Group 17

Violent Children, Who’s to Blame?

Group Leader: Stacy Lickert

Proofreader: Zayne Williamson

Web Page Design: Dominic Witherspoon

Editors: Stacy Lickert, Dana Yonke

Writers: Kelly Willinger, Shawn Wilson, Mary Templeton, Ella Birli, Zayne Williams, Dominic Witherspoon

Introduction

By: Dana Yonke & Stacy Lickert

Television is raising America’s children. Young impressionable minds are being molded and shaped by what the media chooses to broadcast. We find that a major negative influence on children is the violence that they are exposed to. We will present to our readers what specific shows and programs promote the most violent and dangerous behaviors. We need to raise awareness concerning the permanent and negative influences that area so casually played on television. These shows make lasting impressions on the youth of America. From talk shows to cartoons, violence is a key factor. We are focusing on the cause and effects of this current trend of violence that is being thrown into the homes of all Americans. According to the survey conducted on the BGSU about 40% of the subjects believe that ages 5-10 are most affected by the violence on television.

Video Killed the Radio Star

by Zayne Williamson

Ever since the birth of MTV (music television) in the early 1980’s, the impact of this initially small, somewhat innocent music video station has grown from only having small audiences in 1981, to currently affecting practically every kid in the United States between the ages of 12-24. And with artist such an Eminem, 2pac, 50 cent, and Limp Bizkit presently in heavy rotation on the channel it is no wonder MTV has been an easy target for conservative critics. With songs such as “Beg for Mercy” by 50cent and “Eat you alive” by Limp Bizkit, opponents argue that MTV bombards children with violent and sexual videos.

Along with the violent and sexually explicit lyrics, come equally graphic videos (“Role Models”). Eminem, debatably one of the most influential and controversial pop icons, is another one of the best examples of how violence has worked its way into mainstream popular culture through music video channels such as MTV and BET (Black Entertainment Television). His videos “Cleanin Out My Closet” and “Role Model” contain images of Eminem falsely portraying celebrities, tackling people roughly and even digging a grave for his mother. Another stunning video by Eminem entitled “Stan” depicts an Eminem look-a-like beating up his girlfriend and eventually killing her (as well as himself) at the conclusion. Even with this graphic murder in the video, Eminem’s “Stan” was a number requested video on MTV’s total request live for weeks. This shows Eminem and other artists’ violent videos do in fact affect many young children in negative ways. Videos that have found their way onto MTV have instilled glorification and desensitization of violence among young adults.

Huge corporations need to realize that they have an incredibly large impact on the youth of America and they also have a responsibility to recognize that they need to tone down content in its videos before the MTV generation becomes brainwashed to believe violent activities are normal.

Do Sitcoms Promote Violence in the Youth of America

By: Shawn Wilson

One of the main problems with television today is with the content it contains in its programs, in particular violence in sitcoms. Violence in children has often been linked to the sitcoms they watch daily on television. Sitcoms also promote other negative behaviors in children such as bad language, sex, and drug and alcohol abuse. The purpose of this article is to inform the reader that sitcoms influence our children by showing violent acts and other negative behaviors.

Television is a potent source of information that not only entertains our children and also educates them (Eron, 1999). Sitcoms can have an impact on children’s values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Children watch an average of four to five hours of television each week day and ten hours of television during weekends. Fifty percent of television programs contain violence that is psychologically harmful to a child. It has been estimated that by the age of eighteen the average person will have viewed 200,000 acts of violence on television alone (Failla, 2003). By watching sitcoms such as ER, that contain violent content it makes children immune to this behavior. Studies have been performed to support this phenomenon. One such study has shown that more aggressive children watch more television, prefer more violent programs, identify more television characters, and perceive violence more like real life then do more aggressive children”(Eron 1999). A survey performed on campus by our group supported these studies. Fifty percent of student’s surveyed fell that sitcoms like “That 70’s Show” influence children’s negative behavior such as bad language, drug abuse, and sex.

