Media Violence Essay, Research Paper

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Top 25 Top 50 Top 100 OPPapers Main Total Papers: 2426The world today has a variety of problems. Violence is around the top of

the list. Everywhere you go that is all you here. It is seen on the front

page of the newspaper and as the headlines in the news. Unfortunately it is

widely used for entertainment purposes. In the New York Times a 1998 article

by Faye Fiore stated: “On average last year, one act of serious brutality

was found for every four minutes of entertainment.” Today, violence is a

major part of video games, television, and popular movies. Violence becomes

such an everyday scene for us that it makes us numb to the real world. I

think that some of the violence in the entertainment business should be not

necessarily abolished but “toned down.”

Almost every video game out has a violent theme. For example, Mortal

Kombat, Wrestling, and even Star Wars. What ever happened to Mario and Luigi

or simple sports games? Now it all has to be blood, guts, and gore to sell.

Some of the top psychologists related these games to some of the teenagers’

rage. One game was even said to influence the two students who were

responsible for the Columbine School shooting.

Television shows like Cops, WWF, Jerry Springer, and even cartoons flood

the “must see” hours. Violent acts are constantly being used for a main

source of entertainment. The study’s researchers, however, contended that in

most of the films, shows and videos they examined, violence was often

portrayed as harmless or without consequence, but this does not make it okay

to kill someone as long as they are a “villain”. Violent acts like this are

seen so much that we become less and less affected by it when it becomes

reality. Little kids especially portray anything they see on TV unknowing of

the true consequences. Little kids are getting a hold of guns and shooting

their friends accidentally because they are unaware of reality.

Most of the movies that are released are no longer action but just plain

violent. The so-called “action” in these films grabs our attention and keeps

us interested. Love stories and comedies do not bring in as much money as

action films. Pulp Fiction, for one, is full of drugs, guns and blood.

Sadly, when we see these gruesome acts we laugh it off.

TV shows us how to dress, act, what to buy, etc. Our values are based on

what is shown to us and no longer earned from our parents or peers. I,

particularly, do not think that violent movies or shows necessarily make us

go out and commit these crimes, but I do think that they reflect negative

behavior. Most of all, though, I think it desensitizes us when it comes to

the real thing. No absolute conclusion can be reached from surveys or top

psychologists. However, the issues are important. Not only because

television violence is a reality and aggression is a fact of life, but

because the two put together serve as a model for behavior. Understanding

the relationship between television and behavior may help not only to reduce

aggression, but also actually enable us to increase desirable effects

instead.