Preview

Violence in Media: No Problem or Promotes Violence in Society?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
878 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Violence in Media: No Problem or Promotes Violence in Society?
Word Count: 853 Violence in Media: No Problem or Promotes Violence in Society? Many people believe the media is to blame for young children growing up becoming murderers, thieves, and even rapists, but on the contrary, they forget to realize violence was a big part of our civilization way before anyone learned to write. Because of this belief, the government took action and put up restrictions and rules involving which age group should be allowed to be engaged in material that involves violence, drugs, sex, and inappropriate language. When you take this into consideration, you will come to the realization that we do not need any more laws against violent T.V. shows, movies, videogames, or songs. Using the media as a scapegoat allows individuals to “seek out easy or even abstract entities to blame in order to shy away from holding people responsible for their behaviors” (Christopher J. Ferguson). According to associatedcontent.com, “The targeted are musicians, film stars, etc. because no one wants to have to accept that something more familiar and sinister could very well be causing these troubles” (associatedcontent.com). Because we do not know the exact cause, we quickly jumped on someone’s opinion that it was the media’s fault. Although it does not seem like a big deal, the outcomes of scapegoating are not easily forgotten. In the Salem Witch Trials many people were killed because an individual started the belief there were witches in Salem. During the Red Scare Americans’ lives were ruined. Violence is engraved in humans physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Barry Moser, a distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Louisville states, “All substance begins with violence. We slaughter steer, quarter hog, pull living roots out of the earth. Our most common substance which feeds our body and sates our pangs of physical hunger is born of death and violence” (Barry Moser). For entertainment the Roman Empire was notorious


Cited: Ferguson, Christopher J. "Videogames: the Latest Scapegoat for Violence." The Chronicle : B20. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <tamiu.edu/~cferguson/VideoGames.html>. McManus, Barbara F. "Gladiators of Ancient Rome." Imperatorvis LVDVS Gladiatore . College of New Rochelle, 1999. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <legvi.tripod.com/gladiators/id1.htm>. Moser, Barry. "Blood & Stone: Violence in the Bible & the Eye of the Illustrator." Cross Currents. Association for Religious and Intellectual Life, 2001. www.crosscurrents.org/moser0701.htm. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. "Motion Picture Association of America film rating system." Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, n.d. wikipedia.org. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. "Violence in Entertainment: Cause or Scapegoat?." associated content. N.p., 2009. associatedcontent.com. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Censorship of Violence in Popular Entertainment is Not Justified
    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Censorship of Violence in Popular Entertainment is Not Justified

    In the article “Censorship of Violence in Popular Entertainment is Justified” by Robert Peters, he claims that there is too much violence in the media nowadays. Peters works for a company called Morality in Media that are a non-profit organization that works to “uphold standards of decency in the media”. According to Peters, the four biggest problems with violence in the media is; that there is too much of it, it can be easily imitated, the manner that it’s depicted, and that there’s too much gun use. The ending problem with Peters article is not that he has no support for his own reasons, but it is that his solutions are not feasible. He says that one of his solutions would be to pass a law that would be punishing to the ones distributing media violence to minors. There is already a law in effect for that, and Peters even names the exact law in his article, he just…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Censorship of Violence in Popular Entertainment is Unjustifiedt
    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Censorship of Violence in Popular Entertainment is Unjustifiedt

    In Roberts Peters’ article “Censorship of Violence in Popular Entertainment Is Justified”, he writes about his personal concerns and his personal solutions to combat obscenity and uphold decency standards in the media. He believes that due to the many graphic and violent depictions in TV, films, music/RAP, video and computer games, the children in present society are easily influenced into acting out the media violence and turning it into real life violence. He believes that there are four main problems with media violence. The first problem is that is too much of it. The glut of media violence desensitizes viewers and contributes to the “mean world syndrome.” A second problem with media violence is that it can be easily imitated. He believes that the characters being depicted in the media are mostly glorified, youth characters who are troublemakers and engaged in behavior kids can readily imitate. A third in media violence is the manner in which it is depicted. He believes that the media does not show the purpose of the horror of violence, but rather the media portrays it as an exciting, pleasurable and effective way to handle problems. The fourth problem with media violence is Hollywood’s infatuation with guns, in which I quote, “Why should we be surprised to discover that kids want a gun? If Hollywood stopped glorifying possession and use of handguns, there would be fewer crimes committed by youth with handguns.” Peters wants us to know that whatever minor flaws there may be in enforcement of gun laws permitting crazy people to buy them, the real problem is that our media is saturated with violence. Although Peters’ tries to make valid points about the corruption of youth through media violence, he misses many opportunities to use prime examples as if he hasn’t done much research into the subject himself. I believe that his arguments are ineffective due to his lack of statistical evidence, such as crime rates statistics, to support his statements.…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of A Scapegoat
    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Examples Of A Scapegoat

    The Scapegoat People use video games as a scapegoat to violence, but since video games have started booming, crimes started dropping. Most people are focused on negative effects for the children that play the video games. When the media does start bagging on video games, it's mostly something bad about them (unless a game breaks a record for how many copies it has sold). The media has caused more violence than some of the video games on the market.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Is Media Violence Harmful?
    • 2052 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Is Media Violence Harmful?

