Violent Media: Does It Cause Violence?

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Violent Media: Does it Cause Violence?

Media is something used in the daily lives of society for entertainment. The media ranges from music, movies, and video games. However there is a lot of controversy over whether or not violent media promotes violence in real life. Most of society believes it is just used for entertainment, nothing else. Others believe, with the recent shootings and bombings, that the violent media links to theses events. Violence in media is just a risk factor that can cause aggressive behavior among observers. So to an extent, violent media does cause violence in real life; however, knowing the difference between reality and fantasy is also a factor.

Music is a form of media that plays a huge role. Music varies differently among other people. Although some prefer to listen to more violent music compared to others, it doesn't mean that the person is considered a violent person. The controversy is that researchers believe listening to violent lyrics in music helps encourage listeners to act out violent acts. According to Erika Wittekind, less research has been conducted on whether or not violent music causes violent behavior in reality (Source A). A genre of music that some believe to be a main cause of this is gangster rap. Gangster rap is a subgenre of Hip Hop that contains lyrics about the life of an “American Gangster.” The songs are about the low-income lives that the rappers come from. The songs are about the things that have conflicted with their lives and the things that have been accomplished to support themselves. The artists rap about their lives and use it as self expression about the life of a poor income citizen. Rappers use rap to express feelings and conflicts in life. Some, however, do no...

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...Giovacchini, Anthony M. “The Negative Influence of Gangster Rap and What Can Be Done About It.” The Negative Influence of Gangster Rap And What Can Be Done About It. EDGE, 4 June 1999. Web. 02 May 2014.

Harvard Mental Health Letter. Volume 27, Number 4. Harvard Mental Health Letter, Harvard Health Publications, 2010. Print. 02 May 2014.

“Ohio State Professor: Violent video games can make players more aggressive-The Lantern.” The Lantern 22 Apr. 2014.

Parks, J. Peggy. Video Games. San Diego, CA: Reference Point Press, 2009. Print. 02 May 2014

ProCon.org. “Video Games ProCon.org” ProCon.org. 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014

Wittekind, Erika. Violence as Entertainment: Why Aggression sells. North Monkato, Minnesota: Compass Point Books, 2012. Print.

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