Media Censorship Will Not Stop the Violence

2198 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of television violence

Media Censorship Will Not Stop the Violence

Violence will be with us forever. We cannot change that. However, we can, and must change the way our children and we relate to it. Leonard Pitts Jr., columnist for the Miami Herald, explains it this way:

Despite the way it seems, carnage did not begin at Columbine. To the contrary, human beings have always had a tremendous capacity to inflict pain on one another, a capacity that reaches far deeper than whatever is on the marquee at the local multiplex. I do not dispute that we live in a violence-besotted culture that has helped anesthetize children -- all of us, really - to the effects of physical aggression. So yes, it is proper and necessary for us to debate the way violence is depicted. But that is not quite the same as saying we can or should be protected from it. (B07)

The focus should be placed on the type of violence we see rather than the amount. According to a new Harvard University study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Walt Disney may be hazardous to children's health. Researchers looked through 74 animated feature films for children released since 1973. Their conclusion: Animated movies subject children to "significant" amounts of violence, frequently fail to explore alternative means of conflict resolution and, therefore, may be unsuitable for small children in the family. According to Harvard, "violence" includes depictions of premeditated murder, as well as, Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff (Pitts). These two acts, both violent, will not conceivably affect children in the same manner.

Professional groups, including the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Chil...

... middle of paper ...

...wer. "Youth violence is at the same level it was 20 years ago," said Williams, who criticized the explicit news broadcasts of such sensational topics as the O.J. Simpson murder trial and the Rodney King beating. "That was under the guise of news, of justifiable violence. But why do we have to worry about what's on TV when we have a button that says off-on? We do not need V-chips. We need 'p-chips' implanted in the back of parents' heads and making them reassert their responsibility" (Bloom).

Works Cited

Bloom, David. "Celebrities Debate TV Violence." The Plain Dealer 18 August 2000: 5E.

Mestel, Rosie. "The Great Debate." The Gazette (Montreal) 30 September 2000: W7.

Pitts, Leonard Jr. "Not All Media Violence is the Same." The Times-Picayune 4 June 2000: B07.

Wang, Justine. "Kids and Violence: Who's to Blame?" The Plain Dealer 21 September 2000:11B.

Show More
Related

  • A child Called It by Dave Pelzer

    2130 Words  | 5 Pages

    American Psychological Association. (2001) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed). Washington, DC: McLaughlin & Reinking

    Read More

  • Mad TV: The Impact of Televised Violence on America

    1889 Words  | 4 Pages

    Everyone’s seen the classic cartoons. Wile E. Coyote chasing the Roadrunner around a bend, only the Roadrunner turns, but our comedic--and usually stupid--villain doesn’t. So, he falls from a height of what looks like about 500,000 feet, only to become a small puff of smoke at the bottom of the canyon. After all, if what happens to you when you fall from that height were to have happened to Mr. Coyote, that would have been a very short lived cartoon series. Maybe this example is an exaggeration, but the idea is the same: violence comes streaming into our homes every single day through our TVs not to be viewed, but to be devoured. It’s been proven that sex and violence sell. For those of us who can tell the difference between reality and fantasy, the effect of TV violence is miniscule. But for our children--who think when the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers come to the local shopping mall, that it’s the biggest event since Bert told Ernie he snores too loud--the violence seen on TV seems like a logical reaction to life’s problems. And that’s a problem within itself. The impact of televised violence on children is only a slice of the pie that is the problem with the endless stream of violent acts on TV.

    Read More

  • Nurses ' Right : Safe Harbor

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Read More

  • The Increase in Violence In Movies

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    By now, you’ve all probably seen a PG-13 movie with violence in it. You could have not even batted an eye at the violence. Violence in movies is common these days. We’re used to it. A recent survey done by professor Brad Bushman, at Ohio State University even found movie violence has doubled since the 50’s and for PG-13 movies gun violence is shown to have tripled since 1985. Some say this is going to have a negative impact on our society and that the MPAA should change their ratings system so that violence is a theme that is only allowed in R-rated movies. Still, their claims have no evidence of media violence harming people in the real world. Violence in movies does not have long-term negative effects on our society proving that the MPAA shouldn’t have to restrict violence in PG-13 movies.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Several Articles on Adolescents, Media and Violence

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    This article talks about the effects of media exposure on adolescents and the violence that is can bring. Using the social conflict theory it portrays the media as having a harmful impression on today’s children. The article shows how crime statistics have decreased the arrests for violent crimes committed by youth offenders has not (Fowler, 2002). The article also shows how the APA is teaming up with federal programs to help resolve these harmful effects that the media is portraying. The article shows that media is responsible for the social conflict that these adolescents are dealing with. The APA and other organizations along with the federal government are combating this problem from every angle (Fowler, 2002). While the article does speak of some statistics it may be inflating them by not including a breakdown of what violent crimes are being committed.

