MTV: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly It would be hard for one to dispute the fact that MTV has influenced every pop culture trend since its birth in 1981. One could even say that MTV is pop culture. No other media network holds in the palm of its hand the power to control popular cultural evolution the way MTV does. What other media network has influenced and helped shape public opinion, filmmaking, newsgathering techniques, presidential politics, and world politics like MTV has? In addition to that, MTV can take credit for reconstructing the music industry (Rushkoff 126). One would be hard pressed to find a person who does not enjoy some type of music. Thus, "Music" television was built on a foundation that was virtually united by the whole world, and its popularity was inevitable. MTV chose popular music as its beating heart, instead of classical music or jazz. Young people around the country could now see their favorite music icons 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a result, the young people of America were given a national/international platform to share their common voice, a voice that to this day wants to be heard. Since MTV has such a large hand in shaping the young minds of today, it is important that both parents and children are aware of the impact MTV has in their daily lives. In assessing the impact and effect of popular cultural forms like MTV, it is important to acknowledge the extent to which, rather than having them imposed upon us, we may instead appropriate or assimilate parts, whilst choosing to reject or ignore the rest. This, of course, has the consumer or viewer acting (or perhaps more accurately interacting) as opposed to simply passively receiving (Philo par 16).Even though critics of MTV stand strongly against the passive consumer, the fact remains that MTV has done wonderful things for America's youth. Yet, where there is a "Good", there is also a "Bad" and an "Ugly". One of the many good things MTV has done is serve as the voice of youth in today's society. Demographic groups such as young African Americans had been socially silenced prior to MTV's ability to market urban music. Thus, MTV's ability to bring the unheard minority's voice to an international level has helped to break down some of the cultural barriers that have stood in humanity's way for centuries. Rappers such as Ice T and Public (E)enemy raised eyebrows around the world with their lyrics protesting Government hippocracies and other social issues. In turn, these artists contributions help make rap/urban music an important and influential cultural movement, and also emerged the young African American voice into political issues. Such an accomplishment deserves worldly praise and appreciation (Rushkoff 161-165). On the same level, MTV has contributed to the involvement of young people in modern social issues. While segments such as MTV News, keep young viewers involved with world issues such as the Environment, safe sex, racial tolerance, and the AIDS virus, MTV has also had a hand in presidential politics. In the Presidential election year of 1992, MTV launched a series of public service announcements under the campaign heading of "Rock the Vote". Rock stars backed the phrase "Choose or Loose", in multiple on-air segments, giving issue awareness a marketable value. While presidential incumbent George Bush refused to appear on the "teenybopper" network, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton held an open forum with an MTV audience. Considering Bush was a favorite among young adults in the 88' election, many people believe Bush's dismissal of the pop culture generation was a large reason for Clinton's victory in 92'. Even though MTV continues to make wonderful contributions to society such as those mentioned above, it can also have a harmful effect if we as a society do not recognize when things cross that Good to Bad line (Rushkoff 158-161). This line is crossed when people don't realize that in the grand scheme of media interaction, they are just a consumer. The only reason TV exists is for advertisement. Think of it this way, if no companies wished to advertise their product during the Superbowl, it would not be televised at all. In order for networks to make money, they need paid advertisements. In turn, the more viewers the network has watching their programs; the more companies will want their product to be advertised on said network. Keeping the audience "tuned in" is the key to establishing a loyal following, and therefore a loyal paycheck. Since music videos are relatively only a few minutes in length, they generally cater to the shorter attention spans of younger viewers. Because of the randomness of MTV's programming, children are removed away from linear thinking and the end result is Beavis and Butthead. Beavis and Butthead are two prime examples of what happens to kids when they watch too much MTV. For those who have never seen the show before, Beavis and Butthead were two very unproductive teenage boys who spent most of there time watching music videos, insulting each other, and partaking in childish pranks. While most of society just thought the show was about mindless violence and crude jokes, they did not even realize that the show was slapping us in the face with our own cultural decay. Furthermore, the Beavis and Butthead show could be considered a blatant advertisement for Anti-MTV, however most of us did not pick up on that. Instead we were too busy blaming Beavis for setting fires. Which brings us to the Ugliness of the whole MTV phenomenon, the lack of responsibility we as viewers take when watching such popular programming (Rushkoff 153-157.) Much like soap operas and movies, MTV creates a fantasy world for its viewers to slip into 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This escape from reality can only be harmful if the idealisms that are portrayed become reality to the viewer. For instance, popular music entertainer, Cisco, can be seen hosting shows on MTV with his extremely attractive entourage of six half dressed females called "The Six Pack". These images of luxury and fantasy are implanted into the subconscious of our more impressionable youths. Consequently, for those young people who are not aware of MTV's purpose in creating these images of luxury, the result is accepting fantasy as reality. A young male may think that the more half