Media in Society

People are quick to blame violence in our society on television, movies or video games because they are simple believable targets. We have to look beyond this disinformation and attack the real causes for the violence in our society. Violence in television programs, movies, or video games will not make a person kill someone else. People watch violent images all the time, and only a very small percent of them actually commit violent crimes. Research on the subject does not necessarily support the argument, but they do not counteract it either. The research is too often inconclusive and to base our opinions on this matter without concrete evidence is foolish. Violence on television, movies and video games is not the problem. The problem is that we wrongfully blame these media sources for violent crimes, rather than put the blame where it rightfully belongs. And if we can do away with all the disinformation on this topic, if we can stop fooling ourselves into thinking that, by cleansing the media we can also cleanse the society, we can then start to solve the real issues in our society. But the hordes of concerned citizens that cry out for government regulation will not admit that the source for society's ills may be their own. What they want is a scapegoat. A simple, plausible scapegoat. Something that will appease their conscience. And the media has provided just that. But, if you dig deeper you might just find the answer buried deep within this maze of half-truths. Crime and violence might be the result of a mental condition. But more often than not, it is the result of a child growing up in a violent family, a troubled childhood, or simply bad parenting. After all, where does a child first learn to be a part of society? Although the violence present in these media sources may help instigate a violent act, it is never the only cause. A person does not go from being a perfectly adapted member of society, watch a person get shot in a movie, and then go out and shoot somebody themselves. As a U.S. Senator said; Violence... is a blaze fed by many fires. The answer is not in the censoring of the media, the answer lies in the most basic block of a society. The family. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight... If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive... If children live with acceptance, they learn to love... If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect. This is an excerpt from a poem by Dorothy Law Nolte. It is as poignant today as it was when it was written. Children do learn what they live. Whatever a child sees his parents do, he will imitate. Whatever they believe, he will accept as right. Before certain concerned citizens start pointing fingers, they should know who exactly they are pointing at. Yet it is true that the media are partly to blame for the violence in society. Television, movies and video games have a great influence on the minds of the masses. But what the media's critics don't understand is that the media is not the living entity everyone thinks, but a tool shaped by the masses themselves. So what can you expect from the media? If you let them roll in filth, you may call them pigs. What people need to realize is that media are like a suit: it is tailored to fit the needs of the