can the media be blamed for violence in the media today
Can the media be blamed for violence in society today?
"Life is like a video game, you gotta die sometime." Spoken by the killer behind the Montreal incident, a lawyer said he used video games to train himself for the incidents. This is the possible manifestation caused by computer game rated as safe for teens, then society is creating a violent generation. What we must realise is that the media isn't completely to blame, these violent games reflect what gamers want, they make a conscious decision to choose a game. The games companies however make it a lot more attractive to the public, games like grand theft auto caused such controversy that it gained plenty of publicity and the public are offered "forbidden fruit" and these games must become more violent and controversial to continually offer this "forbidden fruit" .
It is natural for humans to join in groups it is a primitive survival mechanism, this can be linked to peer pressure, when under difficult circumstances young men will join gangs in order survive. This often occurs in ghettoised areas where it's extremely rough and in order survive you must join a gang, in these gangs there are often young children who grow in a violent environment. As these youths grow up they will develop a lifestyle revolving round violence such as the "gangsta" culture that has gripped many of America's underprivileged classes, they eventually end up as adults leading a life in criminality and violence. This can be achieved through no access to violent video games or movies.
Younger children's violent behaviour is often attributed to the media but this is scientifically proven incorrect, in the pre teen years children are prone imitation especially the younger ones, children will imitate good behaviour as well as poor behaviour when they see it. For children of that age are to immature to understand the consequences of their actions, at their age to they do not make the conscious decision without any influence to do something, the blame is attributed to parents. Parents often neglect their duties when allowing a child to see a violent movie, or buying them ...
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Younger children's violent behaviour is often attributed to the media but this is scientifically proven incorrect, in the pre teen years children are prone imitation especially the younger ones, children will imitate good behaviour as well as poor behaviour when they see it. For children of that age are to immature to understand the consequences of their actions, at their age to they do not make the conscious decision without any influence to do something, the blame is attributed to parents. Parents often neglect their duties when allowing a child to see a violent movie, or buying them a computer game that they are not hold enough for, there are clear labels of the age it is suitable for, yet parents are that ignorant. They are putting their children at risk by allowing them access to possible violent stimulus, which we still do not know the full effects off. It is believed that children generated cognitive scripts that essentially guide their own behaviour by imitating their media created idols, so when child watches a violent show they learn to internalise their scripts that use violence as a method of problem solving, for example trying to get money of a peer, they will imitate violent behaviour they have seen.
The social background of a child can have an affect on violent behaviour, men who have grown up without a maternal figure are significantly more likely to assault women. A well as that when parents have fights in front of their children they will imitate as they believe that the fact that their parents are doing that it makes it all right, parental influence on children is key affecting whether that child grows up to be violent. These days juries will not accept the media as the blame for a youth's violent act, they will look to the youth's background and their parents. A child's upbringing is key into how the child will eventually turn out as they are easily traumatised and emotionally scarred and this can have repercussions in the future.
As a teenager you become more mature and realise the consequences of your action, when they see a violent computer game they make a choice on whether they like it, this can be affected by advertising but not so much, however they are making a conscious decisions on whether they would like to play a violent game. Though they can also be attracted by what they cannot have, for example a thirteen year old boy wants a game designed for over eighteens, as well as that there is a element of peer pressure, if all their friends has their game they will want to be part of the group. Yet in the end it is their choice.
While not yet scientifically proven it is believed there are genes that dictate your personality of whether you are good or evil, people have been born with violent tendencies, or grown up to become rapists and murders. Why did the choose to do such things, impulse, the thrill of the power over life or death, the control over another person, but why do they have such thoughts and why do they act on them? For some in can be explained by background, bit for others such things can happen completely out of character which is where the idea of having evil in your genes comes from.
Human history is littered with violence, from the gladiators of the Roman coliseums, to the cage fighting in a Manchester arena, then there is war, even now we do not leave in a time of peace, perhaps we are a violent species. It also part of our culture, there are gang wars, hooliganism, cage fighting, people are not shocked by these things, plenty of people are shown to enjoy violence. The sport boxing is about punching another person with the aim of knocking him out, it is a violent sport, violence is in football and rugby. The media just want s to appeal to the masses, for video game makers and movie companies know what there market is, and there is one for violence and depravity such as the film series of Saw, Reservoir dogs, Hostel,. The film Reservoir dogs depicts torture, however the game has recently been banned in Australia which is the right approach. Whatever the opinion on whether the media causes violence in society, people do buy into it and it shows what sort of society we live in.
Research has shown that media violence causes physiological affects such as increased heart rate, faster respiration, raised blood pressure, increase of adrenaline, this all shows a flight or fight reaction to something that is isn't real. Scientists believe that this response can cause people to act aggressively in real life. Other test have shown that exposure to violence causes greater willingness to administer pain to others. Violence in the media acts as a stimulus to cause violent behaviour in people has been proven in scientific study, yet people's beliefs that censorship shouldn't be too tightly controlled as it's an invasion on the rights, this is rife in America. This is contradicted by Japan which has significantly lower murder rate than most western countries, yet has some of the most violent imagery in the media in the world.
The media cannot be blamed directly for violence in society as it is the access that children are allowed that causes the media induced violence. The media does however do little to prevent violence being shown on television or in video games, it in fact escalates the problem of violence.
In conclusion I believe that it is a person's environment that dictates whether a person will grow up to become a violent person, the social problems that cause this however are not helped by the media which has escalated the problem beyond control. In the next few years will be seeing the affect of media and social violence on the current generation and based on events in current affairs a dystopian society looks likely where violent youths of today who rule the streets become violent adults.
Ross Taylor RMG - H 26-09-06
