Media Violence

Persuasive Essay # 102238

Child, Youth Issues
Communication
Psychology > Behaviorism

Media Violence

An analysis of the effect of media violence on children.

1,431 words () | 6 sources | APA | 2007 Canada

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the issue of film and television violence remains controversial as we head into the 21st century and how a direct link between the increased severity of violence in the media and the behavioral disorders of children can clearly be seen in their increased desensitization, acceptance, and fear of violence as well as the increase in aggressive behavior and crime amongst youth. The paper attempts to show that while film and television has played a major role in violence- related behavioral disorders, the history of violence in the human culture has engrained violent tendencies in our entertainment. The paper also examines how, although parental warnings and restrictions upon violence have been established, marketers continue to target children and parents continue to supply their children with violent media, rendering it ineffective.

From the Paper:

"The history of media violence began with the Roman spectacles in which professional fighters would battle each other, wild animals, and convicts, often to the death, for the entertainments of thousands in amphitheatres across the Roman Empire. During these events, the turn of a thumb would decide whether a man would live or die. By the fourth century, Roman gladiatorial games were declining in popularity as many thought them to be "an unthinkable monstrosity," and by 438 A.D, they were abolished (Bok, 1998, p. 22). Even though the era of the gladiators was ended, the mass public's thirst for blood was not quenched. Thousands have historically attended public executions, whether it is the beheading of King Charles I of England or the public hangings of those accused of witchcraft, during the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts. "

Sample of Sources Used:

Barbour, S., & Swisher, K. (Eds.) (1996). Violence: Opposing View Points. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.
Block, J. (2007). Omissions and Errors in "Media Violence and the American Public." American Psychologist, 62 (3), 252 - 253.
Bok, S. (1998). Mayhem: Violence as Public Entertainment.United States of American: Perseus Books.
Gunter, B., Harrison, J., Wykes, M. (2003). Violence on Television: Distribution, Form, Context, and Themes. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Huesmann, R., Moise-Titus, J., Podolski, C., Eron, L. (2003). Longitudinal Relations Between Children's Exposure to TV Violence and their Aggressive and Violent Behaviour in Young Adulthood. American Psychology Association, 39 (2), 201 - 221.