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The effect violent video games have on society
Moral panics: culture, politics, and social construction
The effect violent video games have on society
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Frequently, society undergoes periods of moral panic, described by Reinarman (1994) as a widespread fear that is disproportionate to the actual threat. These exaggerated reactions cover a wide array of social issues, such as anti-immigrant sentiments, fears of child abduction, and concerns over the legalization of same-sex marriage. Moral panics are typically seen as battles between good and evil, and the target group, known as “folk devils”, is often disempowered in the deviance process. Becker (1963) discusses the creation and enforcement of deviant categories through moral crusades, where “moral entrepreneurs” establish new rules or reinforce existing ones in moral battles between good and evil. Nonetheless, moral panics and moral crusades
This is not to diminish the seriousness of school shootings or deny that they exist altogether – simply that the fear is disproportionate to the actual threat. In Reinarman’s (1994) investigation of drug scares, he found that one of the major components of the social construction of drug scares is that they are based on a kernel of truth. In the case of video games, the kernels of truth were that (a) school shootings occur, and (b) some studies found small but significant correlations between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior (Sternheimer, 2007). Nonetheless, there is evidence that suggests that school shootings are extremely rare as well as multiple issues regarding how the media interprets the previously mentioned studies. First, according to Burns and Crawford (1999), a child has a greater chance of being struck by lightning than being killed at school. Second, between 1993 and 2003, homicide arrest rates actually decreased by 77 percent among juveniles (Sternheimer, 2007). Third, Sternheimer points out that the aforementioned studies do not imply causation – they are merely correlative studies that show a link between media violence and aggressive behavior. Therefore, it is extremely possible that the link occurs opposite of what is sensationalized in the media – that
In this case, the moral crusaders, politicians, and lawmakers benefitted from this moral panic, as tough-on-crime legislation and the supposed link between high school shooters and video game playing assuaged the fears of a concerned public. Moreover, since the targeted group is largely unable to vote, politicians do not run the risk of losing electoral support nor would they face risks of lobbying. Ultimately, as per Sternheimer (2007), the explanation that violent video games causes school shootings lead to a view of white, middle-class teenaged shooters as victims of the negative effects of video games, rather than “culpable criminals” (p. 17). In doing so, this moral panic decontextualizes violence and overlooks several other aspects of these shooters’ lives that warrant a more critical
In the cases of school shootings that took place at Columbine High School, Sandy Hook Elementary, Virginia Tech University and Northern Illinois University, the media highly publicized the fact that the perpetrators were avid video gamers, but why is this important? The media want’s your attention and they are more than willing to say almost anything to get it. They reported that the perpetrators were avid gamers with the implication that there is a well establish connection between the two when there is not. They exploit the fear of parents and concerned citizens by not including relevant corresponding information in order to leave you more interested lea...
Adler, Patricia A., and Adler Peter. Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction. 6th ed. Belmont: Thomas/Wadsworth, 2009.
Recently, the effect that violent media has on society has been the focus of many psychological studies. According to an article published in the New York Times, research has found that: “Exposure to violent imagery does not preordain violence, but it is a risk factor” (Pozios, Kambam, Bender, 2013). There has yet to be a direct link between violence actually causing people to go on these massive shooting sprees that have been so common lately. It is natural and understandable for the
“Moral panic has been defined as a situation in which public fears and state interventions greatly exceed the objective threat posed
When 2 young men, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went on a shooting spree in Littleton, Colorado, killing 15 people, including themselves, there was a public outcry for censorship of every type of entertainment and changes in gun laws despite Eric Harris’s journal entry titled, “Last Wishes” asking that no one be blamed, other than himself and Klebold, for the massacre (“As You Were”, par. 2). After the 1999 school shooting now simply known as Columbine, a “Newsweek” pole showed that, “about half of all Americans want to see the movie industry, the TV industry, computer game makers, Internet services and gun manufacturers and the NRA make major policy changes to help reduce teen violence” (Alter, par. 1). According to Dave Cullen in his article “Let the Litigation Begin” several lawsuits were filed against the parents of the two boys responsible for the shooting spree claiming that Harris’s and Klebold’s families, “breached their duty of care” by allowing their sons to amass a cache of illegal weapons (Cullen, par. 5). Although the boys’ parents denied such allegations, they settled out of court for $1.6 million (Cullen, par. 5)...
Some of the governing models of moral panics include Jock Young (1971) and Stanley Cohen (1972). Stanley Cohen fabricated the idea of moral panics in his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972), whilst Jock Young concentrated more on the correlation of deviance amplification and drug taking. The main feature of a moral panic is deviance amplification; this was looked at in more detail by Stanley Cohen (1972) in what he called the deviancy amplification spiral. Some examples of media moral panics include; internet pornography, violence in video games, immigration, single parents etc… Moral panics can affect the public’s perceptions of crime in many ways, making the ext... ... middle of paper ... ...
The shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado killing thirteen students and teachers shocked the world. “They were video gamers who seemed to be acting out some dark digital fantasy. It was as if all that exposure to computerized violence gave them the idea to go on a rampage – or at least fueled their urges” (Carey 1). The shooters of this incident learned their deadly skills from video games. Seventy percent of children ages eight to eighteen have access to violent video games at their home. “Boys who play Teen or Mature-rated games for a minimum of 40 minutes a day may witness over 180 incidents of aggression per day, or 5,400 incidents per month”(Smith, S.L., Lachlan, K.A., & Tamborini, R). Children that play violent video games at such a young age and experiencing such violent actions will start to increase in aggressive thoughts, feelings, and aggressive behavior.
People have always been looking for a reason why horrible things happen. The media is quick to blame video games as the target and cause of many shootings that have occurred, ever since Columbine and Quake. People have been blaming video games for violence for years now, ever since violent video games have been made. News reports blame video games more and more for each shooting, telling the public how this person played video games for x amount of hours a day, and that video games caused him or her to shoot people, and how video games encourage and reward violence. Anti-video game lobbyists have been campaigning to have violence removed from video games, citing resources that they themselves have created as reasons for such, poorly done studies where they confirm that kids are more aggressive through how much hot sauce they put on someone’s fries. While unbiased studies of video games and their links to violence are hard to come by, recent research has shown that video games do not in fact have a casual link to violence, and may even have the opposite effect. Violent video games have nearly no link to violence in teens or adults.
Violence in the media has long been a possible cause for people to commit violent acts. Everyone has seen a violent television show, watched a violent movie or listened to music depicting graphic violence. These forms of media are available to people of all ages across the United States. A major cause of high school violence may be discovered here. Columbine high school shooters Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were avid listeners to violent music such as Slipknot and KMFDM. Both groups feature very dark and twisted lyrics, which the shooters listened too without a doubt. Are the lyrics in the music to blame for the violent behavior of two of the group’s listeners? Another possible source of the hatred that some shooters have may lie in the television shows they watched. Violent television shows are everywhere today; many primetime or late night shows carrying “Parental Discretion Is Advised” disclaimers. In all honesty the disclaimers shown there are more likely to draw younger viewers in to watch the show, rather than keeping them away. “I don’t know if it made me want to watch it more, it’s just like, I don’t know it’s kinda like an advertisement for some cool shit [especially swearing and guns]” Bradley University Freshman Jim Hering said. It seems to be very clear that younger Americans are going to want to watch such shows, regardless of the warnings that the television station puts on before a particular show. Exposing young Americans to such violent shows as “NYPD...
Ever since the creation of video games, people have been entertained without the need to go out to the movies or some other outdoor activity. However, people never realized that video games could influence children emotionally. Apart from the discussion that video games, or other activities that have to do with television, can ruin people’s vision, violent video games can influence children to develop aggressive behaviors. There have been situations worldwide, like the Columbine High School shooters, where video games were to blame. Some laws were even passed to lower situations similar to the Columbine High School Massacre. For example, California passed a law in 2005 that would have required violent video games to include an "18" label and criminalized the sale of these games to minors. Video games can influence children in the US to develop violent behavior.
In 1998, the US software industry sold $6.3 billion worth of video games (see Unknown). Not bad for an industry that didn't exist 25 years ago! Yet despite its continued growth, all is not well in the video game industry. School shootings in Littleton, Colorado; Pearl, Mississippi; Paducah, Kentucky; Conyers, Georgia and many other towns have shocked the nation (see Malcolm). Understandably, grieving parents and sympathetic citizens are searching for a cause for this "outbreak" of youth violence. It is natural to assume, "when children, the symbol of innocence, commit the severest of crimes, then something must be going wrong with society." (see Maker)
Societies can sometimes be exposed to periods of moral panic. A condition, episode, person or group of people appears as a threat to certain societal standards and interests. This phenomenon is depicted in a stylized and stereotypical fashion and presented to the public through the moral perspective of editors, bishops, politicians, and other influential people, whose principles define the societal values. These people pronounce their diagnoses and resort to certain ways of coping (although, sometimes, the parties can come to an agreement and a way of coping could evolve). After the condition disappears, submerges or deteriorates, it becomes even more visible. Every now and then the object of the panic is quite unusual, although mostly it is something that has been debated for a long time, but that suddenly appears in the spotlight. Occasionally, the episode is overlooked and forgotten, except in folk-lore and collective memory, but at other times it manages to create a serious impact, producing changes in legal and social policy or even in the way society conceives itself (Cohen, 2002).
Goode, E. & Yehuda, N. B.1994. Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance. Oxford: Blackwell.
In the article, “Moral Panics: Culture, Politics, and Social Construction” the authors Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda discuss two different perspectives of moral panics. Each perspective give a different way of looking at how moral panics are portrayed to come about in society. The Objectivist perspective and the Constructionist perspective show how people view moral panics. However, the Constructionist perspective is more important and valuable to society than the Objectivist perspective.
Deviance. (1998). In Robert D. Benford Macmillan Compendium: Social Issues ().New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA. 20 May 2010, Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center via Gale: