Media Violence

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Media violence does not cause children to be violent. If a child is angry, violent movies, television shows, and negative lyrics in music merely add fuel to an already smoldering fire. A violent world contributes to violent children, but is not the cause. That is not to say that television, movies, music, and video games do not hold a tremendous power to influence. They do, and in that respect, they can share the blame, but we must not overlook the deeper cause of violent children, which is an increasing lack of nurturing adult involvement. It is also true that while guns facilitate the act of killing, guns do not create the mindset for the action.

Without question, media violence contributes to the breakdown of inhibitions. The sheer repetition of killing seen on television and in movies, desensitizes our youth, and increases the likelihood that someone will gravitate towards a gun to settle a conflict. But the person has to have a pre-disposition to kill. The issue at hand, which can not be over-emphasized enough, is that we are raising children to have such a disposition. Murderers are trained.

Searching for answers, the world may be quick to find a scapegoat within the media. This would take the blame and ultimate responsibility away from parents, allowing them to continue life as usual. As we have said, to fix their children, they have to fix themselves. This explains why the country is banding together, placing the blame on everything violent outside of the home. It is much more difficult to acknowledge the violence (physical, sexual, verbal abuse, neglect and domination) within the home. How many parents made changes in their homes after Columbine? And if they did, were they long-lasting? Are parents still spending far too much time submerged in their work and away from their families? Are they sincerely interacting and listening to their children?

Currently we are allowing Government interference because no one knows how to handle the problem of violent youth. The American government is all too eager to take charge. President Clinton spearheaded an anti-school-violence campaign. The first mandate was to order a government investigation of how the entertainment business markets violence to children. Clinton said, Our children are being fed a dependable daily dose of violence. And it sells, adding The boundary between fantasy and reality in terms of violence -- which is a clear line for most adults -- can become very blurred for vulnerable children. Clinton sited that thirty years of studies have documented that by the time a typical American child turns eighteen, he or she has seen forty thousand play murders and two hundred thousand dramatized acts of violence.

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Furthermore, how many times have you gone to the movies and seen very young children attending a violent movie with their parents? These adults take their kids with them to see a PG 1, or even R rated film, because it is the film the parent wants to see. The two hours are filled with guns, bombs, sex and vulgar language. Why do parents do this? Mainly for their own convenience, and because they do not care what goes into the minds of their children. If they did, they wouldnt take their kids to see such films. The message kids take away is that their parents are more concerned with their own entertainment. What really hurts them is the indifference of their parents, not the guns, violence, and vulgarity.

Violent programs on television lead to aggressive behavior by children and teenagers who watch those programs.

Thats the word from a 18 report by the National Institute of Mental Health, a report that confirmed and extended an earlier study done by the Surgeon General. As a result of these and other research findings, the American Psychological Association passed a resolution in February 185 informing broadcasters and the public of the potential dangers that viewing violence on television can have for children.

What Does the Research Show?

Psychological research has shown three major effects of seeing violence on television

Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others

Children may be more fearful of the world around them

Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others.

Children who watch a lot of TV are less aroused by violent scenes than are those who only watch a little; in other words, theyre less bothered by violence in general, and less likely to see anything wrong with it. One example in several studies, those who watched a violent program instead of a nonviolent one were slower to intervene or to call for help when, a little later, they saw younger children fighting or playing destructively.

Studies by George Gerbner, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania, have shown that childrens TV shows contain about 0 violent acts each hour and also that children who watch a lot of television are more likely to think that the world is a mean and dangerous place.

Children often behave differently after theyve been watching violent programs on TV. In one study done at Pennsylvania State University, about 100 preschool children were observed both before and after watching television; some watched cartoons that had a lot of aggressive and violent acts in them, and others watched shows that didnt have any kind of violence. The researchers noticed real differences between the kids who watched the violent shows and those who watched nonviolent ones.

Children who watch the violent shows, even just funny cartoons, were more likely to hit out at their playmates, argue, disobey class rules, leave tasks unfinished, and were less willing to wait for things than those who watched the nonviolent programs, says Aletha Huston, Ph.D., now at the University of Kansas.

