Media Violence is Not the Problem - The Problem is in Our...

There are many examples that Americans commonly associate with growing up and coming of age; getting a driver’s license, seeing an R-rated movie, registering for the draft or to vote, buying guns, killing classmates†¦ Indeed, the dramatic increase in school shootings during the 1990s, in conjunction with the technology boom, drew much attention to mass media violence. Does media violence perpetuate aggressive behavior in its viewers? If so, to what extent? Do viewers retain models of behavior from their exposure to media violence? Do these models resurface later on during their coming of age? These are hard questions that may not have definite answers; however, a clear analysis on many studies reveals that we’ve only begun to scratch the†¦show more content†¦Who’s to blame? The Culprits Many Americans, particularly parents and politicians, were displeased with the amount of violence depicted in the media. In terms of violence in music, many turned around and blamed shock-rockers such as Marilyn Manson, Rammstein, and KMFDM. This, despite the fact that Harris and Klebold were not Manson fans, is a rather selective judgment. As Brooks Brown, a close friend of Harris and Klebold, and Klebold’s childhood best-friend, wrote in his book he co-authored with journalist Rob Merritt, No Easy Answers, â€Å"Music creates an emotion, whether it’s anger, sorrow, thoughtfulness, happiness, or humor. What people do with their emotions is up to them. But music doesn’t tell people what to do† (17). As for video games, it was common knowledge that Harris and Klebold were video game fans of the first-person-shooter genre, such as Doom and Duke Nukem. Again, Brown writes, â€Å"Video games may have given them a place to direct their rage—but somethin g else caused their rage in the first place. Something caused them to cross the line of fantasy and embrace imaginary worlds like Doom and Duke Nukem as an alternate reality† (Brown and Merritt 39). On the other hand, statistics show that the average American child will view approximately 200,000 acts of violence on television, which includes 18,000 murders, by the time that child reaches eighteen (Schooler and Flora 277). With so much exposure, it would be foolhardy to totallyShow MoreRelatedYouth Violence: Identify the Cause and Work Towards Prevention1494 Words   |  6 Pagesdictionary, Violence is the exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse. Violence is often a behavioral response that children are taught to use in order to achieve their goals. On the other hand, violence can become a routine and automatic way of coping with stressful situations for some children (Youth Violence and Suicide Prevention Team 1999). You violence is an old problem that is frequen tly an issue over which there is much debate. Unfortunately, the increasing violence amongst childrenRead MoreIncreasing Violence in Youth Culture Essay1093 Words   |  5 PagesIncreasing Violence in Youth Culture In Bradbury’s dystopian classic, Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse says â€Å" ‘I’m afraid of children my own age. They kill each other’ † (Bradbury 27). Bradbury claims through Fahrenheit 451 that our society is becoming increasingly violent in youth’s culture. Furthermore, common sense seems to dictate that as technology advances violence, increases as well. Although schools are considered to be the safest places for children, media, behavioral problems, and influences insideRead MoreViolence and Education; School Safety937 Words   |  4 PagesViolence and Education: School Safety The most recent shooting at the elementary school located in Newtown, Connecticut have shifted our focus on the question of whether or not we are doing enough to protect our students in our schools across the nation. Every morning, parents send their children to school every morning trusting that they will be returning home the same day, but as we all know that isnt always the case for some. The tragedies that have taken place show that we need to pay moreRead MoreThe Issue Of Teenage Gun Violence1320 Words   |  6 PagesTeenage Gun Violence Nicole Minor Union University . Abstract Teenage gun violence is on the rise. Gun violence has become a major problem for America. We have more privately owned guns than any other country. This could be one of the reasons that guns are being used by teens, because of the access they have to guns. The availability of guns to our youth is making the world unsafe. Although lawmakers are working on gun control laws, I wonder is the problem too far goneRead MoreEssay On Teenage Gun Violence1314 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract Teenage gun violence is on the rise. Gun violence has become a major problem for America. We have more privately owned guns than any other country. This could be one of the reasons that guns are being used by teens, because of the access they have to guns. The availability of guns to our youth is making the world unsafe. Although lawmakers are working on gun control laws, I wonder is the problem too far gone. Social Welfare Issue: Teenage Gun Violence Teenage gun violence is caused by individualsRead MoreSocial Media And Its Impact On Society Essay1691 Words   |  7 PagesThe evolution of social media has been a controversial issue over the years. Since its beginning, it has had a historical impact on everyday life by changing the way we talk and interact with one another. Social media represents both positive and adverse effects on society, but does one side tip the scale more than the other? Online social media surrounds almost everyone in the modern society, and its worldwide popularity has empowered all generations to be connected and actively participate inRead MoreThe Corruption of Media690 Words   |  3 Pagesof Media I came up with a problem that concerns many parents. It seems as though violence plays a role in the lives of many people. Even innocent children are affected by the negative things that go on in the huge world we live in. Television violence is often overlooked because of its ability to retain children’s attention. Countless mothers and fathers put their children in front of the television so they can have time to themselves. As a result, the kids are subjected to unnecessary media violenceRead MoreEssay on We Must Reduce School Violence647 Words   |  3 PagesThe focus of American schools these days have so changed from the â€Å"basics† of teaching children to read, write and do arithmetic. Instead of just being an academic institution that is entrusted with teaching our children skills that would enable then to be intelligent contributing members of society, the schools are now looked at as â€Å"extensions of the community†. Therefore, according to John De wey, â€Å" schools should share social burdens and be responsible for equipping children with skills necessaryRead More Essay on Gender and School Violence1060 Words   |  5 Pagesrecent acts of violence by children have prompted us as a nation to look at the causes and possible solutions to this crisis in our schools. In fact, according to Public Agenda, a national organization that conducts public opinion research on educational issues, school safety was identified as the most important issue affecting schools by those surveyed (Johnson Immerwahr, 1994/1995). Yet school violence does not exist in a vacuum. It is directly related to the violence in our society. And forRead MoreShould We Blame Television1210 Words   |  5 PagesTelevision? The amount of violence shown in the media has posed a lot of controversy. Many video games, television programs, adverts, films and music lyrics depict different forms of violence. Some people feel that there is too much violence exposed in the media. Many studies have made the claim that the media is responsible for much of the violence seen in the world we live in. However, people have choices and responsibilities, we cannot allow ourselves to blame the violence in the world on such things

The Life Of An American Literary Icon - 1206 Words

Neelee Harrison Honors English 9 19 April 2015 The Life of an American Literary Icon I think there s just one kind of folks. Folks (Lee 304). Harper Lee is one of America s most famous and beloved writers of her time. She has inspired people with her unique down-to-earth writing voice and her presentation of the rawness of people and life in general. Because of Harper Lee, America has learned to appreciate the differences in others from ourselves because you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view (Lee 39). Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in the tiny southern town of Monroeville, Alabama (Harper Lee). Her father Amasa Coleman Lee, had many occupations. He was a†¦show more content†¦Truman and Harper grew up to be the best of friends (Harper Lee). Truman became her inspiration for character Dill in her bestselling novel, To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee Biography List of Works, Study Guides). During high school, she became fascinated with literature and writing (Harper Lee). After graduating high school in the class of 1944, she went to Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama to study (Harper Lee Biography List of Works, Study Guides). After studying a year at Huntingdon, she transitioned to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa (Harper Lee). While at the University of Alabama, she began to go after her true calling to write (Harper Lee). She decided to join the college s newspaper team called, Rammer Jammer, and its magazine (Harper Lee). Later on in the years, she became the newspaper s editor. During her junior year at the University of Alabama, she was accepted into the college s law school while she was still an undergraduate (Harper Lee). Harper accepted the offer but became completely fatigued because of the hard work she had put into law school. She then had to quit her job as the Rammer Jammer s editor because of the school s orders (Harper Lee). Later on, she went to England s Oxford University to study abroa d for a year (Harper Lee Biography List of Works, Study Guides). After studying at Oxford, she returned to her law studies at the University of Alabama. At the end of her

Brandon Suing Essay Example For Students

Brandon Suing Essay Reality T.VWhy do people watch Reality T.V.? What makes it reality? If it isreality, whycan we separate our lives from theirs? Reality shows arent really reality,they just depictsmall pieces of real life. Most people think of it as just an ordinaryshow. Others see it assomething that they can relate to everyday life. Given this; there aredisputes while livingtogether, arguments, and actual fistfights can break out when viewing thesetypes ofshows. Sounds like real life right?When you actually put time and thought into it before you watch it,(most peopledont analyze the tendencies of these shows) you begin to notice that adesignatednumber of people might act the same way in a different show, or may actthe same way,every time. These characters are developed as the show progresses, gainingspecific attitudes. The characters consist of the witty, shy, smart-assedloud mouth, anda relatively mellow character. All must have encompass some traits; if theydidnt, itwouldnt really appeal to the v iewers. You cant make money out ofsomething peopledont watch. The way society is designed, most people watch what is shoved intotheir faces,and watch what is given. To watch these shows, you need the I.Q. of 1. Whydoes theirreality differ so much from ours? Society also determines how the people inthe showsact during the course of it. For instance, if two people are beingevaluated, and they getbad reviews, the editors of the show clip out parts that are irrelevant,and they showparts of that person that would make them more appealing to the viewers. This isnt right,adjusting the way that a person is shown so that they be more appealing,with or withoutthe persons consent. This cant be real, Dramatizing people for the solepurpose ofentertainment. Racial issues are in this as well; most shows consist of a variety ofnationality. They try to have at least one of each of the ethnic groups. This way, theshow may drawattention from viewers from different races. From my personal view, thedirections ofthese shows are headed down a one-way street, theres hardly any characterdevelopment. Most of them center on just a few themes, including danger, dating andfamily feudsituations. This goes on and on from one show to the next. This isntsomething that wehave to struggle to understand. The shows require a little directing and alittle fewerscreen writing. They compete for prizes which vary (cars, to money, even ahusband / wife!). Then to add to the drama, they add a twist; a person hasto vote off theirfriends, or the one least liked, some are even voted off by the actualpeople who watchthe show. All in all, reality T.V. may be something that you and your friendsand family cansit back during the day to watch just to get a kick out of it. As for thereality part, youmay not find that much, if any at all. It may be the new thing in T.V., butits still got along way to go before it deserves the name Reality T.V..