In Texas, a law recently passed for open carry to be allowed starting in January of 2016. There has been much debate over this matter, even though there is no way to combat the bill now that it has been passed into law. Although, there was some backlash in Austin at the University of Texas when the students protested the bill by openly carrying phallic sex toys around campus. The fact of the matter is that the law has been passed, and there is little to nothing anyone could do about it now. With both sides of the political spectrum having very different though equally intense views about this subject it is somewhat difficult for one to create an informed and unbiased opinion about gun control with political media rampant in the United States. …show more content…
The Republican Party platform states that they “uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support, and defend the law-abiding citizen 's God-given right of self-defense” (Republicans). These ideals are no different in the state of Texas. Having lived in Texas for my entire life, I have seen many different versions of the pro-gun ideology, including a student in my World Religions class who claimed that the government was trying to “take away our guns”. Many conservatives use the argument of the Second Amendment being what the forefathers wanted for our country. Though, at the time of the writing of the constitution, our young country was in the midst of a war with England. Robert J. Spitzer states that, “twenty-first-century America is a very different nation from the thirteen Atlantic Coast-hugging colonies that banded together to bravely declare their independence from Britain in the eighteenth century” (3). With this in mind, America and her relationship with firearms has changed over the years. Although we live in a first world society, there are still people who rely heavily on firearms for their food and wellbeing across the …show more content…
From the very conservative views of George Bush and Rick Perry to the filibustering of Wendy Davis, this state genuinely has it all, politically. Although, when it comes down to gun control, there is an overwhelming majority of people in this state who are very adamant about the fact that the second amendment is something that cannot be taken away, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. With everything I have read and seen in regards to the regulation of firearms for this paper, my views have changed somewhat. Before writing this paper, I was very anti-open carry, and I still am to an extent. I do not think I will ever be in favor of citizens openly carrying guns, for multiple reasons, but I do understand the need for people to have firearms for hunting and safety purposes. I do not believe that the common citizen has any need to openly carry any kind of weapon out in public, and now that that is allowed, more gun violence will come to this state because of the law. I do not believe that mental illness or video game violence have extreme impacts on people deciding to cause terror through firearm violence, but I do feel that the ability to openly carry weapons is something that would help our state in the long run. Firmin DeBrander states on page three that, “The profusion of guns in America has a lot to do with the lenient laws regarding their purchase,
Mass media is a growing business, normally controlled by giant corporations. In fact majority of national news in only covered by few sources known as “Big Media” consisting of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, and United Press International. (Mary 6). Because the media is so big often the corporations determine what is to be given national attention such as the presidential elections. Leaving the opinions of others to change american
Introduction Since the first televised debate between Vice President Richard Nixon (R-Calif.) and Senator John Kennedy (D-Mass.), the election process has never been the same. Despite the seemingly important democratic aspect of presidential debates, the actual impact of debates on voters’ perceptions of potential candidates is highly doubted by many scholars. Potential candidates, journalists, and a few scholars have expressed, however, the importance of presidential debates in directing voters’ attitudes
seemingly unmatched levels of political polarization present in the United States today; however, if asked, Americans would have a variety of different answers or explanations as to why they believe the political system has become so polarized. There are those who would take up the most direct explanation, the voters elect the representatives, and can choose whether to subscribe to particular agendas, issues, or rhetoric, so they are largely responsible for the state of political discourse. One might also
Walraven Presidential Debates and Social Media Presidential debates and campaigns over time have developed widely because of social media. The majority of America can research, converse and ask questions through various types of social media that can lead to positive and negative outcomes. “Although the internet had been around for years prior to the 2008 Presidential Elections, it used to be more of a luxury and now it has become a way of life. It is common belief that social media and the Internet
doubt that the media technology, including print media, broadcast media and digital media, has reached a mass communication and influence as the development of digital computing and communication technology. As acting the basic function of providing news and information, mass media also has virtual influence on the societies. However, scholars have different opinions and arguments regarding to the media’s influence on citizen. In addition, numerous theories have been proposed over years to examine
The aim of this paper is to look at the relationship between the mass media, specifically television, and presidential elections. This paper will focus on the function of television in presidential elections through three main areas: exit polls, presidential debates, and spots. The focus is on television for three reasons. First, television reaches more voters than any other medium. Second, television attracts the greatest part of presidential campaign budgets. Third, television provides the candidates
The Influence of the Media on Politics "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." This quote by A.J. Liebling illustrates the reality of where the media stands in today's society. Over the past twenty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The media's original purpose was to inform the public of the relevant events that occurred around the world. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people
role of media in politics? Role of Media in Politics The current role of mass media in politics has definitely played a significant role in how view and react to certain events and issues of the nation. Newspapers, magazines, television and radio are some of the ways information is passed onto many of the citizens. The World Wide Web is also an information superhighway, but not all of the sources on the Internet are credible. Therefore, I will only focus on the main three types of media: written
report is to analyze the impacts of changes in the media concerning the societal and individual view of politics and politicians. The report also describes significant milestones in mass media since the year 1960 and examines the impact of mass media on how people think politically. The report then considers the effect of technological advancements in mass media and the effect on the results of elections. The use of mass media has increased over the last fifty years in that it is a primary medium
Introduction In politics, there are many factors that contribute to what issues an individual favors or dislikes and what an individual will use to pick their political candidates during election times. But a specifically interesting thing that one decides on is their party identification. The question on what exactly influences an individual’s party identification is a question that many scholars and researchers ponder. Literature on this topic suggests that an individual’s party identification
Ten years ago, we did not have social networks like Facebook or Twitter, or internet for that matter. As each year passes, social media is becoming more and more prevalent. New users sign up on a daily basis to see what the buzz is about. It is natural to think social media is just for teens, but the growing number of adult users make it incredibly diverse. Worldwide, people use these sites to connect with friends, meet new people, or even to get their name known. This mass usage attracts the attention
Dating back to over 100 years ago, when yellow journalism depicted its news as a sensationalist, crude exaggeration of what was true (that actually helped lead to a war) it can be stated that the media has had a constant theme of using different tactics and biases to influence their readers/viewers. Horse race journalism is no different. It depicts an election as a horse race, where the focus is not on the candidate’s policy but rather on how the candidates oppose each other. Media uses this framework
the internet. With the coming of every new media outlet audiences and media moguls migrate. Along with the migrations are the politicians who try to use the new form of media to more easily reach the public. It's come to the point where the internet increasingly work with democracy directly; some elections in the United States even going so far as to hold online polling in a general election. "Online voting is increasingly making its way int our political process," writes Vote.com President Dick Morris
The political atmosphere has significantly changed over the years, along with the developments in the area of technology and mass media communication. The advances in this area have provided the opportunity for the civil society to get politically involved and the ability to engage in debate about the current issues. This will be discussed using Clay Shirky’s article The Political Power of Social Media – Technology, the Public Sphere and Political Change, as a lens to look at media communication
However, change is not always for the better, especially the influence of television on political campaigns towards presidency. Since the 1960s, presidential elections in the United States were greatly impacted by television, yet the impact has not been positive. Television allowed the public to have more access to information and gained reassurance to which candidate they chose to vote for. However, the media failed to recognize the importance of elections. Candidates became image based rather than