“ Media The New Age Weapon” is the title I have created for the story “ AGGRESSION: The Impact of Media Violence” by Sissela Bok. The author is a Swedish born philosopher, ethicist, and a recipient of the courage of conscience award, as well as, her parents were both noble prizewinners. Bok is also known for her published prose that focuses and debate the ethics and public affairs of society.
As I cruise into the first paragraph, I notice how the author correlates glamour and aggression in the public eye. The further I read into the story clues start to accumulate and the author’s thesis becomes crystal clear. Bok points out how media violence affects the development of today’s youth and their ability to see right from wrong.
Bok’s purpose of this piece is to express concern and awareness over what is being viewed through the media and how it is translated into action on the streets. The intended audience is parents with hope to educate them on the potential danger lurking in their T.V room.
“ Media coverage of violence, far from declining, has escalated since, then, devoting ever more attention to celebrity homicides and copycat crimes”, is an interesting quote demonstrating how media uses celebrity popularity to boost ratings, as well as, promote these individuals as positive role models in society. In turn possibly glorifying these violent situations in children’s eyes, again questioning their ability to see right from wrong. Another quote I found equally intriguing “ Today, the sights and sounds of violence on the screen affect this learning process from infancy on, in many homes. The television screen is the lens through which most children learn about violence”. This excerpt is powerful because Bok shows how young children are open to learning therefore they are also vulnerable. The mind of a child is hungry for understanding the need to model their behavior after someone or some image that they have learned to admire and or respect. In addition if the children watch T.V more than interacting with their parents, friends or classmates it is proven that the media becomes their model. However the quote “ America may be the only society on earth to have experienced what has been called an “ epidemic of children killing children”, which is ravaging some of its communities today is too general, as there maybe several communities or societies in the world that have this problem without having access to media.
“ AGGRESSION: The Impact of Media Violence” is an excellent description of how the media has plenty of power in shaping our future members of society. In addition Bok’s paper Shedds light on the possible outcomes if this problem is not rectified or stopped. Media violence may not be the main problem, however as the author explains it is definitely not part of the solution.
In today’s world how can parents stop violent content on T.V when it is run by big company’s whose priority is ratings and not teaching future generations right from wrong ?
It is as simple as turning the tv off. Parents should be entertaining their children in different ways that are educational and teach them good values and morals rather than relying on tv as a baby sitter in today's working world.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Deb. But I also believe that it is a direct reflection of how busy we are becoming as a society. We are so individualistic in our thinking that it's every person for themselves. This is creating a huge poverty divide where families are having live life with two incomes and sometimes multiple jobs for one person. That makes it extremely hard for a person to have the quality time to spend with their children.
ReplyDeleteYes parents can turn off the tv and entertain their children. I am a mother of two who does not have cable tv. I am very busy and thankfully can run off of little sleep so I can devote time to my children while completeing the other needed tasks of the day. Some are not that fortunate though. I can see how easily tv can be used to just give a parent the time needed to complete a task. It's not as if the parent is trying to neglect their child or trying to use the tv as a babysitter, but in the end that's exactly what they are doing.
Also turning off the tv may not be the best option out there because then the child is going to be very nieve when going out into the bigger world. I think that parents need to find the time to sit down and watch age appropriate shows that do have some mild violence in it and make the child aware of feelings, consequences and the effects it has on relationships. This way then the child is learning that there are choices to be made and are better able to weigh the pros and cons as opposed to being unaware of these situations.
Hi Jordan,
ReplyDeleteYour clearly written analysis drew some nice discussion from your readers. I like your point that kids are interacting more with their televisions (and computers I would add) than their parents. Makes one a bit worried about role models, doesn't it?