Media Role Models Essay

The media is by far the most influential mean in millions of Americans lives today and can be used to impact behaviors, especially in the vulnerable minds of children and young adults. The media is responsible for the increasing amount of violent crimes and desensitizing society with explicit imagery and the importance of our culture and contributing to negative behavior, society should pay careful attention to the kinds of role models we provide to the youth. Possibly, the most powerful source of role models can be found in every home: the computer or television. Television is a source that has given more knowledge in the past several years than any other kind of knowledge distributor, including books and newspapers. Television is the most dominant invention of the twentieth century and has created more public figures than radio, books, and magazines combined. However, the role models that are created through the television are not always upstanding citizens like Barrack Obama or Steve Jobs, but instead psychopathic murderers such as Jeffery Dahmer, Ted Bundy and Charles Manson. Not only is society fascinated by the media attention that certain types of citizens receive but they are also mesmorized by films that make these people look like tough fighters who can kill people with the snap of a finger. Actors such as Steven Segall, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis have have capitalized in violent films because of the media exposure as killers and murderers.

"Violence seems to be something everybody feels they can recognize when they see it, yet it is difficult to define unambiguously. Many different definitions are now in use, and there is much disagreement about them. (Wober 41)" Violent behavior is high due to the sale...

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...ant to watch. The first amendment protects their right to show violence as often as they would like. The effects are detrimental and have caused many documented violent crimes and murders. Watching television influences people's attitudes. The more television children watch, the more accepting they are of aggresive behavior.(Dominick 39)

There is no denying the fact that media influences society daily and can take a negative affect on society. It is necessary to enforce standards in order to reduce the baring of violence through the media to children. Including, but not limited to supporting parents to oversee the children’s media viewing and encouraging children to ask questions about the media and not to follow the behavior of certain characters. Society needs to stop supporting the media and request them to cut down the violence and sex in the programming.