Violence in the Media for 200 Please

In America there is a big controversy over violence in the media, and whether it affects people and their actions. Some say it is the media’s fault for putting violence out. Others say it’s the consumers fault for watching it. I think it could be argued either way personally. Violence is everywhere now. It’s in cartoons children watch, movies, daytime television, and video games. But as the consumers, we do have control over what we look at, watch, and buy. Is it okay to blame the media for what our children watch and is it really fair to fault someone else? Maybe we are making the media the scapegoat. I think this topic of violence will forever be a hot topic, but I wish people would realize that if we (the consumers) keep watching it the media will create it. I definitely believe the consumers are part of the “circle of violence”, as long as we are watching it there will be violence in the media.

Illustration by Christopher Hinton.


With all this violence in the media you can not help to think that the consumers in America have been desensitized. According to Mass Media in a Changing World by George Rodman, desensitization is “a process by which viewers of media violence develop callousness or emotional neutrality in the face of a real life act of violence”. Can this be the reason why violence is overlooked many times, or why onlookers do not help people in need when they are in a violent situation? “Desensitization became a popular explanation for the failure of onlookers to come to the aid of mugging victims in major cities,” according to Rodman.




Personally, I feel like I am desensitized by the violence in the media because when I hear about violence on the news it does not even strike a cord with me. I think that goes for a lot of people. We hear about people dying and getting shot in the news all the time. It is sad to say but now we are numb to it. The only time it affects us is when it has something to do with us. For example if someone got killed in our town we would then pay attention. The topic of desensitization brings the question, is this why America is so violent? Television is not real, so it does not show all the repercussions of violence. So viewers are desensitized from all of the effects of violence. Viewers do not get a true representation of violence. So is this why people behave so violent?




I am not sure who is to blame for all the violence in the media. But I do think everyone is part at fault. I also think desensitization also plays a big part. I am unsure what part it plays, but I know it definitely plays a part. But the big question is how are we going to stop the violence? However these are questions I wonder about. Are people acting violent because they do not realize the effects of violence? Or is it because they believe they can get away with violent behavior? Also when do people first start acting violent?



After writing this blog I decided to look around the web for other people's thoughts on violence in the media. I then came across this video that a student made for their class project on violence in the media, and whether it effects people. There is a clip in the video from the Dave Chappel show mocking the video game talked about at the begining of chapter two in our book. I thought the creator did a good job, and wish Icould make a video like that.