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
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