Siddharth Malhotra | Section MC-8 | 0328/49 Analytical Case Report on This Case Sucks: Beavis, Butt-Head, and TV Content (A)
The Case as it stands:
Beavis and Butt-Head, an animated series, made its debut on MTV in 1992. The show features two uncivilized teen-aged misfits who became a symbol of a heated debate in the USA about violent and inappropriate television shows. The vulgarity, impoliteness, cruelty and pyromania of the featured characters has often been linked to juvenile crudeness, violence and deviant acts performed by teenagers.
Objective of Report:
This is an analytical report on the varied perception of the animated series “Beavis and Butt-Head” aired on MTV and the ensuing debate on the affect of violent and inappropriate television shows being aired on television on youngsters.
Situation Analysis:
Let us review the situation in details
Case Facts about Beavis and Butt-Head: * The show was half an hour long per episode and debuted in 1992 and the highest rated show on MTV with ratings of 2.4 * Both characters were antisocial non-achievers and loved in a world of broken families and dim prospects. * They lived in southwestern USA and worked at a burger joint – Burger World * They were vulgar, politically incorrect, ignorant, stupid, cruel and pyromaniac.
Inference:
The show was a runaway popular sensation and its growth was explosive. The show was popular amongst teenagers because it gave the image of someone more “messed” up than themselves and also characters who one could laugh at while they did disorderly acts in a world of prevailing order.
Case facts on the debate over the show’s impact * The show scared away advertisers like Nestle and AT&T * The show was singled out during congressional hearings for being particularly repugnant * Parents expressed disapproval and a couple of school in Dakota banned clothing bearing likeness to those of the characters. * The show’s producers