Real-Life Studies

Findings from the laboratory are further supported by field studies which have shown the long-range effects of televised violence. Leonard Eron, Ph.D., and his associates at the University of Illinois, found that children who watched many hours of TV violence when they were in elementary school tended to also show a higher level of aggressive behavior when they became teenagers. By observing these youngsters until they were 0 years old, Dr. Eron found that the ones whod watched a lot of TV when they were eight years old were more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts as adults.

A Continuing Debate

In spite of this accumulated evidence, broadcasters and scientists continue to debate the link between the viewing TV violence and childrens aggressive behavior. Some broadcasters believe that there is not enough evidence to prove that TV violence is harmful. But scientists who have studied this issue say that there is a link between TV violence and aggression, and in 1, the American Psychological Associations Task Force on Television and Society published a report that confirms this view. The report, entitled Big World, Small Screen The Role of Television in American Society, shows that the harmful effects of TV violence do exist.

Does media violence promote violent behavior?

Since 155, about 1,000 studies, reports, and commentaries concerning the impact of television violence have been published. The accumulated research clearly demonstrates a correlation between viewing violence and aggressive behavior.

That statement, made by the American Psychological Association in 1, summarized its comprehensive review of research on the effects of media violence. Other organizations including the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Mental Health, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control came to similar conclusions.

One key study that showed the connection between media violence and real violence was the one by Dr. Leonard D. Eron. He followed a group of young people for years and found that those who watched more television at age eight were more likely, at age 0, to have committed more serious crimes, to be more aggressive when drinking, and to punish their children more harshly than others. Others have repeated Erons study and found similar results throughout the United States and other countries as well.

Another researcher, University of Washington epidemiologist Brandon Centerwall, surveyed young male felons imprisoned for committing violent crimes. Between one-quarter and one-third reported having consciously imitated crime techniques they saw on television.

Laboratory studies, says Ronald Slaby, media-violence expert at the Education Development Center, also show that media violence has an aggressor effect. Children who watch a violent TV show, for example, act more aggressive immediately after the show.

How does TV violence mislead young people?

Children and youth are affected by the sheer quantity of violence on TV and in the movies. But perhaps more damaging are the false messages that media violence sends.

Violence is often rewarded and seldom has negative consequences. According to the 1 National Television Violence Study by Mediascope, perpetrators go unpunished in 7 percent of all violent scenes on television.

Violence is everywhere. Slaby tells the story of a preschooler who was informed of the death of her friends father. Who killed him? she asked. Her question reflected the assumption, drawn from television, that violence was the normal cause of death.

Violence is justified. Much of the violence on television is committed by the hero of the show. The National Television Violence Study found that aggression by good guys is rarely punished; even bad guys are punished only 6 percent of the time. Power Rangers, like countless war movies, teaches that violence by good guys is not only justified but heroic.

Violence is funny. Laugh tracks in shows like The Three Stooges often follow actions like whacking someone over the head. Childrens cartoons are especially likely to present violence as funny.

Violence is pleasurable. Clint Eastwood, in Dirty Harry, finds violence so enjoyable that he encourages people to provoke him -- a violent act would make my day.

Which young people are most susceptible to influence by media violence?

Three factors are strong predictors, according to Slaby

1) Identifying with one of the characters. The response, therefore, depends on which character the viewer identifies with. Since aggressors in the media are usually male and females are usually victims, for example, boys are more likely to respond with aggression and girls with fear.

) Interpreting what they see as realistic and relevant to their own lives. Media violence is more likely to have a strong effect, therefore, on children who see violence in their lives. It also has a stronger effect on young children, who lack the real-life experience to judge whether something they see is realistic.

) Personal fantasizing about the characters on a violent show. Daydream reruns increase the influence of scenes a child has watched.

In addition, says Slaby, the context in which violence is presented is crucial. In Shakespeares tragedies and in TV shows like the popular Civil War series, violence is shown realistically, with its suffering and tragic aftermath. But such realistic, prosocial portrayals of violence account for only about 4 percent of TV programming.

How do most children and young people react to media violence?