    The twenty-first century is the golden age of media. Following the widespread of technology in the late twentieth century, media has become a constant presence in people’s lives. New innovations in technology have led to blockbuster movies, music at the touch of our fingertips, weekly television programs and a vast array of video games available on various devices. With new consoles and devices constantly being released, everyone, no matter their age, can readily access media. However, over time, media has taken on a violent transformation. The games kids of past generations played such as Tetris and Pac-Man were soon replaced by violent video games like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto. The comical sitcoms of the…

    • 2052 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Violent Media Influence On Society
    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Violent Media Influence On Society

    Violent media influence the psychology and society. Many teachers, parents, and scientists blame the violent media that bring negatively affects. For example, a lot of news have reported the violent media cause violent incidents so far. Parents restrict their children away from the violent games because they assume violent games, which affect their children unhealthy psychology while they are growing up. However, violent media also can bring advantage: developing coping skills, taking away stress, and entertaining fun moment.…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    VIOLENCE IN MEDIA
    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages

    VIOLENCE IN MEDIA

    In the essay “Buried Alive: Our Children and the Avalanche of Crud”, David Denby argues that pop culture is distinctive and damaging to children in the United States today. Pop culture is damaging because media has changed to become three-dimensional, inescapable, omnivorous, and self-referring. Media, according to Denby is everywhere; you cannot step away from the system of it. It has been known to be a commercialized aggression that puts parents on defense. Children now days have become commoditized towards television because they are being sold. Children are being treated as objects because of how television is influencing them. Television is teaching a child that is it cool to be vulgar. Denby suggest that vulgarity is a concept children do not understand because the makers of commercial cultures teach them not too. Denby argues that the old dream that parents and teachers would nurture the development of a child is now lost. Media has taken over the parental role because it is teaching children negative concepts and parents do not have control over this. Irony plays a part in this aspect because this is a form of commodity. Media does not only influence children through television but also through the products that you can buy in store or online. I agree with Denby because television shows have taught children to become vulgar and stereotypical.…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Media Portrays Violence
    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Media Portrays Violence

    In the world today with technology advancing so fast it's hard to keep up with it all; but with the advancement of technology comes the extensive media exposure to viewers. Pretty much everyone is exposed to the media today whether it is television or internet the news can be accessed within moments. And the entertainment industry is no different furthering making options of media accessible with a push of a button whether it is cell phones or other handheld devices to laptops and so on and so forth. This also brings us to the main question. What exactly do the media portray for the viewer and what do…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Epidemic Of Violent Media Violence
    • 247 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Epidemic Of Violent Media Violence

    During the past few years, more and more people have been discussing the topic of violent media to figure out if it triggers violent behavior to some people. Some media critics believe that young people play violent video games and read violent comic books as a safe place for kids to let out their aggression. Gerald Jones wrote a passage arguing that violent comic books and video games are useful for young people. He was taught as a little kid that violence was wrong and that anger was something you had to learn to overcome. While he was young, he was given violent comic books that also had good life lessons in them. Since those comic books Jones has been writing action movies and comic books, and made him into the man he is today. He believes…

    • 247 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Video Games and Violence: Both Sides of the Argument
    • 3576 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Video Games and Violence: Both Sides of the Argument

    In the article "Violence in Video Games," (Anonymous, found on 123helpme.com) the writer is adamant about the fact that violence in video games/music/movies is not to blame for violence in society. He/she believes that the violence in games actually decreases violent tendencies in individuals by allowing people to vent their frustrations without hurting anyone. Also the media is just latching on to the idea that violence in games promotes violence in real life to gain ratings, because it's an easy scapegoat. The media glorification of the psychopathic violence that sometimes occurs (and is supposedly related to video games) actually gives the perpetrators the attention they want.…

    • 3576 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Persuasive Essay
    • 888 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Persuasive Essay

