Preview

The Effects of Entertainment on Society

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
790 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Effects of Entertainment on Society
The Effect of Entertainment on Society In the book, Life the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality, Neal Gabler wrote that entertainment is harmful to society. He views entertainment as “fun, effortless, sensational, mindless, formulaic, predictable, and subversive.” While some of his points are valid, others fall flat because the counterargument is not addressed. Entertainment is not harming society in any way. If anything it is bettering society in ways that might not be possible without the existence of entertainment. Gabler quotes cultural aristocrats from the 19th century to support his view on the danger that entertainment places to society. They say that the eventual effect of entertainment will be to “overturn all morality…” This is clearly a blatant over exaggeration on Gabler’s part. Like everything else in the world, entertainment can do more to help or hurt the way we live our lives. Most forms of entertainment don’t overturn morality; in fact they strengthen it. There are countless numbers of television shows made to address a specific cause. The Secret Life of the American Teenager is a show about teen pregnancy. At the end of every episode a member of the cast talks about how serious the issue is. They show phone numbers and websites on screen to direct teenage girls who may be struggling with this issue to help. The same thing is seen on other shows, such as Degrassi, that deal with serious issues like suicide, anorexia, or gang violence. They do this to help make kids aware of the dangers of these issues so that they will end up making the right choices. Television also helps kids who don’t have the proper parental figures in their life to make good choices. There are dozens of programs out there to teach little kids lessons like stealing is wrong and hurting someone is never the answer. Children’s shows like Barney and Telletubies are perfect examples. My parents never told me up front that stealing was bad. They didn’t have to


Bibliography: Gabler, Neal. Life the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality. New York: Knopf, 1998. Print.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The Comparison of Entertainment in the Early 1900s and 2000
    • 2019 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The Comparison of Entertainment in the Early 1900s and 2000

    Similar to today, many young men and women loved to go out and watch movies. The 20th century was the start of the film industry. The first film was shown by an American inventor Thomas Edison in 1903. He has created a short motion picture called the “The Great Train Robbery”. (Clark 1) Ever since then young Americans were addicted to watching movies. Soon after a much longer films was released such as the “Birth of a Nation” by D.W. Griffith. By 1920s most American cities had their very own theater, and everyone went to go see a movie at least once a week or even more. The film industry started to grow immediately and became part of the American culture. Movies became a part of everyone’s life. “People might not know the names of government officials, but they knew the names of every leading actor and actress.”(Dirks 3)…

    • 2019 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hum 176 Week ^ Assignment
    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hum 176 Week ^ Assignment

    Visual entertainment media is a part of everyday life, anywhere from cellphones, television, internet, newspaper, etc. All of the forms of visual entertainment media have helped shaped America, also the culture and values that have developed over the years. The most common visual entertainment media form that has shaped, influenced, the culture and values in America is cable television. Cable television covers so many different forms within itself, news channels, religious channels, debate channels, and different types of local television programs. Each of these channels carries their own message, with entertainment values that are viewed by the person watching the program. Many forms of visual entertainment carry a negative social influence message, self-education is important on these types of visual entertainment in order to determine what best fits your personal situation. If there are, guidelines that are set on, what type of visual entertainment are acceptable, internet access, cell phone access, and television channels. Than the amount of negative influence, someone may be subjected to can be cut down dramatically, giving the opportunity for positive experiences to be put in its place. The idea of visual entertainment media is to help spread education, and social entertainment purposes. One way to ensure that this is the experience that is shared is to limit what you make available to your family and how much is acceptable. I think that it is very easy for adolescent minds to be subjected to influence, both positive and negative depending on what their social surrounding support frequently. If a child is exposed to violent, sexual, or death filled entertainment, it is more likely for them to incorporate these things into their everyday social environment. This affects their social behavior and attitudes to not only peers, but also any given situation. The influences these entertainment types have can either become a person or just be a part of everyday…

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Plug-In Drug: Television And Family Life Analysis
    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Plug-In Drug: Television And Family Life Analysis

