I work in customer service. People do a lot of…things and I’m sure we’ll get into that stuff, but this has to do with a piece of paper I found while cleaning. I don’t know if this was just someone’s notes or a school project, but it got me to thinking. The note says:
What is the effect of media on our society?
Do music lyrics, videos, T.V., and movies effect society in a negative way?
Do we blame the media for corruption in our youth today?
Is the media to blame for the crimes and killings in urban society?
The first question is in depth, so I’m going to leave that for last. Of course music lyrics, videos, T.V., and movies effect society in a negative way. They also effect society in a positive one. In the ’80s We Are the World swept the charts with dozens of artists from all across the spectrum bringing a message of hope. John Lennon sang of a beautiful world of peace and brotherhood. Dozens of artists tell of the pain of their mistakes, hopefully as a warning to others. Love and beauty are the most common subjects of music.
Everyone needs a scapegoat. Media makes the perfect fall guy for the shortcomings in everyone else. Parents don’t ever want to look toward themselves when something goes wrong with their children, so they look elsewhere. There is violence on T.V., in movies or sung in the rap music my child listens to, so that must be where he got it from. When all else fails, it had to be the video games. He “kills” so much in his video games it “desensitized” him to the concept of death. Really? A child doesn’t get desensitized by playing video games, he gets desensitized by not receiving love. I think this answer will suffice for the next question as well.
Simply put, no, the media is not to be blamed for killings in urban society. Even if there is corruption in the media that portrays some areas as more prone to violence than others, people’s choices are still their own. No voice on T.V., the radio, in a movie or anywhere else forces people to do anything they don’t want to do…unless, of course, they are in need of some serious medication.
Media effects our society in many ways, both positive and negative. To paint a picture of violent rap lyrics, tainted news reels depicting urban areas as unsafe, and video games as violent mind warping devices is very one-sided. The media also brings us news of the latest scientific breakthroughs, unites people across the globe in common causes, and brings a sense of community to a global audience through social sites. Of course there are problems, but there always will be. People will always find something to complain about, they always do. We may as well roll with it.
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