Most people, of course, dont become violent when they watch TV or movie violence. But they may be affected in other ways. Slaby lists four effects of media violence

an aggressor effect--encouraging violent behavior

a victim effect--increasing fearfulness

a bystandereffect--leading to callousness, accepting violence as normal

an appetite effect--building a desire to watch more violence.

These effects combine, says media expert George Gerbner of the Annenberg Center for Public Policy, University of Pennsylvania, to create a mean world syndrome, a perception that the community and society in which we live are frightening and crime-ridden.

On a personal level, according to Gerbner, these fears lead to alienation and isolation. On a policy level, they fuel support for repressive policies and increased incarceration. Violence-prevention expert Deborah Prothrow-Stith of the Harvard School of Public Health, says media violence both reflects and contributes to a growing culture of meanness, a fertile ground for real-life violence.

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Are Pretextual stops by the Police Constitutional?

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This issue involved the case of Whren v. United States in which the issue of Pretextual stops by the police are in violation of the constitution's fourth amendment. The case was spurned when undercover narcotics agents stopped two African American men in their vehicle. The officers did not have the probable cause to stop the men for narcotics but did stop them for violating traffic laws and from that stop, narcotics were discovered.

Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the majority opinion that affirmed the trial court and appellate courts decision that the pretextual stop involved in Whren was constitutional. Citing that the officers first must have probable cause or reasonable suspicion in stopping an individual was the main point in the decision. This limitation on the government prevents police from stopping individuals in their vehicles for no reason other than a hunch. With that said, the decision allowed authorities to conduct investigations on suspects that did indeed violate a law. It would be impossible to know that a suspects vehicle contained contraband without first being able to stop the individual.

This issue could not be without controversy if there was not a sizable debate or group opposing the decision. David A Harris, a professor of criminal law and procedure, believes that the Supreme Court overlooked the racial implications. He believes that minorities have and will continually be targets of pretextual stops merely because of their color. He also believes that due to the bumper-to-bumper regulations imposed on motor vehicles, it is next to impossible to not violate the regulations to some extent. That leaves practically everyone in a country that is highly dependent on motor vehicles for transportation.

Personally I accept the Supreme Court's decision that pretextual stops are constitutional. In our modern world, there is a vast array of limits on police powers and the burden of proof is higher now than ever before. I believe the burden of proof is higher because of a constant flow of court decisions and philosophical views on what constitutes a crime. An example is the definition of sex. Prior to the President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal, practically everyone knew what sex was but litigation blurred the line of what we know and what is reasonable doubt.

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The Whren case supports my belief that litigation makes it more difficult for police to catch criminals because afterall, the two men did have in their possession crack cocaine. Rather than simply accept that what they were doing was criminal from the beginning, the attorneys tried to attack the stop itself. It wasn't the officers fault the men were engaged in illegal activity but the stop was legal because a traffic law was broken.

Keeping to the subject, our modern world has become plagued by terrorist cells within our own borders. These cells operate with the utmost secrecy and while the promise of freedom brings in immigrants from war torn countries fleeing to make a better life for themselves, it also attracts people who use the protections of the constitution to shield their activities. A federal investigation into a suspected terrorist may require a considerable amount of time before probable cause could even be established but with the ability to use something as simple as a pretextual stop, an investigation could turn into an arrest.

I reject in part the belief of David Harris that most pretextual stops are race driven. As I have learned in other courses, different races tend to congregate into racial neighborhoods such as China Town's or Black Harlem. If a white officer was to stop a so called minority in one of these neighborhoods, which contains a very high number of a specific race like Chinese in China Town, then it would be called a racial stop. The odds that an officer stops a Chinese citizen are astronomically higher than stopping an African American.

In summary, the balancing of constitutionality in this case is well kept because the government must have probable cause or reasonable suspicion and the public must abide by all laws, not only those involving motor vehicles. As pointed out in the book discussion, Americans use more automobiles than any country in Europe. Along with that fact, we are also victims of convenience. We want to go wherever we want, whenever we want and to be stopped is an inconvenience.

