Preview

Media Violence

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1931 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Media Violence
Megan Hallameyer
English 201-23
Kathy Rowley
May 15 2012
Argumentative Essay :Media Violence and its Effects on Children “Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised” (Manson 1) This is a quote by Marilyn Manson from his article in Rolling Stones magazine called “Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?” Recent studies show that Marilyn is right about violence being more televised, but they also show that televised violence may lead to violence in children. Media is a large part of life in these current and coming years. Many parents have come to letting their children watch whatever they would like without supervision. Due to violence in the shows and movies children watch, games they play, and the language the world uses, children act more violent in life.
Media can be described in the Oxford English Dictionary as, “The main means of mass communication, esp. newspapers, radio, and television, regarded collectively; the reporters, journalists, etc., working for organizations engaged in such communication. Also, as a count noun: a particular means of mass communication” (OED). It is regularly used to describe news stations, newspapers, or even some types of video games. In Charles Clark’s essay called “TV Violence”, the reader sees that children who watch television are generally exposed to “8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence before finishing elementary school” (Clark 1). There has been a link between the amount of television violence children are exposed to and the amount of physical violence that child shows in life. In Richard Felson’s article, “Mass Media Effects on Violent Behavior” he critically reviews the effect of media violence on its audience. He finds there is evidence that is discussed regarding short and long-term effects. It is shown that in laboratory and field experiments exposure to violence is just as likely to affect aggressive behavior (Felson 1). This aggressive behavior can become a problem with the child and



Cited: Browne, Kevin. "The influence of violent media on children and adolescents: a public-health approach.” Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology, School, 2005 Clark, Charles S. "TV Violence." CQ Researcher 26 Mar. 1993: 265-88. Web. 2 May 2012 Held, V.. "The media and political violence." Journal of Ethics. Springer, 1997. Web. Hunt, Arnold. " 'Moral Panic ' and Moral Language in the Media." . N.p., 1997. Web. 2 May 2012 Washington: CQ Press, 1972. 375-94. CQ Researcher. Web. 2 May 2012. Warner, Brian. "Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?." Rolling Stone Magazine. N.p., 1999. Wilson, B. J.. "Media and children 's aggression, fear, and altruism.." . N.p., 2008.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gabriel Vara

    • 418 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Mike Males, in “Stop Blaming Kids and TV,” inscribes government officials have blamed today’s media on the acts of kids and young adults, how the impact of violence, drug, and alcohol abuse can ruin children’s lives. Parents need to notice that their own behavior has a major influence on their children’s lives and futures. He makes strong statements that the media does not influence adolescent violence, drug, and alcohol abuse. He supports his opinion with many examples including the comparison of television violence and real actual violence. Males notes, “Kids will witness at least 200,000 acts of television violence by the time her or she are completing high school.”…

    • 418 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    It competes with families, friends, schools and communities in its ability to shape young teens' interests, attitudes and values. The mass media infiltrates their lives. Most young adolescents watch TV and movies, surf the Internet, exchange e-mails, listen to CDs and to radio stations that target them with music and commercials and read articles and ads in teen magazines. “ The youth are constantly bombarded with the media's messages and they don’t know how to take it in. “The problem is that young adolescents often don't--or can't--distinguish between what's good in the media and what's bad. Some spend hours in front of the TV or plugged into earphones, passively taking in what they see and hear--violence, sex, profanities, gender, stereotyping and storylines and characters that are unrealistic. We know from research such as that conducted by George Comstock and Erica Sherrar that seeing too much TV violence appears to increase aggressive behavior in children and that regular viewing of violence makes violence less shocking and more…

    • 1593 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Guns and Gun Control

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Media does not help in this constant debate since many feel as though outlets such as TV shows, movies and games promote violence especially in youth. However in studies where children were observed before and after viewing violent shows on TV, they did become more aggressive meaning there is a correlation between watching TV and acts of aggression but that connection doesn’t necessarily mean watching that particular show caused it to happen. Meaning a child acting out in violence could have been acting out on his aggression but not because he saw it happen. ‘A conservative conclusion is that mass media violence has a small effect on real-life violence that is eclipsed by other influences… we should remain skeptical of mass media effects until the empirical evidence becomes compelling…’ (Barkan, 2007, pp. 290-291)…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    VIOLENCE IN MEDIA

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages

    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
  • Best Essays

    In our society today, mass media plays a big part in our everyday lives and we are bombarded by it constantly. Concentrating on the area of mass media violence and examining the various mediums such as television, movies, and the video game industry. Does the mass media have a lasting effects on causing violence in our children and as well if it plays an influence in causing them to be violent as adults. I will be describing the different theories used by the experts in explaining that the mass media does cause children to be violent. I will present my point of view with my own experiences and observations because I believe it does play a part.…