naked women he has following him around, the more successful he is. This is a bit extreme, but extreme sells. However, the underlying theme is the point here. That theme being that MTV/television at any given point is trying to sell an image or a product that appeals to it's designated viewers. Without these sales, MTV and television altogether would cease to exist. In conclusion, it is critical that we raise the bar for cultural and media awareness in today's over-consumptious society. No one wants to be a sucker, and if the rise of awareness leads to the decrease in passive media consumption, we will be more practical in our decision-making and less influenced in our product consumption. We have control of the media, the media does not have control of us. We have the ability to decide what to watch on TV, what to listen to on the radio, and what to buy in the stores. If one is sick of seeing "this or that" on TV constantly, then (that person) they can turn the channel. I recall an episode of The Simpson's, in which the town they lived in (Springfield) was being terrorized by oversized advertisements that mysteriously came to life. In a Godzilla-esque fashion, a fifty-foot "Big Boy" figure, along with many others, went on a destructive rampage. Needless to say this phenomena became a media event in Springfield. When little intelligent Lisa Simpson went to try and find out how to stop this senseless destruction, she found out that the only way to kill the fifty-foot advertisements was to not pay attention to them. By having such power we prove that we are in control of our moral evolution, for better or worse. Although we don't want to be puppets to the media, it is impossible to escape from its existence. Even though MTV and other television programming is in the business of making money off of us, the consumers, it is possible to enjoy the entertainment aspects of television for virtually nothing; and still be smart in the process. "The more we look, the better we see."- Lidia, from MTV's Liquid Television Works Cited Philo, Simon. "Getting Dumber and Dumber: MTV's Global Footprint." Cultural Studies Study Group 16 Sept. 1999. Accessed 19 July 2000. Rushkoff, Douglas. Media Virus: Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture. New York: Ballantine, 1994.
In the year 1787, George Washington headed the delegation that had come together to sign the US Constitution. The aim of the constitution was to give more power to the federal government. The Constitution contains rights that guarantee American citizens freedom of religion and worship. The Declaration of Independence came into existence on the fourth day of the sixth month of 1776, and it regarded the thirteen American colonies as free and independent from the British oppression. The Declaration of Independence came before the Constitution, and its aim was to state that the United States was no longer under colonial power as compared to the constitution that gives rights to American citizens. The Declaration of Independence, therefore, freed a state while the United States Constitution gave freedom to the American citizens after their nation had been liberated from all forms of colonial repression. The Declaration of Independence defined that the United States was free from British oppression whereas the Constitution describes the role of each branch of the government.
Many Americans believed that rock n’ roll was an irritant that provoked conflict between parents and teenagers and increased antisocial behavior. Acknowledging that there was no simple, casual equation between enjoying Elvis and arranging a rumble, they remained convinced that rock n’ roll reinforced the most worrisome aspects of youth culture. Because films displayed nudity, teenagers were introduced to various sexual activities displayed on the television.
In assessing the impact and effect of popular cultural forms like MTV, it is important to acknowledge the extent to which, rather than having them imposed upon us, we may instead appropriate or assimilate parts, whilst choosing to reject or ignore the rest. This, of course, has the consumer or viewer acting (or perhaps more accurately interacting) as opposed to simply passively receiving (Philo par 16).Even though critics of MTV stand strongly against the passive consumer, th...
This debate has produced two familiar interpretations of the Second Amendment. Advocates of stricter gun control laws have tended to stress that the amendment’s militia clause guarantees nothing to the individual and that it only protects the states’ rights to be able to maintain organized military units. These people argue that the Second Amendment was merely used to place the states’ organized military forces beyond the federal government’s power to be able to disarm them. This would guarantee that the states would always have sufficient force at their command to abolish federal restraints on their rights and to resist by arms if necessary. T...
These shows make millionaires out of people who become famous for all the wrong reasons. Being selfish and dysfunctional seems to be the criteria for being on these shows. Watching these people get rewarded for bad behavior sends the viewer the wrong message. MTV promotes teen pregnancy on TV by making it look like a good and fun thing. As reported by Doctor Logan Levkoff, a teen development expert, although MTV portrays the consequences of teen pregnancy, “They are on the cover of magazines, getting paid, getting endorsement deals, and becoming calendar models. Even if MTV shows all the hardships, they’re still being supported in so many ways. The way we bring people into fame for really not doing anything has created a culture where it is exciting to be a pregnant teen and the fact of the matter is that most teens who are pregnant do not have the same experience that the girls on those shows have” (cite 1) MTV sends a positive message and makes teens believe that high risk behaviors as a teen are not only tolerable, but the gateway to fame. Some teens might even think that girls could get pregnant purposely just for the publicity and money. There are also other shows, for instance “Jersey Shore” and “Real World”. On these shows, you see attractive young men and women going to bars, partying till they can’t even walk, picking up strangers and taking them home and sleeping with them and all these behaviors are shown without co...
B) Thesis statement: Gun control is a huge epidemic for the United States of America. The second amendment. The second amendment states "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Which states that American citizens can be able to carry firearms. I am against gun control because they are too many instincts when a mass shooting will happen and it could have been promoted with strict gun control laws. For example on July 20, 2012 a mass shooting happened at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. It occurred at a midnight premiere for The Dark Knight Rises a gunman named James Eagan Holmes through tear gas in the crowd and shot
The United States is the biggest economical power in the world today, and consequently has also the strongest and largest media industry. Therefore, it is essential to take a look at the crucial relationship between the media and the popular culture within the social context of the United States for a better understanding of the issue. For a simpler analysis of the subject we shall divide the media industry into three main branches: Entertainment, News and Commercials (which is the essential device for the survival of the industry, and shall be considered in integration with Entertainment). Researches have shown that the most popular reason behind TV viewing is relaxation and emptying the mind.
II. I defy my opponents to show in the "Bill of Rights" where it bars any particular type of firearm.
>. Dixon, Travis L., TaKeshia Brooks. “Rap Music and Rap Audiences: Controversial Themes, Psychological Effects and Political Resistance.” Perspectives. 7 April 2009. .
To say this is bad, I cannot, because I also grew up in this generation watching MTV and VH1. The way in which MTV brings cultural values worldwide is fascinating. With MTV’s brand being worldwide, it has created an identity where we globally share some of the same values. We tend to wear items we see other celebrities wearing, drink what we see celebrities drink, and wear T-shirt with logos on them just to express we are part of this MTV culture. For making such a difference globally, we are thankful to music television. For some inapt reason, this MTV generation believes by being freer and better, we are different from our parents. Although we share a common language that being commercial in nature, there still are the prejudices of society, issues of gender, and issues of race that we still share with our parents.
Herman, Laurence. "MTV Turns Innocent Fun Into Lesser Values." USA Today 29 Nov. 1999: A, 29:1.
I’m not saying that I like pop music or what they stand for, but I respect the fact that they influence media, videos, and people with the images that they convey. For example Britney Spears has fifty-nine websites that are dedicated to just HER. Can you believe that? Most of them are fan sites too. That is ridiculous. But you have to hand it to those pop stars; the way that they dance in their videos and the sexy clothing that where makes people want to be like them. The way that camera angles are set up in videos creates a very sensual atmosphere in a lot of videos. Also on the other hand a lot of pop stars grab public attention by singing about a controversial subject for example Christina Aguilera’s song “Beautiful” talks about the openness of homosexuality. It is not just pop stars however that sing about controversial topics other genres of music do the same thing, but the point I’m trying to make is that pop stars can influence their followers through music videos and image that they have the right opinion on certain topics that affect everyone. The messages pop stars show in their videos and the image that present affect everyone in both positive and negative ways.
Fortunately our forefathers were not subsumed into mindless robotic obeisance, but understood the people’s rights. After being subjected to British tyranny, they were especially interested in having an individual citizenry well-armed enough to be able to take on whatever government might be in power. Thomas Jefferson appropriately stated, “When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”1
It is increasingly clear that media and culture today are of central importance to the maintenance and reproduction of contemporary societies. Cultures expose society to different personalities, provide models, which display various forms of societal life and cultivate various ways to introduce people into dominant forms of thought and action. These are the types of activities integrate people into society and create our public sphere. Media and technology surround our society; engrained into the fabric of our existence so much so, that it has become hard to find an aspect of life not influenced by its effects. For this reason, media controllers, wield extreme power and influence over the lives of everyday people. Although, they increasingly continue to feed the audience trash, despite their authority as the creator of our social/cultural interactions, and justify their actions by calling themselves industries. Reducing themselves to just businesses whose sole purpose is to create a profit. This admittance of what they feel to be their true purpose however does not hinder their control and power but instead adds to it. Creating a need for there to be some way to analyze and discuss whether they are using their position and power wisely. Filling this void, scholars have theorized ways for individuals to be critical of the media that they intake. One of these critical theories is the “Culture Industry” theory. Using Cultural Theory, as well as other complementary neo Marxist theories, it is possible to determine how Stacy Peralta, once urban youth culture advocate, became incorporated into the superstructure through media use, thus making him a tool for the continued commoditization of society, and a youth marketer for industries l...
Pop culture is a reflection of social change, not a cause of social change” (John Podhoretz). It encompasses the advertisements we see on T.V, the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, and it’s the reason Leonardo DiCaprio has not won an Oscar yet. It defines and dictates the desires and fears of the mainstream members of society and it is so ingrained into our lives that it has become as natural as breathing. Moreover, adults never even bat an eyelash at all the pop culture and advertising that surrounds them since it has become just another part of everyday life. Pop culture is still somewhat seen as entertainment enjoyed by the lower class members of society but pop culture standards change over time.