Media Violence and Adolescents

1137 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of tv violence

Media Violence and Adolescents

A "hot topic" of discussions today is the issue of violence in the media. After reading about the subject, I am convinced that media violence negatively affects the viewer. The most susceptible are the young.

John Grisham wrote a powerful essay called "Unnatural Killers." Since the writing of the essay, it has caught some flak from reviewers in light of his novel A Time to Kill. In this novel, the "good guy" kills. The points he made in his essay, however, are still valid. "Unnatural Killers" tells the dramatic story of Sarah Edmondson and Benjamin Darras's killing spree. Sarah and Ben killed one person and seriously injured another. Sarah testifies that the inspiration for this horrible act was a movie, "Natural Born Killers" (Grisham 346). Grisham describes the movie:

...a repulsive story of two mindless young lovers, Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis), who blaze their way across the Southwest, killing everything in their path while becoming famous. According to the script, they indiscriminately kill fifty-two people before they are caught. It seems like many more. Then they manage to kill at least fifty more as they escape from prison. They free themselves, have children, and are at last seen happily rambling down the highway in a Winnebago (346-347).

According to Sarah, "Ben loved 'Natural Born Killers,' and as they drove to Memphis he spoke openly of killing people, randomly, just like Mickey spoke to Mallory" (Grisham 347). Clearly, if Sarah's testimony is true, the movie had a deep and negative impact on Ben Darras. "Natural Born Killers" has inspired many other copycat acts. A 14-year old boy in Texas told police...

... middle of paper ...

...ce is a harmful problem. When are Hollywood and video-game makers going to catch on?

Works Cited

Center for Media Literacy. "Violence in the Media." URL (5 Dec. 1999).

Grisham, John. "Unnatural Killers." Kirszner and Mandell 343-351.

Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, ed. The Blair Reader. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.

Leonard, John. "Why Blame TV?" Kirszner and Mandell 351-356.

Levine, Madeline. "Media and the Adolescent." Kirszner and Mandell 357-364.

Malcolm, Teresa. "Teen Violence: Does Violent Media Make Violent Kids?" National Catholic Reporter 28 May 1999: 14-15.

Roper Center at University of Connecticut. Poll. Accession number 0327641. Question number 001. 19 May 1999.

The Freedom Forum Online. "Oliver Stone and Natural Born Killers."URL (5 Dec. 1999).

Show More
Related

  • PSY 301, Introductory Psychology, Fall 2005, Exam 3 B

    1955 Words  | 4 Pages

    Instructions: Write your name and the date on the top of this exam. Your must turn in this

    Read More

  • PSY 301, Introductory Psychology, Fall 2005, Exam 4 A

    4398 Words  | 9 Pages

    Instructions: Write your name and the date on the top of this exam. Your must turn in this

    Read More

  • Pointless Violence in the Movie (Film), Natural Born Killers

    564 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Time magazine's Richard Corliss, Natural Born Killers is "the ideal recipe for a Stone-crazy parable of greed and abuse." Corliss describes with great enthusiasm the main characters of the film -- Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis -- as "love-thugs. . . two doomed maniacs busy mythologizing themselves"; Tom Sizemore as a "brutish detective" hoping to capture them; Robert Downey, Jr., a tabloid reporter who wants to "exploit their exploits by turning them into media darlings"; and Tommy Lee Jones as a "crazed wa...

    Read More

  • Carl Panzram: Serial Killers

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vronsky, P. (2004). Serial killers : the method and madness of monsters. New York, NY:

    Read More

  • Media Violence: Censorship Not Needed

    1589 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to John Davidson's essay Menace to Society, "three-quarters of Americans surveyed [are] convinced that movies, television and music spur young people to violence." While public opinion is strong, the results of research are divided on the effects of media violence on the youth in this country. Davidson wrote that most experts agree that some correlation between media violence and actual violent acts exists, yet the results are contradictory and researchers quibble about how the effects are to be measured (271). Moreover, Davidson is not convinced that the media is the sole problem of violence, or even a primary problem. He points out that other factors, such as "poverty, the easy accessibility of guns, domestic abuse, [and] social instability" may have a greater impact on a child becoming violent than the influence of the media (277). Even though other forces may be stronger, media violence does have some adverse effects on the members of society. If senseless violence on television and in movies had no effect, it would not be such a hotly debated topic. What type of effects and whom they affect are the most argued aspects of the discussion.

    Read More

  • PSY 301, Introductory Psychology, 1999, Exam 3

    2753 Words  | 6 Pages

    B. the more stressful an experience is, the more quickly it will be consciously forgotten.

    Read More

  • Video Game Industry and Violence

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    Malcolm, T.  Teen Violence: Does Violent Media Make Violent Kids?  National Catholic Reporter.  May 28, 1999 v35 i30 p14.

    Read More

  • Psychology Experiment

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    n hypothesis of the experiment is that the group containing four members will perform better than the group containing two members. This is the foundation from which we have conducted our experiment.

    Read More

  • Serial Killers

    2571 Words  | 6 Pages

    'Serial murder'; has long been a term used to describe those human beings that repeatedly commit heinous crimes. It is rare that the average person probes the mind of a serial killer without bias. However, what lies behind the eyes of a serial killer deserves more than the cold hard look that society so often gives (Aaronson, Inter...

    Read More

  • Serial Killers

    2361 Words  | 5 Pages

    A serial killer's murdering spree is methodical and extremely well planned, and the motive usually is to get even (Douglas, p. 137). A serial killer often plans his crimes extremely carefully. He looks for a certain type...

    Read More

  • Experimental Psychology

    1587 Words  | 4 Pages

    For this research requirement I chose three different experiments to examine thoroughly. The first of these experiments came from the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. The study done in this journal was an examination of orthographic learning and self-teaching in a bilingual and biliterate context. The aim of the study was to figure out the advantages and/or disadvantages of a student learning a native language when they are either monolingual, bilingual, or biliterate, and the study was focused on learning English because this is the most commonly learned non-native language in the world.

    Read More

  • Rap Music's Influence Upon Teenagers

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Senate Committee on the Judiciary. “Media Violence Causes Youth Violence.” Mass Media. Ed. William Dudley. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 121-130.

    Read More

  • Brain Behavior Research Essay

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    A common theme and challenge that has been highlighted in Brain and Behavior has been the utility of brain-behavior research in mental health interventions. Examples presented in the course have included various reviews and studies on the impact of aerobic activity on cognitive health across the life course (Hillman, Erickson, & Kramer, 2008). Drawing upon this theme, a proposed, exploratory study would be to assess the effect of a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on prefrontal cortex processing (PFC) and attentional processes among persons who have stress that varies in both severity and duration. If such an intervention were found to lead to significant reductions in not only stress but also improvements in PFC and attentional

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Televison On Behavior

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    (Violence in television programs and movies and its impact on children and families is not a new topic. Almost 30 years ago the U.S. Surgeon General warned Americans about the negative effect of television have on the emotions and behaviours of children.)

    Read More

  • Effects of Television Violence on Children and Teenagers

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    Does violence on television have a negative effect on children and teenagers? The violence shown on television has a surprisingly negative effect. Television violence causes children and teenagers to become less caring, to lose their inhibitions, to become less sensitive, and also may cause violent and aggressive behavior.

    Read More

More about Media Violence and Adolescents

Open Document