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Ice cream

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Better Society

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In Walden, Henry David Thoreau discusses how society has put a huge emphasis on clothing and people's appearance. "Madam Pfeifer … says she felt the necessity of wearing other than a traveling dress, when she went to meet authorities, for she 'was now in a civilized country, where … people are judged of by their clothes'"(Thoreau 17). I agree with Mr. Thoreau on this point and will further try to prove that the world would be a better place if everyone went around in a state of nakedness, with shaven heads, and no body modifications, such as piercing and tattoos. If this were the case people would save a lot of money, not spend a large portion of their time worrying about how they look, and would be free of first appearance judgments.

People in society today spend a large amount of their money trying to make themselves look nice or different with clothes, piercing, hairstyles, piercing, and tattoos. Clothes and hairstyles go out of style often and it is very costly for a person to stay in style. Also people hoping to look better and raise their social status throw money at more expensive clothes. In a world where these items are not needed, one would save a lot of money to be used elsewhere. In a way I have first hand experience in a similar way of life. I attended a private school where a uniform was required and no body modifications were allowed. So I never really spent money on clothes allowing me to have extra money to use. The money could be used for necessities such as decent food or shelter and also on entertainment. If people are getting more money to spend on items they enjoy they will be happier. People enjoying themselves tend to be nicer to others, which would make a better society. Along with saving money, this kind of society would save people the time and anxiety and worrying how they look.

Many people spent a lot of time worrying about they look, what to wear, how their hair is styled, etc. In attempts to make themselves look perfect, it can take some people hours to prepare themselves for the evening. This is a waste of time and sometimes really stresses people out. People worry about what matches what and if others will like how they look. They are afraid their appearance might not be unsatisfactory to anyone. None of these problems would come about in such a world. We would all have a lot more free time and be less anxious. This was pretty much the way my high school was with the uniforms. No one cared how we looked because we all looked the same and it made everyone jovial and carefree. When everyone looks the same society is less judgmental of them.

In the world we live in first appearance judgments be very important. This is true especially in the cases of job interviews, meeting new people, or any instance where you are trying to make an impression on someone. It is believed that for a job interview one should try to look and dress the part. Many people go out and buy new clothes and get a new haircut to impress the person interviewing them. In many cases if people don't look or dress the part of a job they are likely not to get the job. Thoreau states, "I sometimes try my acquaintances by such tests as this, -Who could wear a patch, or two extra seams only, over the knee? Most behave as if they believed that their prospects for life would be ruined if they should do it"(16). There are also instances where a person won't associate with someone because of the way they look or dress. However, none of these things would be a factor in this ideal society. In high school some of my friends and I got to know a guy in our class that on the weekends had we seen him at a party there is a slim chance we would have talked to him. But since in school we all wore uniforms we were forced to get to know the person because we could not judge him by their clothes since they were in uniform. And we became friends with him and hung out with him even though he was different because he was a fun and nice guy. So if everyone looks the same then it forces us to meet people and get to know them instead of looking at them, seeing that they're not you type, and judging them before you even know who they really are.

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In this paper I have shown that a world where everyone went around in nakedness, with shaven heads, and no body modifications would be a better place. I have discussed how this lifestyle would save people money, time and anxiety, and end first appearance judgments. If each and every person saves money, time, anxiety, and judgment they would be happier and friendlier. With everyone being more happy and friendly than it makes civilization better as a whole.

Please note that this sample paper on Better Society is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on Better Society, we are here to assist you. Your persuasive essay on Better Society will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality. Order your authentic assignment and you will be amazed at how easy it is to complete a quality custom paper within the shortest time possible!

American government and society as portrayed in the novel Ragtime

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E.L. Doctorow's novel "Ragtime" is a discussion on turn of the century American society, government, and ideals. Throughout the novel, Doctorow discusses the intertwining relationships between a number of characters, each coming from various places within society. The Jewish, immigrant, socialist Tateh and his young daughter, the middle-class family of mother, father, mother's younger brother, and the little boy, Coalhouse Porter the social misfit who is a economically rising black man, each of these characters represent a portion of society and the problems both externally and internally afflicting American social consciousness at the time. Interdispersed between these main character stories is the placement of actual historical events and people. Doctorow places well-known events and people to give credence to his discussion of democratic values and liberalist deficiencies in American society.

