Can media inspire violent crimes

Essay by Anonymous UserA+, February 1991

download word file, 2 pages 4.8

Downloaded 229 times

ethics and issues class good focus and organization of data and ideas.

Can media inspire violent crimes?

One problem that many corporations ignore is the possibility that aggressive type people seek reinforcement for their own destructive acts, either against themselves or other people. Television violence, for instance, and the widespread public concern accompanying it have led to calls for strict controls on the depiction of violent programs.

In their decision making, some producers do not take responsibility for the equally important minority. Instead, they may gear their content toward the masses, who crave sexually explicit and violent action. Fortunately, this group has the ability to disseminate violent action rationally, realizing that in reality, people who commit acts of violence have to compensate for their actions by taking full responsibility for the harm they cause others.

Not everyone can distinguish fact from fantasy. Not only is it the irrational people who commit the crimes in our country, but our own children who may errantly be learning from day one that nothing bad will happen to them if they shoot their brother in the head with Daddy's pistol.

Studies show that in one week of content analysis of prime-time output on seven New York City channels, there were 3,421 acts and threats of violence observed. Children's fictional entertainment programs had three times the frequency of violent acts or threats recorded in adult programs. (Gunter, p.13). many of these acts were committed without any compensation for the action without responsibility, then it must be acceptable behavior. Similarly, aggressive adults are seeking reinforcement for their own anti-social behavior from seeing attractive television characters behave in the same way.

Behavioral evidence has indicated that the anti-social effects of violent television portrayals are strongest and are most likely to occur among individuals who are already aggressive.