    • 3210 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Violence in Media

    • 1234 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In recent years media use an increasing numbers of frames which contain violence content to attract viewers. Media violence increases a trend of crime which aroused the awareness of general public. Media violence is not the simple cause of teenagers’ violent, it also the main reason of social violence. However, every coin has two sides, some video games and movies which include violence can help some children to develop survival skills and ability to deal with violence. Even this knowledge may save their lives when they are threatened by others. So there is no doubt that media violence contains some benefits for us. This essay will argue that media violence leads to violent behavior and increase the community spread of violence. From my point of view, media violence has negative effects on youth.…

    • 1234 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Violent Media

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Violent media is inevitable in our daily lives. In recent years, the popular media seem to have become increasingly violent. Whenever you turn on the TV, read the newspaper or comic books and also when you play video games you can easily find that violence is one of the most popular forms of entertainment.…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    On April 20, 1999, in the moderately sized town of Littleton, Colorado, at approximately 11:20 a.m., two young men, Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, stormed into Columbine High School. No more than twenty minutes later, 15 people were dead, including the two of them, and another twenty-three wounded (Gibbs 28-29). Knowing that the duo are teenagers, and probably played many violent video games and watched hundreds of violent shows, people immediately began to blame the media, and the violence that these young men had been exposed to by it. But is it the media that is to blame for all these deaths?…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Media Violence

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Seventeen-year-old Andrew Conley pleaded guilty on the opening day of his trial for the murder of his ten year old brother; leading to life imprisonment without parole. Conley was wrestling with his little brother when he put him in a choke hold until he eventually passed out. Following the murder, Conley stuffed his head into two plastic bags and dumped him in a park to die near their home in Indiana. The teenager previously mentioned to his girlfriend that he identified with Michael Hall from the hit television show “Dexter” and that he had the desire to be just like him. “Dexter” is a show about a policeman named Dexter who worked for the Miami Police Department but later in the series, viewers find out that Hall doubles as a serial killer.…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Violence on television is a very controversial topic in today’s society. Many people have different views and opinions of how it effects today’s youth, and authors have written article after article pleading their points. Two similar articles with very different points pertaining this in depth subject are, written by Alice Langholt, “Positive Effects of Television on Kids”, and , written by American Psychological Association, “Childhood Exposure to Media Violence Predicts Young Adult Aggressive Behavior, According to a New 15- Year Study.” The article written by the American Psychological Association is by far the more analytical and statistically filled paper.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The reason for violence in children has been studied for years and the cause is still unclear. Violence in the media has been known to leave a lasting impression in the minds of all humans. However, it just seems that it only brings out violence in some children. This leads psychologists to believe that violent movies and television may play a significant role in the actions of violent children. "There is no longer any serious debate about whether violence in the media is a legitimate problem, there are substantial risks of harmful effects from viewing violence throughout the television environment," Scott Stossel explains in his article in The Contemporary Reader, about the effects of media on the public (Stossel 172). However, it would make sense that the children that do become violent already have psychological issues and the impact from media may affect them more radically.…

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Over the past few years we have heard debates on violent media influencing violent behavior in young adults and teens. Some people claim that the violent media such as video games, comic books and cartoons are the cause of the outburst in violence such as the recent public school shootings and movie theaters. There is more evidence to support that this type of media is a healthy outlet under proper supervision. I believe that some violent media can help people identify and over -come fear and social anxieties, be used as an outlet for anger or rage, that not everyone is affective the same way by violent media.…

    • 818 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oh Yeah

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Causal Argument: Does Violence In The Media Affect Children? Violence is found all around us in the media. Parents are becoming worried about what their children are exposed to. There ...…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Media Violence

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A 1949 New York Times critic said, “No survey’s needed, of course, to establish that television has brought family together in one room”(Winn). This statement was mutual for all in this time period. Back then, when TV’s first came out, families would gather around and watch the news to hear what was happening around the world. Then, shows became more popular and something was produced to please each person. Many became violent, because this is what people wanted to watch, since it kept them entertained. Nobody predicted there to be multiple television sets in one home, dividing the family like communication over a cell phone instead of actually conversing face to face. Moreover, by discouraging interpersonal communications, TV is detrimental to family life. Television was a great way to bring people together back 50 years ago, but in this day in age, the shows and games people participate in are completely different. You have TV shows where people are killing each other, having sex, and doing drugs, so what do you expect when a child is flipping through channels and decides to watch it. Of course they are going to be amused, but also brainwashed, as it is normal to do.…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to (Beal, 2008), media can be defined as the various and different forms and technologies used for communication and channels of passing information or entertainment in the society. An example of media is the television, newspaper, radio, combined sounds, videos social sites as well as gaming sites among many others. In the modern world, the media have been and is and will still continue to be a vital technology in the society and a necessity as food and shelter.…

    • 1285 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays