The American culture is a culmination of various lifestyles and ethnical backgrounds. Regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion, all humans are affected by the world around them. Whether a person chooses to surround himself with people who he views as a positive influence or video games and television shows that make him feel more comfortable due to lack of social stressors, it is human nature to be affected by the environment that surrounds oneself most often.
From the thousands of channels now available on television to video games to live entertainment, people are entertained by a variety of media sources, yet not always in a positive light. The news is drawn to negativity and often puts this in the spotlight, making it difficult to avoid.
One might think of entertainment as something that makes one happy or something that people look forward to. While the Jersey Shore television show might bring one laughter and good feelings as he compares his life to the life of a Jersey Shore character that deals with drunkenness, excessive drama, violence, jail, and unexpected pregnancies, in reality, that is not a comparison that should ever be thought about for a person with true life aspirations. If positive influences and role models were in a person’s life, these are the things he should compare his successes to in order to feel like a successful person. Without positive role models, the “bar” of intelligence or being cool is lowered to that of a drunken idiot looking to start a fight and instead ends up in jail.
Video gaming is a huge market in the American culture. Children as young as two can be exposed to violent video games that numb a child’s, teenager’s, and even an adult’s mind into lessening the seriousness of acts of violence. The goal in some video games is to kill as many people as possible, and these video games are viewed as “appropriate” for audiences who could not legally obtain a weapon. Could there be a correlation