By scary movies, and violently thrilling television shows, the media is slowly (or quickly) implementing violence in our mind, so that we've lost our reasonable and rational problem-solving skills. Whenever there's a conflict, or there's anger present, revenge seems to follow right behind. And not a good kind of revenge: violence.
Why does this happen? The perpetrators of the Columbine Massacre in Colorado were not only obsessed with playing a violent video game, they were also full of hatred. They were angry, and hated just about everyone. They had a hit list with not only specific names of people they intended to kill, but also certain types of people. Somehow, killing people and then killing themselves was a release for them and had some sort of benefit. How do we know this won't happen again? We don't.
Why does the media inoculate so much violence into our minds that we have trouble separating reality from the screen? We can't face someone to resolve a conflict anymore. We either act aggressively, with the worse case scenario being violence or even worse, murder, or we act passive-aggressively, the most prevalent form being blackmail.
Our very social skills and people skills are diminshing slowly, by the media. If this isn't completely true, it at least feels like the truth. By creating a video game to re-live the Columbine Massacre and give others the chance to kill the students, the media is sending a message that that sort of behavior is okay. It's not okay. Not in any way. Yet, we're in conflict because we know certain things (like resorting to violence) are morally wrong, but we're told [by the media] at the same time that it's not wrong. No wonder we don't know what's going on with the current youth who are coming of age now!
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Maybe this situation is worse now with current media or maybe it has just been receiving more press lately.
ReplyDeleteThe game that supposedly "inspired" (for lack of a better word) the Columbine shooting came out maybe 15 years ago.
I remember seeing on PBS program about violent video games that there was an early 90s video game in which the player was a Nazi soldier and his goal was to beat and shoot Jews. That was horribly insensitive and unethical to make yet somebody, likely kids, bought it and played the game. It would be difficult to argue about whether games today are worse, when there was a Pro-Nazi video game released almost twenty years.
The video game industry, and the media as a whole, for several years has been creating wildly inappropriate material that we wouldn't want children imitating. While I feel that media has proven to be unscrupulous long before the Internet craze, part of the problem may be how much worse, or more morally wrong, media has become. However, to me, it seems the preponderance of the problem is the increased prevalence and accessibility of media due to development in technology.It is not just a matter of media's morals diminishing.
in my personal opinion it all goes back to parenting. i dont think there is anything wrong with the making of the video games and movies its all for entertainment. i think the parents have to do the monitering and tell them this is just a game or a movie. My dad always said to me this is just a movie. you know you do not do these things or say these things. Its all about parenting and teaching your child right from wrong. The columbine incedent was in my opinion all on the parents not as much the child. they should have been clsely watched much more.
ReplyDeleteViolence sells. Just like sex sells, the media has come to brainwash the public into seeing that violence sells. It's acceptable to them. It has been "normalized".
ReplyDeleteLet me throw in the Christian perspective here and just say that we cannot put a bubble around us. Violence is everywhere. I will agree with Brad when he said that it is all about parents explaining these violent movies, actions, etc. to kids.
When the parents are not involved, bad consequences happen.
I agree, parent's have allowed for the media and it's mediums to take over their jobs concerning the guidance and formation of children's development.
ReplyDeleteThese kids are attempting to develop as human beings but they are taking their cues from electronic and conglomerate sources. They have a need for feedback through social networks because they are not recieving it from their parental figures. We wonder why we see these children with no concrete concept of right and wrong but they were not really getting legitimate guidance from a reliable source.
The unfortunate fault in this arguement lies in the fact that the usual cause for parent's absence is due to their need to work obssesively in order to attempt to provide their child with all the things that the media is telling them they must have in order to be acceptable and important! So in the end it is the people that lose both ways and the media that claims victory. Considering that no matter the state of the social atmosphere the media is always profitting.