    In today's society the human existence has simply relied on the usage of entertainment for survival. Entertainment is seen a necessary component of everyday life that helps individuals get through their day. However it has become increasingly apparent that entertainment is not beneficial to society. It has served as an addictive drug encapsulating its users from a young age. Also it has cause increased sleep deprivation in many individuals who participate in these activities. Furthermore, it has caused extreme dissatisfaction for consumers by raising one's expectations for what life has to offer too high for reality to compete. Thus, entertainment in the form of advertisement, gaming, media and electronics negatively affects the individual…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gabriel Vara
    • 418 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gabriel Vara

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Life the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality, Neal Gabler Response
    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Life the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality, Neal Gabler Response

    Entertainment does not “ruin” society but is an important piece in its growth. We work hard all day and turn to entertainment to relax and relieve stress. Without it we would be…

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

    High School Confidential: Notes On Teen Movies
    • 1312 Words
    • 6 Pages

    High School Confidential: Notes On Teen Movies

    While people watch television or movies, they are being fed false information. Such as, one must be rich and attractive to be accepted into society. It is highly likely that the audience may have learned more than the moral message of the story. Americans have learned new information like behaviors that are now tolerable, people they should not converse with, and that their lifestyles are not good enough. What Americans are watching on the screen is what is being pushed into their heads. Unfortunately, television and film has now changed into a way that promotes negative behaviors, limitations among who one can be seen with, and self- insecurities. Television and film is a very serious issue that Americans should be aware of and should also reconsider what they have been…

    • 1312 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Entertainment Kills Society
    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Entertainment Kills Society

    Entertainment today has become a booming business. Most everything in an everyday life will have something to do with entertainment. It is known to some as the media such through the form of television, news, movies, music, or the internet. These forms of entertainment have overtaken the lives of society as a whole that it seems all morality has been lost and sucked into this world of entertainment. But without entertainment, one can only wonder what sort of psychological state our society would be in and the effects it has on our state of being.…

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

    fast entertainment
    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages

    fast entertainment

    Entertainment has provided society with an escape from reality, which at times may be very stressful and chaotic. Fast entertainment is the center of everyone 's day, maybe its music, television, internet, or your cell phone. We are all seeking and craving entertainment all throughout the day. Entertainment today has become a skyrocket business. Mostly everything in our lives has something to do with entertainment. Certain forms of entertainment have overtaken the lives of society as a whole and it seems all morality has been lost and sucked into this world of entertainment. The question I have been asking myself is, has entertainment taken over society? A lot of people think entertainment is not harming too society in any way, but I have many reasons why I think society could be better if we didn’t rely so much on entertainment. As Craig Watkins writes in the essay, fast entertainment and multitasking in an always-on world, “like fast food, fast entertainment is easy to get, all around us, and typically cheap, but not always good for you.” (Watkins 143)…

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Effects of Video Games in Our Society
    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Effects of Video Games in Our Society

    The effects video games have on young people. Good or bad? Effects of computerized gaming have a wide range on young people today and like anything else the effects you get out is in the way they are used. If we look at how computer games are made and what they are intended for we can get a better understand for the effects that come out of them.…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Impact of Video Games in Society
    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Impact of Video Games in Society

    A video game is an interactive computer that displays a video signal, allowing you to play thousands of games on your television or handheld video game device. (Wikipedia, Video Game) We have came a very long way since the very first type of video game console was invented by Ralph Baer in 1967. From the very first console, the "Brown Box" to the more interactive video game consoles such as the Wii, Playstation, XBOX or the handheld Nintendo DS. Regardless of which video game is being used, it has made a huge impact in life 's of many children, as well as adults today. In the beginning, the games were user friendly and parents did not have much to worry about if they purchased a video game for their child. Take Pac Man for example, a very simple game where the player "Pac Man" eats dots and tries to avoid getting touched by an enemy. Now in 2012, we have games such as Call of Duty which focuses on killing members of the opposite team.…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stereotypes Through Social Media
    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Stereotypes Through Social Media