Throughout the novel Dokorow examines the intertwining relationships between members of varying echelons of American society. Roger Smith's article Multiple Traditions in America concerns the liberal democratic ideals of American life, accompanied with a capitalistic economy foster in theory the possibility for a man below his means to aspire and reach a social standing above his usual place in society. Combining Smith's discussions and Doctorow's stories creates a stunning portrait of the pitfalls of American. Smith points to Toqueville's Democracy in America, which displays the egalitarian and opportunistic tone to settling America. "The vast stretches of land inhabited by wandering tribes who had not thought of exploiting the soil enabled European immigrants to spread out and make their fortune as opposed to nations where most lands formed parts of large hereditary estates." Though he points to the Europeans solely in his analysis, this was mainly due to the fact that immigrants at the time were predominantly, if not completely, European in origin. Toqueville goes on to argue that thought the majority of immigrants were European, they came without "any idea of superiority of some over others." This can be traced to their overwhelming protestant beliefs, and their disdain for the monarchistic, and aristocratic nature of European society. Instead, America was built on a "middle-class, democratic freedom." This ideal is conducive to republican idealism, and liberal ideals. Equality and opportunity abound for those who are searching for freedom in American society.

The so-called egalitarian rights and opportunities, however, were not extended to those of "new" immigrants, nor to blacks. It can be argued that at the time the thought was prevalent that white and blacks could never be held on equal footings due to the overwhelming physical and intellectual differences. Yet, Coalhouse Porter, a high aspiring and successful black musician (could afford to buy a car) cannot reach the equality he knows and desires, and in the end he is doomed to tragedy. The American ideal is just a dream that not a true constant to American society. Between racial, gender and social inequalities, the American ideal is only attainable to a chosen few. Coalhouse attempted to reach a higher plain in American life. He could afford to buy a car, he dressed as a man accustomed to success, and he tried to be an upright figure in his doomed fianc e's life. If the color of his skin would have been white, Coalhouse's life most likely not have taken the violent and revolutionary turn that it did. The Irish firemen singled him out based on the color of his skin, and the success he had achieved relative to the white Anglo-Saxon immigrants surrounding him.

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At same time there is the character of Tateh and the little girl who not only went through the ultimate pain of the infidelity of the mother, but also with the desperation of poverty being immigrants with nothing to claim for their own they lived in filthy tenements, worked in dangerous factories, and tried to survive of meager pay checks. The immigrants of the day were forced to deal with a capitalistic world, ripe with labor problems, and social inequalities that had plagued the United States throughout the industrial revolution. Immigrants who entered the United States came with great dreams of the possibilities that existed for them. Yet, the reality of the situation was that the life that was available to the immigrants was often far from their dreams. They entered a society bent on exploiting the immigrants' shortcomings, a society that refused to accept them as equals, and barely saw them as human beings. "Many people believed that fifth and starvation and disease was what the immigrant got for his moral degeneracy." Immigrants were a lower form of life, with no morality, and were comparable to animals. The fact that Tateh was a Jewish immigrant placed him at the back of the social pecking order amongst his fellow Americans.

"They [immigrants] were despised by New Yorkers. They were filthy and illiterate…they had no honor and worked for nest to nothing. They stole. They drank. They raped their own daughters…among those who despised them the most were the second-generation Irish, whose fathers had seem guilty of the same crimes." American society saw immigrants as a sub-level of humanity. They ascribed to them characteristics and qualities one would expect from animals, and thought of their entrance into the United States as unacceptable. They were amoral and naturally prone to crime and violence. In his article "Multiple Traditions in America", Roger Smith quickly outlined the plight of the Chinese immigrant during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He stated that according to California senator John Miller the Chinese were "automatic engines of flesh and blood, of obtuse nerve, marked by degradation and demoralization, and thus far below the Anglo-Saxon..." This view of non-northern European immigrants was common not only throughout American society, but also throughout the American government. Though the prejudices against the Chinese were taken to a new level, when the state of California, and later the entire United States, restricted the immigration of Chinese into America. The government turned to laws inorder to "maintain an inclusive feature of American law while sharply reducing the resident Chinese population."

