can media inspire violent crimes essay

Television violence, for instance, and the widespread public concern accompanying it have led to calls for strict controls on the depiction of violent programs.. Fortunately, this group

Can Media Inspire Violent Crimes?

One problem that many corporations ignore is the possibility that

aggressive type people seek reinforcement for their own

destructive acts, either

against themselves or other people Television violence, for instance, and the

widespread public concern accompanying it have led to calls for strict controls

on the depiction of violent programs

In their decision making, some producers do not take

responsibility for the

equally important minority Instead, they may gear their content toward the

masses, who crave sexually explicit and violent action

Fortunately, this group

has the ability to disseminate violent action rationally,

realizing that in

reality, people who commit acts of violence have to compensate for their actions

by taking full responsibility for the harm they cause others Not everyone can distinguish fact from fantasy Not only is

it the

irrational people who commit the crimes in our country, but our own children who

may errantly be learning from day one that nothing bad will

happen to them if

they shoot their brother in the head with Daddy's pistol

Studies show that in one week of content analysis of

prime-time output on

seven New York City channels, there were 3,421 acts and threats

of violence

observed Children's fictional entertainment programs had three times the

frequency of violent acts or threats recorded in adult programs (Gunter,

p.13) many of these acts were committed without any

compensation for the

action without responsibility, then it must be acceptable

behavior Similarly,

aggressive adults are seeking reinforcement for their own

anti-social behavior

from seeing attractive television characters behave in the same way

Behavioral evidence has indicated that the anti-social

effects of violent

television portrayals are strongest and are most likely to occur among

individuals who are already aggressive (Palmer, p 10)

The ethical question is, should television submit to mass appeal or take

into consideration the affects on certain members of society, including

children? The consequences of televising violence are not only harmful to some

viewers but concurrently affect the television stations in the form of loss of

viewers and possibly gaining a bad reputation There are many sources,

including viewers' associations and popular journalism, which have been

condemning the depiction of violence in television programs as a potentially

dangerous and anti-social act on the part of those who make and transmit

programs (Gunter p 2) Still, even though these associations have been

condemning television violence, their efforts have had little effect on the

large money-making corporations Therefore, the decision, on the part of those

in charge of the programs, should be one of social

responsibility

In his article, "Sex and Violence", Joe Saltzman states,

"If, as producers

argue, violence is a part of the human condition, then so is responsibility In

real life, you just do not commit mayhem and then go on to the next scene."

It is also necessary to realize that violence is part of our nature and of

our life Almost everyday we are participants and observers of violence,

whether it is natural violence, theatrical or fictional violence, sporting event

violence, or political violence To exclude all scenes of

violence form

television would be to falsify the picture of life

Television media can "encourage or aid" destructive

behavior, not "cause"

it There are usually many more casual factors involved To tell people what

they can and can not say, write, and televise is

unconstitutional; however, it

can be controlled and we can hope that the decision makers will promote strong

moral, ethical values in their decision making or at least

consider them, in

order to help prevent violent or self-destructive behavior

Bibliography

Gunter, Barrie; Dimensions of Television Violence, p 2, 13 Palmer, Edward; Children in the Cradle of Television, p 10