    However, wouldn’t representations such as violence and sleaze affect how people view current events? When society, especially children and teenagers, “spend more time with media than any other activity,” it is hard to imagine a world where it wouldn’t affect people (“Children, Teens, and Entertainment Media” 1). This, of course, is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on what is promoted. However, Education Digest states that people have been “transformed” by the media, and not for the best (“Children, Teens, and Entertainment Media” 1). Recent studies recorded by teachers show the lack of critical thinking, writing skills, and interaction among students intertwined in entertainment and social media (“Children, Teen, and Entertainment Media” 4).…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Violence in Entertainment and Its Effect on Society
    • 1989 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Violence in Entertainment and Its Effect on Society

    Does entertainment influence society's attitude towards violent behavior? In order to fully answer this question we must first understand what violence is. Violence is the use of one's powers to inflict mental or physical injury upon another, examples of this would be rape or murder. Violence in entertainment reaches the public by way of television, movies, plays, and novels. Through the course of this essay it will be proven that violence in entertainment is a major factor in the escalation of violence in society, once this is proven we will take all of the evidence that has been shown throughout this paper and come to a conclusion as to whether or not violence in entertainment is justified and whether or not it should be censored. <br><br>Television with its far reaching influence spreads across the globe. Its most important role is that of reporting the news and maintaining communication between people around the world. Television's most influential, yet most serious aspect is its shows for entertainment. Violent children's shows like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and adult shows like NYPD Blue and Homicide almost always fail to show human beings being able to resolve their differences in a non-violent manner, instead they show a reckless attitude that promotes violent action first with reflection on the consequences later. In one episode of NYPD Blue three people were murdered in the span of an hour. "Contemporary television creates a seemingly insatiable appetite for amusement of all kinds without regard for social or moral benefits" (Schultze 41). Findings over the past twenty years by three Surgeon Generals, the Attorney General's Task Force on Family Violence, the American Medical Association, the National Institute of Mental Health, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other medical authorities indicate that televised violence is harmful to all of us, but particularly to the…

    • 1989 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Argumentative Essay – Neal Gabler
    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Argumentative Essay – Neal Gabler

    To avoid the exposure of entertainment would be difficult. Whether it’s the Hollywood blockbusters, the television sitcoms, the young adult novels or the music pumping through your speaker, entertainment is everywhere, serving as the portal to the world around us. Neal Gabler’s assertion that entertainment has the capacity to ruin our society holds some truth, but I believe that it is more beneficial than detrimental. The impression that entertainment will bequeath on an individual depends on the intention and extent in which it is utilized.…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Do You Agree or Disagree with the Following Statement: Movies and Television Have More Negative Effects Than Positive Effects on the Way Young People Behave.
    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Do You Agree or Disagree with the Following Statement: Movies and Television Have More Negative Effects Than Positive Effects on the Way Young People Behave.

    Admittedly, movies and televisions ,to some extent, have some positive effect on the way young people behave. For example , young people could have access to fress news about what is happening across the world and latest criticisms and comments on international events. Meanwhile, younsters can also watch some talk shows talking jokes and funny stories which make people relaxed.However, these substantial infomation innundating have an obvious flaw. That is the way TV operates is unilateral. People tend to regard what they have received from TV is always true. But,the fact is , lots of TV shows create controversial topics of discussion just to attempt to win audience ratings, thus, the…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Psychological Effects of Tv on Children Essay Example
    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Psychological Effects of Tv on Children Essay Example

    Television viewing is a major activity and influence on children and adolescents. People complain that certain TV shows are having negative effects on their children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) both feel that TV does influence the behavior of children as young as one year old. From their studies, the AACAP states, “Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see” (as cited in Wilcox, 2004) This speaks to the impressionable mindsets of young children, who are still learning control of their minds and bodies, and are likely to mimic what they see, as it seems quite normal to them. Everything that children see or hear in the media early on in their lives affects them in some way. Violence, sexuality, race and gender stereotypes, drug and alcohol abuse are common themes of television programs. The Academy of Pediatrics says “More than one thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More