child is young he/she does not realize that what he/she is watching is fake. They do not understand that when the show is over the “dead” person will