He also states, “…afraid to join my peers in their bumptious rush into adolescence boyhood, I withdrew into passivity and loneliness” (Jones 195). Although he was shy and lonely as a child he soon learned how to venture out when his mother gave him Marvel Comic books. His mother gave him these because she thought they would be good for him and little did she know they were. His main hero was The Hulk, his character “raged against a frightened world that misunderstood and persecuted him” (Jones 195). From reading this comic book he learned to create a fantasy where he turned his rage and fear into power.
Some may argue that the author’s opinion is weak and unsound. Jones discusses his past mentioning how in his early childhood. He was taught by his parents to suppress his deepest fears and anger all while being sheltered from reality. That is until his mother was persuaded that violent comic books were not detrimental to children and could actually benefit him, since they are aimed at juveniles. From there on out the incredible Hulk became the person he emulated and helped him develop become a writer due to the hulks characteristics, “Unafraid of his desires and the world’s disapproval, unhesitating and effective in action” (230-231).
Overtime, violence becomes a fact of life and children lose their ability to sympathize with the victim. Exposure to violent media does not itself induce violence but it is a risk factor and can strongly influence those predisposed to a violent nature. Through an analysis of more than 200 studies, researchers showed the short-term effect of exposure to violent media had a moderate to large correlation. Media violence can have a quantifiable, adverse effect on children as they learn to view violence as means of positive conflict resolution. According to Strasburger and Grossman, (2001) the offenders of recent school shootings were exposed to and captivated by many different forms of violent media.
For example, in Jones’ essay, he explains to the reader how he grew up as a lonesome and fearful boy. He tells the reader how “The Incredible Hulk” helped him break out of his shell. Whether this is true or not, this does not mean that the effect of violent media will be positive all the time. Every person thinks and functions differently. Paraphrasing Tori DeAngelis, an author for the American Psychological Association, writes about how social class can have different effects on us psychologically.
The most important value learned back then was respect and self-respect. Parents taught their children to respect them and other adults and respect themselves. Teens of today lacked the simple values of yesterday because of the exposure to negative things in the world. “But the most significant aspects of any cultural cod may be conveyed implicitly, not by rule or lesson but through modeling behavior” (Barnlund, 2000, p56). In spite of this, they have the freedom to explore the internet, listen to the negative lyrics of today’s music, play violent video games and watch inappropriate contents on TV.
Along with ethos and logos, Garbarino also incorporated pathos, the appeal to an audience’s emotions. Emotions and spirituality play an important role in “Children in a Violent World” because they provoke readers into seeing the emotional side of the spectrum. His article appertains to social toxicity as being the cause of teen violence. “The concept of social toxicity refers to the idea that there can be cultural an... ... middle of paper ... ...n in a Violent World" has clear points, addresses a wide audience, and makes no assumptions. All in all, the seven articles delivered contrasting causes of teen violence.
(Jones, 1) I believe this article is written well, considering it makes important points and uses his life experiences to tell us about it. In his thesis, it says that comic books which critics assume are immature and gloried violence actually teach pacifism and tolerance. Jones goes on to say that humans must learn to how to handle
Jones proposes to us his dreadful and dark childhood. The well know comic book hero " The Hulk" released him from his lonesome character. Violent media is very enhanced, we never want our children to ever consider violence as an option, but if it realeases them let it be. Jones reveals how violence is beneficial, but he also acknowledged the alternative viewpoints by conveying " Children need violent entertainment in order to explore the inescapable feelings that they've been taught to deny, and to reintegrate those feelings into a more whole, more complex, more resilient selfhood" (Jones 65). He strongly encourages his outlook by confessing his life incidents.
A person’s motive to watch gore and violence is fueled by their desire to explore and familiarize themselves with situations and emotions that could possibly be all too real. In Gerard Jones’s essay “Violent Media Is Good For Kids” Dr. Melanie Moore, a psychologist, supports this claim by stating: “‘Children need violent entertainment in order to explore the inescapable feelings that they’ve been taught to deny, and to reintegrate those feelings into a more whole, more complex, more resilient selfhood’” (374). Adults function in the same manner and also need violent films to explore those feeling that are locked away inside. By bringing them to the surface, we can confront those feeling and then grow accustomed to them. An example of individuals watching film to
Juan Jackson Essay 2 6/29/15 English 102 In Gerard Jones’ “Violent Media Is Good for Kids” talks about how violence in media can actually have positive effects on young people because it can help pull children out of emotional traps by immersing themselves in violent stories. Jones believes that violent media has a positive impact on kids because that kids uses violent stories to connect their emotional and developmental needs. Jones makes some great points on how kids express themselves by pertaining that have superhuman powers to help other kids overcome the situations of being young. He says that media does not so much effect kids badly, but rather it is useful. As proof in in his theory, Jones utilizes various examples.