Why Television Is The Leading Cause Of Violence In Today's Society

Televisions have been in existence for quite a significant period that they have become very common. About four decades ago, only a few people could afford a television. Apparently, televisions now almost top the list of preferences of any household in the present society. They have become tools that nearly every human uses to pass the time and also to relax the brain. But do the movies, shows, and programs that people watch on these human-made screens bring more harm than good? Is it true that they are the leading causes of violence in the present society? These are the questions that this research Television Is The Leading Cause Of Violence In Today's Society Essay aims to answer. In my opinion, televisions are the primary perpetrators of violent and aggressive acts in today’s society. As much as they are useful channels of conveying information and creating awareness, their role in enhancing violence especially in children cannot be downplayed. Its youths can best describe society and, therefore, a violent young population is a representation of a violent culture.

Television programs have both short and long-term effects on children, but they all end up in a violent young individual. First, children are excellent imitators and they, therefore, imitate violent behaviour from television programs, shows, and movies. Violence on television comes in many forms but the violence that I will focus on this paper includes rape, murder, property destruction, and muggings. Statistics from the United Nation’s office on crime and violence reveal that an average child with access to television watches a minimum of 10,000 violent scenes before finishing elementary school. Of this, 8,000 are murders. The child then ends up to have watched an average of 40,000 violent acts by the time he or she is eighteen years. Of this, 20,000 are murder scenes. Who can dispute that such a child will not have mimicked a great deal of these acts? A child essentially learns by watching what other people do. Many parents may, for example, confess that their children got to memorize the alphabets by watching TV shows like Big Bird and Ernie. The television today has a lot of programs that have violence infused in them, and they cannot be an exception. Children will still memorize the violent acts and then begin actualizing and trying them out as they grow. This eventually culminates into a society characterized by violence. What also happens when a person watches a pornographic movie and gets the desire to imitate it. The society becomes coupled with rape cases and other forms of sexual violence.

Children also begin to see violence as a way of solving problems instead of an evil act by watching television programs and shows. This is because most movies, cartoons, and shows happen to glorify the main characters after being successful in countering a problem even though through violence. Data from the federal communications commission of the United States shows that 73% of the cartoon characters who commit crimes in most cartoons do not get punished for the crimes but are, instead, celebrated for their bravery. This affirms to the children who watch these cartoons that it is okay to commit a crime. On the other hand, 43% of the peoples who perpetrate violent acts in common television programs also go unpunished. Most children, for example, watch wrestling. Here the person who succeeds in beating the other is greatly celebrated and even given a classic belt as a reward. The children then end up setting up such acts at school in the hope of getting celebrated in the same way which is the beginning of violence. Some may argue out that such programs give warnings and advice viewers not to try out what they watch, but the truth is that children and human beings, in general, are very curious creatures. Parents and teachers may not be everywhere with the children to make sure they do not practice what they watched, and they will try it out of curiosity. The children end up using force or even fighting to acquire what is theirs just like they watch in movies. Televisions thereby have a significant contribution to the increased levels of violence in the present world.

Children may also try to identify themselves with certain characters in movies, and the characters may be playing violent roles. Children do watch televisions for a very long time, and they follow specific programs for a long time. The federal communications commission of the US affirms that 90% of the children in the United States watch for more extended hours than they spend in their education. This gives the children time to pinpoint characters, understand them, follow them and eventually try to be like them. If the characters that they decide to imitate are good, then it is fine, but when the individual that the child strives to identify him or herself with is violent, then the child follows suit. Boys especially try to model the exact character of the person they identify themselves with in a movie. This provokes one to display even the aggressive characters of the individual thus preventing peaceful coexistence with his fellows.

Violence in television programs may also cause a child to become numb or develop resistance to crime or violent acts. Priming processes may also be provoked by violence in television shows and movies. When the child becomes continuously exposed or consistently watches violent movies, he or begins to see crime and violence as an ordinary thing because the body develops a resistance mechanism to counter the violence. In the beginning, the child might be experiencing negative emotions when violent acts are being shown on the television, but this eventually fades away as time goes by because he becomes used to the horrific scenes. This is dangerous for the child and the society at large because the child may commit some acts thinking that they are normal and yet they are detrimental. He or she may not have the same feeling as others in society, and therefore the relationship between them may be affected. Priming occurs when activation is being spread in the neural network of the brain. An external stimulus like a point of a gun may, for example, be linked inherently to a cognition thus making behaviour that is connected to it more likely. When television violence, for instance, primes aggressive concepts, it will be more likely for aggression to set in.

Desensitization, enactive learning, and observational learning are long-term effects that television content might have and may lead to increased violence. Desensitization is a socialization effect. When a person gets so used to watching the television, he or she may end up losing his or her social life. Just as the name suggests, the individual becomes insensitive to the surrounding. Such behaviour develops negative emotions when the individual is around people and at times feeling of aggression. Enactive learning is whereby a child is forced to profess violent behaviour because he or she wants to achieve the desired goal. This is more like the way a child is inspired to by a character in a movie who uses violence to acquire what he or she wants and is glorified for that. In observational learning, on the other hand, the social behaviour of a person is provoked by the current state of the person and his or her emotional and normative state. A person, therefore, imitates behaviours long after he or she observes them. When a child is exposed to long, violent scenes in television programs and shows, he or she begins to see others as hostile. Such thoughts or views make it more likely for the child to behave aggressively. Children in practice love movies and programs with violence since they believe they will teach them how to fight and, thereby, defend themselves. This is what results in violent individuals and eventually a violent society.

However, televisions are not entirely to blame for the violence in today’s society. First, violence has existed from time immemorial even before televisions came into existence. What used to cause the violence? It has always been there, and it can, therefore, not be argued that televisions that have just been invented recently are the leading cause of violence. Also, the television is only being used as a scapegoat. Yes, TVs might be showing violent movies or even airing shows that have violent scenes. It is, however, an innate decision to follow and act according to the violent shows or uphold morality. Each individual thereby has control over how he or she will act regardless of the movies, programs or shows they watch on. Blaming the television for acting aggressively is somehow irresponsible.

Also, it can be hard to argue that televisions are the leading cause of violence in the society because TVs, in the real sense, reflect the society. The television cannot be reflected in the society. Therefore, the violence that is shown in television programs and movies is what is already taking place in society and not what will provoke people to act that way. It is human nature to blame an external factor other than just admitting and looking for the fault within ourselves. Also, there is no television show that openly and out rightly terms a criminal to be a role model. It is, therefore, an obligation for every viewer to gauge and judge whether a given character in a movie or television program has good or undesirable qualities and is, therefore, a good role model or not. Also, all types of programs are available for all people, yet only a handful gets influenced to act aggressively. Is that not ironical? It cannot be entirely the fault of the media that a person gets depressed and gets involved in rape cases.

The television, therefore, has quite a valuable contribution to the levels of violence in the present society. Violent scenes shown on television programs trigger aggressive behaviour, especially in children. It’s, however, not entirely to blame because human beings have significant control over their actions regardless of what they watch.

References

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