The Moral Degeneration of Broadcast Media

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Recommended: Television has bad influence on young people

As our technologies advance and our collective morality decreases, the American people are faced with a dilemma which impacts greatly the foundation of our society. What is acceptable in the media?

Broadcast media is the most widespread, effective, accessible means of conveying information in the world today. With 98% of American homes having a television set, and 2/3 of those homes receiving cable, TV and movies are the most pervasive means of corruption yet known to our society. So readily available, one does not even have to leave his/her home to be affected by it. Even a child, not yet able to read, can access and be affected by broadcast media. The indecency and violence on television, coupled with the pornography, indecency, obscenity, and violence in movies, have a staggering effect on the moral state of our society. In return, the collective moral state of our society, and what is deemed acceptable by the majority, allows television and movies to contain such abhorrent and vulgar materials. The result is a downward spiral of entertainment feeding off of a dwindling moral state while at the same time promoting its degeneration.

HOW MUCH IS DUE TO BROADCAST MEDIA?

The broadcast media, through television and movies, is guilty of promoting an immoral society. Everyone who watches television and movies are effected and influenced by what is seen in them. Children learn that those ways are acceptable. Eventually after so much exposure, which causes desensitization to immoral ways, adults who at first tolerate them begin to accept them as well. Studies on both children and adults have shown them to have more violent tendencies after being exposed to violence in movies and on TV. As for indecenc...

... middle of paper ...

... can succeed in regaining, rebuilding it's collapsing moral state.

Works Cited

Hundt, Reed. "Television, Kids, Indecency, Violence, and the Public Interest" Speech given at Duke University School of Law. 9 Feb, 1996.

http://www.netreach.net/~kaufman/Hundt.FCC.kids.html

Kaufman, Ron. "How Television Images Affect Children" http://www.netreach.net/~kaufman/children.html

Marks, Alexandra. "Washington Turns Up the Debate on T.V. Violence." Christian Science Monitor. 14 July, 1995.

Weinraub, Bernard. "Los Angeles Bishop Asks for Film Guidelines." The New York Times. 1 Oct. 1992.

(Web Pages without author, cited by number)

1. "Freedom of Expression" http://www.aclu.org/library/pbp14.html

2. "Definitions of Pornography, Obscenity, and Indecency" http://pw2.netcom.com/~mimnyc/obscporn.html

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