Monday, October 23, 2006
Bang, bang, bang!
I have made a realization today. I have always tended to see issues in shades of gray rather than black and white. I have always tried to be an open-minded person. I like to believe there is never a right or wrong answer when it comes to controversies in society. After talking with my little brother Dan, I realized that the same goes for the effects of the media. The effects do not necessarily have to be negative. Many of them are, yes; however, they could also be positive.
I asked Dan was his favorite television show was and why. I was seeking to find something I could use to blame media for the youth’s increased interest in violence and their curiosity in the drug scene. Dan replied, “CSI is my favorite show. It teaches me that there is no such thing as an insignificant detail. Also, no matter what crime you commit, you will be caught. One episode that I was watching one day had a group of high school kids (teenagers) going around Vegas beating up people, mostly tourists, and killing two and severely injuring multiple more. It made me feel that the world is turning into a horrible place and that I need to be a better person to counteract that feeling.”
I wish that were that’s how it could be in every case, but I believe Dan is in the minority. So much is based on violence, crime, and drugs these days.
Here (http://www.worldandi.com/public/1994/july/mt2.cfm) is a really good article solely based on youth violence and the media. It is very in-depth and covers a lot of statistics and information. I suggest checking it out. Have your reading glasses handy, though. It is an intense amount of information all crammed on one page. I wish they had links to each of the sections rather than sticking it all together.
The part which peaked my interest had to be the statistics. The article included the calculations of how many crimes were committed by juveniles. Unfortunately, these numbers are rising. Could that be correlated with the increased number of violent video games, television shows, and movies?
All seriousness aside: I must quote
Clueless, one of my favorite movies.
“So, OK, the Attorney General says there is too much violence on T.V. and that should stop. But even if you took out all the violent shows, you could still see the news. So, until mankind is peaceful enough not to have violence on the news, there's no point in taking it out of shows that need it for entertainment value. Thank you.” (http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/5342/Clueless2.htm)
So, yes, it would be ridiculous if we simply took all of the violence off of television. There would be an incredible lack of entertainment. But would it be possible to cut back on what the youth is viewing? Couldn’t we buckle down and make it harder for minors to see R-rated movies? What if we attempted to integrate more good into television shows and media, just like Dan had pointed out. If these kids could see what happens to these people after committing their acts of violence and harm, there’s a chance that they would think twice prior to attempting to mimic those actions.
I wondered exactly how much harm is caused to these teenagers’ minds and how it affects them. I vaguely remember learning about the developmental stages in my psychology class. I clearly remember that the adolescent years are very important and will shape them into the adults they will become. I did some searching, was reading through some things on the Surgeon General website, and came across an article revolving this topic.
“Adolescence is a time of tumultuous change and vulnerability, which can include an increase in the frequency and means of expression of violence and other risky behaviors.” (
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence/chapter3/sec1.html)
You know what I just thought of? I find it slightly humorous that the news channels will periodically cover this topic and explain how violence in the media is causing so much damage to adolescent minds, yet they will flip to the next segment which involves rapes, murders, or even movie reviews of the latest action-thriller featuring Bruce Willis taking out thirty people with machine guns. Practice what you preach, eh?
Posted by Erin at 1:50:00 AM