Although sitcoms are not the only factor that leads to violence among children they play a key part in influencing children. In order to reduce the number of violent children parents need to monitor the programs that their children watch. They can do this by utilizing the rating systems programs have.

Talk Shows: Why Jerry Springer Loves our Children

By: Kelly Willinger

Jerry Springer is one of the most popular daytime talk show hosts. Each day on the Jerry Springer show, guest talk about their problems in front of national television. Jerry Springer helps his guest work through their problems by adding in comments to fuel the argument. During the show, the audience is watching the problem’s unfold with a dramatic twist to the guest’s conflicting matters. A typical day on the Jerry Springer show is filled with cursing, shouting and fighting. The fighting adds to the affect of the problem and keeps the audience entertained. The problem with the Jerry Springer show comes when the youth of America watches the program after they get home from school which is around 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. A show like this only promotes violence and even talks about sexual content. One example is why a woman cheated on her husband with his sister. That might sound odd or out of the ordinary, but it attracts peoples’ attention and even our children’s.

In today’s society, children spend a lot of time in front of the television surfing through channels to find interesting things to watch. George Gerbner, author of Television violence; The Power and Peril, quotes, “Television, the mainstream of the new cultural environment, has brought about a radical change in the way children grew up and learn in our society” (Gebner). Children should be learning new things everyday from school and parents, not from talk shows that represent the domestic violence. Violence affects children a lot more than it would adults because children are easily convinced and more gullible. Since children are easily convinced, it is more likely for them to believe what happens on talk shows is real life and that someone is not staging the show. When watching daytime talk shows, children are watching and learning the social interactions between people who cheat, fight, steal, and are sexually deviant. Over time children could start to believe that these acts of violence are the norm. Landrea Wells a student from the University of Florida studied children and television, she states, “The general concern about violence both then and now includes the fact that there have been consistently high levels of violence throughout much of television history. Children are more vulnerable to violent acts due to the fact that they are in early stages of developing behavior patterns, attitudes, and values about social interaction”( http://iml.jou.ufl.edu). A show that involves fighting and discussing sexual deviancy will only harmfully affect the youth of America and their opinions on what to value and how to behave correctly.

Jerry Springer is just one example of a talk show that invites inappropriate behavior. Another example of a talk show host is Maury Povich. Maury has shows like “I’m scared of my wild, out of control 8 year old.” In this episode a 9 year old attacks his mom and an 8 year old was caught smoking and stealing. If our children were to watch this episode or episodes along this line, they could start to believe that since these children can get away with it so can they. Ricky Lake is another talk show host. On one episode she features sexually confused singles who wanted to be with both genders. Uneducated children watching this show would be very confused about the subject matter and not understand the sexual content of the show. For example, one child would probably ask his or her mom or dad what a bisexual is, and what it would leave the parents shocked that their child learned a word like that.

Talk show host Montel Williams appears to have a less violent show than a lot of other hosts I have mentioned. A lot of his episodes are about long lost sibling’s reuniting. He also features Sylvia Brown a psychic, who helps guest with troubling questions only she can answer. However, will feature like investigators piecing together a murder crime. Episodes like this one could have a negative impact on our children because they are being over-exposed to the after math of violent crimes.

Talk shows have an impact on the youth of America because of their violent acts and adult content and language. Children who are watching talk shows day-in and day-out can be affected by the negativity that lies deep within those shows. As adults, we have to be careful with what our children watch because they can be easily convinced that what they see is real life.

