Violence in Media Leads to Desensitization and Aggression

C.S. Lewis wrote that “murder [was] no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts”. This quote's claim can be used to describe the consequences of media violence. Even the most appalling crimes can, gradually, deteriorate the moral compass that have been built up due to society, family values and religion. Despite what some may think, violence would not come in sudden burst of energy, instantly is recognizable, that would undue a person, but a slow pace that would be easing into violence that would be the cause. There would not be any warnings or “signposts”, to distinguish between being too close to the edge and finding amusement in, levels of violence, that years prior would have been unthinkable. Viewing violence on media outlets leads to desensitization towards violence and can encourage outward aggression. While there is research that claims the opposite, this paper will review the scholarship that disproves these claims and shows that media has a tangible effect on children. This paper will strive to prove this point by analyzing an article written on a relating current event, several articles that provide research about the subject and opposing viewpoints. The first to be discussed is the event that took place three years ago.

Bullying, while nothing new, is done in a completely new way than ever before thanks to the Internet. In 2008, eight teenagers (six girls and two boys) lured then beaten and taunted another teenager girl, filming it and posting it to various websites such as YouTube and Myspace (Associated Press, 2009). While the amount of footage that was taken amount...

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