"…Women may not vote, they may not love whom they want, they may not develop their minds and their spirits…"

"…like all whores you value propriety. You are a creature of capitalism, the ethics of which are so totally corrupt and hypocritical that your beauty is no more than the beauty of gold, which is to say false and cold and useless."

The Eskimos that father comes upon during his voyage to the North Pole, again are seen as animals. They are primitive in comparison to their white leaders. The Eskimos, according to father, are barely human, the men are constantly trying to restrain from killing themselves, while the women have no restraint nor decency, exhibited by their blatant disregard for propriety during sexual intercourse. Peary, the leader of the expedition to the North Pole, refereed to the Eskimos in paternalistic phrases "Our little brown brothers have to be taught a lesson…" Father refers to them as "primitive" "animal"; these are monikers that American society has placed upon "lesser" races. Yet, the liberal and republican traditions of America itself stress that "…ordinary men and women are entitled to representative self-governance, that all who live in the political community should be able to participate in public life as equals, and that citizens should have freedom for different religious outlooks and other sorts of pursuits in their private lives." This view of American civic life may connect more with a modern day view of society, but at the turn-of-the-century these beliefs' were held few and far between.

To the Anglo-Saxon elites, the African-Americans, the Native Americans, and the lesser immigrants were not seen as equals. They were outsiders to society and government, and the thought existed that they should remain so. The scope of equality, whether it is racial, religious, or social, did not stretch to the minorities. As cited in Smith's article, Lawrence Fuchs states "the Euro-American determinations to maintain a racially exclusive civic culture was not abandoned until the 160's to 180's." Yet the decree for liberty, and equality had taken place centuries before. A nation built on liberalism, and republican ideals by definition is understood to be in opposition to "racism, nativism, and patriarchy"; it pushes forth the moral worth of human equality and gives them "inalienable rights to freedom, justice, and a fair opportunity." While at the same time denounces, "differences made on account of race, creed, and color." This is evident throughout Ragtime, from the treatment of Coalhouse by the firemen, the police department, and by the public in general, as well the violent suppression of the immigrant factory workers during the labor strike. This suppression is doubly condemning; because the workers were demanding fair treatment, fair pay, and safer working conditions. Basically demands that would seem reasonable from Anglo-Saxon natives.

Tateh is able to fulfill the American dream, though it almost kills him in the process. Though the labor strikes in Lawrence, to the dingy tenements they are forced to live in, Tateh lives his days in despair and filth. Yet somehow he is able to profit from the consumerism that consumed the society of his day, and stumbles upon a primitive form of motion pictures. One of the few bright spots painted by Doctorow, Tateh is able to rise above the impoverished life of the tenements, and create an entirely new identity as a "nouveaux riche" titled immigrant. He "invented a barony for himself. It got him around a Christian world. Instead of having to erase his thick Yiddish accent he need only roll it off him tongue with flourish…He was a new man." Tateh was able to raise himself above the immigrant prejudices though lies and pure luck. Eventually he even marries the middle-class mother, who accepts him for his true identity, (though he disdains his former identity himself) but only after he has risen above his for impoverished state to success.

Throughout American history, the white dominators had placed an emphasis on the "racial inferiority of the lower classes of whites and non-Anglo-Saxon immigrants, as well as the blacks." Immigrants were not given the same rights and privileges as the Anglo-Saxon members of society. The American government had been established in a liberal and republican light, yet those ideals were not passed on to every citizen. Immigrants, blacks, and Native Americans were held down by these ideals, and in the pursuit of white individual freedoms and opportunities, the basic creed of "life, liberty, and happiness" was crushed. In the post Civil War stage freed slaves were further excluded though governmental legislation aimed at separating African Americans from their white neighbors, and poll taxes that kept them out of the ballot box. Docotorow gave Coalhouse the bottom end of the stick, the fighting and struggle to equality he achieved was broken down and turned into tragedy, painting the plight of the African American as hopeless. The plight of the immigrant, however, had a light at the end of the tunnel though Tateh's emersion into middle-class society.

Smith, Roger, Multiple Traditions in America, American Political Science Review, Vol. 87, No. , Yale University

Doctorow, E.L., Ragtime, Penguin Books, 174

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