People do not kill to imperialize, they kill simply for the fun of it, some even for no apparent reason. This can be proven through the recent mass bombing in Boston, USA, and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut. Researchers have decided to come to the bottom of this problem, and one of it is due to media influence. There are a few reasons supporting this statement, and also reasons going against it. Superhero movies have always been the public’s favorite. It is undeniably true that almost everyone enjoy watching movies based on superheroes, regardless of age.
Still, heroes are violent, and they get rewarded for their violent behavior after defeating their enemies. Children viewers who still do not have a mind of their own, who are still following the idea of “monkey see, monkey do”, will then be indirectly exposed to violence. These children who are especially fond of superheroes will take them as their role models, as people whom they look up to. They too want to be strong enough to fight, and to be known as a hero that “saves the day”.
They might not be so violent to the extend that they start killing, but these children who are exposed to violence at such a young age are more prone to getting into fights in school, and that is the baby steps toward violent behavior. Examples of superhero-based movies that contain violence include Iron Man, Batman and Captain America. In this modern era, gaming is said to be one of the main sources of entertainment to most people. Contrary to that, studies show that people who play violent games handle stress better than most people. Violent gaming is proven to be one of the greatest way of releasing anger and stress, as you an let your imaginations run free by imagining your targets to be your real life enemy. However, this also brings a long-term impact. Gamers who have spent almost their entire lives venting out their stress through violent games such as Left 4 Dead and Call of Duty will eventually have violence planted into their systems. They are so used to violent exposure that it is almost like their nature to be violent in real life. It is said that if you are violent enough to kill in the virtual world, you are also likely to be violent enough to kill in reality.
Nevertheless, there are also reasons that go against the above statement. One of it is that all the violence on screen desensitizes our awareness to it so much that it does not change our nature of being non-violent. Studies in America reveal that the typical American citizen will view more than 200,000 acts of violence even before they reach the age of 18. If everyone’s minds were so easily influenced by the media, then everyone is a murderer. Many people enjoy watching violent movies, but their own conscience and their ability to distinguish between right and wrong tells them that violence is wrong.
The question of whether or not violence on screen encourages violence in real has been an on-going debate ever since media was introduced in people’s lives. Nonetheless, violence itself can be prevented if the media cuts down the acts of violence on screen. Small acts to prevent children from exposing themselves to violence are for parents to include child protection settings in their televisions, and to ensure that their video games are not violent-based. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Every parent should do their part to prevent any form of violent media affecting their children’s lives before it is too late.
Communications Question
Read an article and write a persuasive reflection paper.
Must be familiar with Social Cognitive Theory!!!
Each reading reflection must include three components (organized in three separate paragraphs):
A description of at least three key concepts, ideas, and/or insights in the readings;
Your thoughts about their relevance or implications regarding the potential of persuasion to influence people’s attitudes or behavior (you can simply give an example or two of how these ideas or principles work, or not, in reality); and
A question you have about the topic that was not answered satisfactorily in the readings (i.e., “I’d be curious to know” type of question) or a concept that you did not fully grasp and for which you’d like further clarification.