    Many movies, television shows, music songs, and video games are filled with violence: murder scenes, nonstop profanity, rape and torture scenarios. By placing scenes like these in the movies for the children and teenagers to see, the media is causing them to become more violent than it already is. What has our society come to these days? Everywhere we look, violence is present; in the streets, back alleys, schools, and even at home. Even if one might be a pacifist, violence will keep its way into our homes through the television. Many parents these days are busy with their work, and sometimes it is hard to keep track what their children do. They are working singles or couples who must rely on others for the parenting and raising their children. Even baby sitters use television as the easiest source of entertainment for the children. Since every family has televisions and the children play video games almost every day, truly the media affects the children. The average hours of American youth watching television is about four hours, which means children spend more time watching television than in any other activity, except sleep, after school. So, parents should control the television that children watch. They need to be aware that media violence affects in the real world.…

    • 888 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Media Violence and Aggressive Behavior
    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Media Violence and Aggressive Behavior

    In the early 1960s Albert Bandura conducted his famous “Bobo Doll” experiments, in which children were shown videos of someone attacking a plastic clown known as a Bobo doll (Isom, 1998). Many of the children exposed to these videos later imitated the same violence they had seen demonstrated in the video and continued to reproduce that violent behavior even months later (Isom, 1998). These results led Bandura and others to conclude that the children had learned the behavior from the video and were modeling their behavior accordingly. Today many people continue to claim that exposure to violence in the media will invariably lead to similarly aggressive behavior in children. However, by the time the average child graduates elementary school, he will have witnessed more than 8,000 murders and 800,000 violent acts on network television (Feldman, 2013, p. 188). Clearly, not all children who view these acts become violent and aggressive, so there must be mitigating factors at work. While excessive exposure to media violence can be detrimental, there are far more important factors that influence a child’s behavior and, when properly monitored, media can have a beneficial impact as well.…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Media Violence vs. Societal Violence
    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Media Violence vs. Societal Violence

    By age 18 an American child will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence (United States 2). Over the last thirty years more than a thousand studies, by major medical and public health groups, have concluded that media violence does have an impact on children (Steyer 72). An increase in today 's media violence comes from movies and television, music, and video games. Violence in the media can result in school shootings, having an aggressive attitude, and no consequences for violent actions. It has been proven that violent media can cause some kids to act violently and aggressively toward others, which causes an increased amount of violence in out society.…

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Do Video Games Cause Violence
    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Do Video Games Cause Violence

    Video games and violence in the media for the past twenty years (specifically America) have always put video games as the scapegoat to blame whenever a series of tragic homicides occur.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Censorship Research Paper
    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Censorship Research Paper

    Censoring violence in movies and video games have been a big feud for a while now.According to the article “ 98 percent of American households own at least one television set” ( Media Violence). In the video games people can experience violence without actually committing a crime. Research shows that children learn behavior by watching what they see, so “ the more violence children observe , the more aggressive and violent they act” (Media Violence). “Young children are especially vulnerable to the effects of observed violence,”(Media Violence) . The media industry tried to create rating system for the games and movies but still able to watch or play it. A young man in alabama in 2003 was charged with murder after shooting and killing 5 men because he did the same thing in the game called “Grand Theft Auto”. It is important that the parents try and improve the rating system but will soon run into problems because of the first amendment. Another concern with media violence is the type of aggressive and violent ideas that are in the song lyrics. Lyrics in popular songs seem to glorify violence. The songs mostly include disrespecting women in a sexual and harmful matter, shooting and killing police and etc. A study was done showing the effects of rap music (which more that 60 % include something about violence)and the people involved in it commonly. “37.6% acquired a new sexually transmitted disease, 4.8% hit a teacher, 12.1% reported being arrested, 14.8% had sexual intercourse with someone other than their steady partner, 44.2% reported using drugs, and 44.4% consumed alcohol.” ( Rap (Music). The statistics shows that being involved or around violence can harm you in many ways or hurt you in the long…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Tv as a Shaper
    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Tv as a Shaper

    Violence has become a major part of television shows increasing regularly. Many may think that it is only the shows that get the warning “viewer discretion is advised” are bad influences on people but I believe that all shows can have a negative influence. For example, in the 90’s cartoon show Spiderman, all he ever did was tie villains up with his webs. In today’s cartoon he hits them and draws blood when fighting the villains. As innocent as cartoon shows may seem I have seen the increase in violence in these shows. Children, especially young, are not ready to distinguish right from wrong so when their favorite action hero is beating up a bad guy, therefore kids get the impression that it is all right to do the same. Witnessing repeated violent acts can lead to desensitization and lack of empathy for human…

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics