Media Madness

Media Madness

It is astounding to read the statistics on the violence that is occurring, especially by our children. “Aggression: The Impact of Media Violence”, by Sessile Bok theorizes about how we perceive what we see on the television, and how viewers are affected.  While television has been link to a variety of societal problems, it is producing a more violent generation from desensitization, tolerance, and denial. Bok is concerned that the violence by our young will only get progressively worse; unless we change the filth young viewers are exposed to from their televisions.

Each year the violence that we witness on our television intensifies.  It is becoming difficult to find programs to watch that are not violent, even sports are becoming increasingly violent. People are interested in watching something that has a certain amount of bloodshed. When you watch a horror film from the past, it is almost comical.  We are being desensitized to violent acts like shootings; shootings are not quite gory enough. Now movies contain images of people getting tortured causing the most possible pain to their victims and most us don’t even cringe. Even when you watch the news, the camera zooms in on the blood scattered on the ground. We are lowering our standards to what is permissible to pass through our television screens “this is lowering of barriers may be assisted by the failure of empathy that comes with the growing desensitization, and intensified to the extent that the viewers develop an appetite for violence-something that may lead to still greater desire for violent programs and, in turn, even greater desensitization.”

                We as society are becoming more tolerant to what is acceptable for our young to watch on the television, and what video games they are allowed to play. There are people who have trust in our laws to protect us against things that our detrimental, however, sometimes we are failed “ Think of a film as a product, something created and brought to market, not too dissimilar from breast implants. Though the law has yet to declare movies to be products, it is only a small step away.” Even though the laws are not protecting us from this television madness, we can still filter what we allow are children to watch at home.

                In order for change to take place society has to come to the conclusion that television is causing an increase in violence.  Society is addicted to the entertainment to get from their televisions, therefore, why would they want to take that fun away. People don’t see the long term consequences to their fun, because there is no solid evidence that watching the TV creates violent monsters, “Nevertheless, the evidence indicates that if hypothetically, television technology had never been developed, there would today be 10,000 fewer homicides each year in the United States, 70,000 fewer rapes, and 700,000 fewer injurious assaults. Violent crime would be half of what it now is.” The evidence is change in society from what it was before the introduction of television, and that cannot be denied.

                Reading “Aggression: The Impact of Media Violence”, has made me more conscious of what my children and I are expose to from the media, and the long term affects.  Every reader of this article should be more aware of the dangers of television, and stop allowing the violence to enter their home.

               

                Do believe violent sports like UFC are too violent for young viewers?