    Read More

  • Juvenile Justice

    1356 Words  | 3 Pages

    Understand that there are more than one cause to juvenile violence. Media and television related violence is only one of the factors. Addressing and trying to correct one issue at a time is going to be the most productive. Take television for example. Lionel Tate was obviously influenced by actions he saw from people, adults, on television. Though not all blame can be put in the hands of the entertainment industry. Other factors including parent control and limitation, and previous behavioral patterns could have prevented Tiffany's death. In the book, Children in a Violent Society, Joy Osofsky makes a strong case about kids and the negative effects of witnessing violence. "Children learn what they see…and they do not learn that violence is bad. Too often, they learn that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflict…"(Osofsky, 4). Take a hypothetical situation about Johnny.

    Read More

  • Criminology And Criminal Justice Theories

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the study of criminal justice and the formation of criminal justice theories are largely molded by several other disciplines such as psychology and sociology (Wellford, 2007), the study of criminal justice has grown and it is time for it to stand alone as its own scientific discipline. Crime theories are developed through studying individuals and assessing as well as their environment and other social aspects. These theories are then used to help form policies in order to deter the individual or group from committing further crimes. Criminal justice theories are not only used for crime but there are also theories which aid criminal justice personnel in the application of the practices that they use. The criminal justice policies are implemented

    Read More

  • Youth and Substance Abuse

    1740 Words  | 4 Pages

    Liddle, H A., Rowe, C L., Dakof, G A., Henderson, C E., Greenbaum, P E.; (Feb, 2009). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology; Vol 77(1); 12-25. Doi: 10.1177/0306624X10366960

    Read More

  • America Needs Media Censorship

    2275 Words  | 5 Pages

    One of the culprits of criminal behavior is T.V. violence. Violent programs may have a negative influence on those individuals who are already violence-prone, or children who are living through vulnerable periods of their development. Adult violent offenders tend to have shown certain personality features as children, ?one being they tended to have viewed violence on television.? The amount of violence on television continues to grow. ?A typical child watched on television one thousand murders and twenty five thousand acts of violence before finishing elementary school.? When displayed this often, how can people not become desensitized to criminal acts? ?By allowing this type of material to be openly exposed to the public we are endangering safety and society?s values.? Without control of what material is delivered to the masses, we cannot expect people to have a proper sense of right and wrong as they will constantly see the horrific things that happen in the false reality of the media and become immune to feelings of disgust toward such atrocious deeds in real life. Controlling what is viewed on television is the responsibility of the government in order to decrease violence in the real world.

    Read More

  • Exploring the Intricacies of Criminology and Crime Theories

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    Introduction: Criminology is a scientific approach to the study of crime and why it occurs. Criminologists examine this both on the individual and on the societal level. Meaning, why do individuals commit crime, and how society reacts to those crimes. As we look at the root causes of crime, we begin to notice certain aspects of people’s lives that causes them to offend - like a poor social standing, or perhaps an individual’s peer group who may allow or even support negative influences. We can also try to understand why some individuals choose NOT to offend and live pro-social lives despite negative external influences. These concepts and ideas are known as crime theories. There are many and they are wide-ranging.

    Read More

  • Video Game Industry and Violence

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    Malcolm, T.  Teen Violence: Does Violent Media Make Violent Kids?  National Catholic Reporter.  May 28, 1999 v35 i30 p14.

    Read More

  • The Solution to America's Violence Problem

    386 Words  | 1 Pages

    Violence in America is a problem, and it is a problem that should be addressed. However,

    Read More

  • Children & Violence in the Media and at Home

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Children are too young to experience it when it is being inflicted on them, and very immature to be influenced by violent contents inside cartoons and movies. In conclusion, measures should be taken on how these children are being exposed to violence else there possibly will be consequences.

    Read More

  • Rap Music's Influence Upon Teenagers

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Senate Committee on the Judiciary. “Media Violence Causes Youth Violence.” Mass Media. Ed. William Dudley. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 121-130.

    Read More

  • Violence in the School Systems

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although violence in the United States is a problem that needs a lot of attention, the amount of episodes is and hopefully will remain declining over the years. Teachers, parents and peers all have an impact on each and every child that goes through school systems. As long as they keep teaching violence prevention programs, the numbers will keep dropping. Although this problem will never fully go away, the percentage of violence in schools will be constantly dropping.

    Read More

More about Media Censorship Will Not Stop the Violence

Open Document