Television Violence 3 Essay Research Paper Television

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Television Violence 3 Essay, Research Paper Television Violence Society was changed forever through the invention of the television. We now have access to information across the globe and entertainment around the clock. At what point has the industry crossed the line in television entertainment? Mentally or physically we all at some point or another want to be like the television personalities we see on a daily basis. No one is more influenced than the impressionable youths who are raised by the television rather than their parents. After all, television is America s baby-sitter. The entertainment media plays an extremely powerful role in the formation of values and morals of today s youths. Television violence affects youngsters of all ages from all walks of life. Today s

children and teens are subject to vast amounts of violence on TV. They are being fed a steady flow of death, murder, blood, and other grotesque acts. These disruptive viewings can eventually take a toll on a person and the way they view life some day. For instance TV cartoons feature-dehumanized characters, such as transformers and the ninja turtles, which are engaged in destructive acts of violence and mutilation. MTV s Beavis and Butt-head encourage fire, smoking, foul language, drinking and condone stealing. Is this what we want our society especially our younger generation to be subjected to? Children watch and are enthralled with action and killing. Later they graduate to other TV programs that depict actual live human beings killing or degrading others. Inevitably some

youngsters will actually try to imitate the brutality in real life. For example, youngsters do indeed try to mimic and imitate cartoon characters such as Beavis and Butt-head . One day, a five year old boy watched his favorite cartoon, Beavis and Butt-head and saw the characters pull one of there famous arson stunts. The result? He set his house on fire and his younger sister was killed. Three teenagers in Minnesota, imitating a scene from Walt Disney s The Program laid down on the centerline of a two-lane highway and was eventually squashed to death. The entertainment media does not think about the consequences of what they portray to young people until death occurs. It is not until then that the entertainment media realizes that what they put into these shows actually affects

the lives of children. However it is important to realize that not necessarily all children and teenagers view these shows and try to imitate the violence and gore. The healthy American family is not going to go out and purchase Uzi s just because Arnold Schwarzeneggar looks so cool wielding one. But the psychological effects between reality and television are more intertwine than one might think. In this society massed produced and mass consumed movies, books and TV programs are a considerable part of our real lives. Television contributes greatly to making us behave and act the way we do. An hour of talk show shock and humiliation may attract television viewers, but it often leaves guests feeling mad, angry and humiliated. The most noteworthy example of this is the Jenny Jones

talk-show murder of March 1995. A taping of the Jenny Jones show featured secret crushes. To guest Jonathan Schmitz s surprise, was male Scott Amedure. Schmitz expecting a female admirer was shaken. Claiming that the embarrassment from the shoe had eaten away at him Schmitz drove to Amedure s home and killed him with two shotgun blasts to the chest. However questionable the methods, these talk shows are a dominant force on daytime TV. More than 20 different show battle for ratings. Controversial and confrontational topics often yield the highest ratings. With topics ranging from teenage pregnancy and spousal abuse to women who let their men have sex with other women and confronting the person who dumped you Its not hard to see all that all the entertainment media is after is the