The Real Reality

You flip on the Pay-Per-View channel and what do you see? Shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Survivor, Newly Weds, and the Real World flood the screen. Reality shows present real life situations and challenges where people learn how to deal and adapt to changes. Often in these shows violence through a competition or plain out fighting can be found. In reality shows, wannabe actors are chosen to dramatize a “real life” event. If children watch these shows, what kind of impact will it have on them? As a result of viewing violence and fighting, children will think these negative skills are acceptable. In 1992, MTV began to air a show called the Real World, which has gotten progressively violent (Tirona, 2001). The people on the show are urged to act in a negative nature towards each other. The characters are bribed by prizes and money that drive them to be deceptive. Breaking friendships on the TV show sometimes causes fist fights or unintentional hitting which results in the character being kicked off the show. On shows like the Real World and other reality TV shows, actors are given prizes as rewards at the end of the season. The motivation for the prizes can vary from each show. Survivor offers a large sum of money for the last contestant in the game; while others offer material objects. As children watch this, it will teach them that backstabbing and fighting are acceptable if there is a reward involved. In the future, reality shows will continue to grow more and more unreal. This will give children a confused false image of what life is really about. They will not see life as an opportunity to make friends and achieve goals with the right motivation. Rather, the youth of America will have to learn the hard way that money and prizes will not satisfy the human nature. In conclusion, allowing reality shows to be watched by a
younger audience will have an overall negative effect. If reality television and other programs continue to promote violence, society will become more hostile. The parents of the younger audience should teach them about how the television world differs from the real world. When parents do not take time to correct children’s actions or thinking, reality television becomes more successful in their message, life is just a game.

Too Much Exposure

By : Ella Birli

What is our work coming to when even the news makes violence look sensational? On almost every news station, violence is all that is ever broadcast it may seem. Instead of showing both sides of society, the news only shows the bad side. Less and less do we see the positive issues going on in our communities; instead we are exposed to crime, abuse and violence. What happened to showing the volunteer work communities do, charity walks and benefits, or perhaps other impressive positive stories? For example, if a man murders his wife, the story is immediately broadcast and then within moments another segment interviewing the kids and neighbors is aired. All the attention is focused on the family and the murder.

This is what children are exposed to when they watch the news on television. Therefore, children may be led to believe that only violence goes on in our society, instead of displaying the good that goes on. Children could easily tell that whether violence was real or not and showed little lasting impact from the violence they knew was fictional. (BBC News, 2003) Supposedly children 9-13 said that September 11 news stories had the greatest affect on them. From reports, these children said that they accepted far-fetched TV dramas and cartoon like film violence more easily because they knew they were made up. Big stories such as September 11, war in Iraq, and the killing of school girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman did get their attention. (BBC News, 2003)

These events that children witnessed on the news made them feel threatened and personally vulnerable. (BBC News, 2003) From this, it can be lead to genuine anxieties and changes in behavior. Children said in these reports they are most worried by scenes involving other children or that they are closer to home; while other, more remote stories have less impact. (BBC News, 2003)

As we all see not only do adults notice the how the news is promoting violence, but even young teens are noticing the problem as well. Children even have noticed that there is more violence in our society today than their parents’ say because how much violence is exposed nowadays. Something needs to be done because our young teens cannot be exposed to just violence, there is much more good out there that we can broadcast instead, why not start now?!

Conclusion

by: Dominic Witherspoon

In conclusion the violence in the media is having an adverse affect on today’s youth in America. The future does not look bright for the reducing of violence on television, in fact 90% of people who took our survey thought that the violence would increase in the future. Hopefully with more studies and published reports such as this one it will help raise awareness to stop the pollution of America’s youth by the television and other media outlets.

APA References

Enron, L.D. (1999). Effects on Television violence on children. Testimony before committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. p. 1-4

Failla, V. (2003). Television Violence. Available online: http://www.girl.com.au/cr-tvviolence.htm )accessed November 9, 2003)

Gerbner, G. “Television: The Power and Peril.” Gender, Race and Class in media.

Keeping it Real. (March 13, 2001). Hollywood Reporter-International Edition.
(volume 1, p. 14) New York.

No author. (2003, September, 2003). Children ‘distressed’ by TV News. BBC News. Retrieved November 10, 2003, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3128990.stm

Seleznick, P. (1999). Role Models running Amok. American cinematographer. 80(8)
p. 91-93

TV Talk Shows= TV talks shows.com (1995-2003). Available online: http://tvtalkshows.com/forum/showthread.html (accessed November 6, 2003)

Wells, L. (2003). Children and Television. Available online: http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/spring03/wells/violence.html (accessed November 6, 2003)

** Also the conduction of a survey