Sex and Violence on Television

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Sex and Violence on Television

Since its inception, television has been the center of controversy. Often it has been viewed as being extremely detrimental to society, and because of this, it is often referred to as the "Boob-tube" or the "Idiot-box". So what makes television so detrimental? - The content (or in the opinion of many) the lack thereof. It is said that television has caused the rotting of our minds, that it depreciates the imagination and contributes to laziness. But the most important accusation against what comes over the airwaves, is that it influences some people into committing antisocial and often immoral behavior. Narrowing down the search of the most important problems reveals an excess of sexual and violent material on Television, most of which is readily available to young and extremely impressionable viewers. This material is often said to be the cause for the increase of violent crimes and open promiscuity, which has become more apparent over the past few decades. However, many would disagree with this standpoint. They believe that the amount of sex and violence seen each day on television is not the cause of societal woes, but has been caused by the problems that are witnessed in the real world every day. Perhaps it is just another case of which came first, the chicken or the egg? Also, the television industry is one of the most profitable of all industries, especially in this country, for, "Sex sells," as the saying goes. As for the violence that we see, only violence packed movies make as much money as they do and they are more likely to receive a lot of attention when first viewed on network television than non-violent blockbusters. As a movie executive once put it, "Violence is going ...

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