Term Paper on
Violence Affecting our Society
A hot
topic of negotiations today is the concern of hostility in the films. After
reading about the subject, one can be persuaded that film aggression
unenthusiastically has an effect on the audience. The most vulnerable are the
youthful. John Grisham wrote an influential essay called "Unnatural Killers."
From the time since the writing of the essay, it has wedged some criticism from
critics in light of his novel A Time to Kill. In this work of fiction, the "good
guy" kills. The points he made in his essay, though, are yet suitable.
"Unnatural Killers" narrates the remarkable story of Sarah Edmondson and
Benjamin Darras's assassination extravaganza. Sarah and Ben killed one person
and gravely hurt another. Sarah gives evidence that the motivation for this
horrifying work was a film, "Natural Born Killers" (Grisham 346). Grisham
portrays the movie:
“a repulsive story of two mindless young lovers, Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and
Mallory (Juliette Lewis), who blaze their way across the Southwest, killing
everything in their path while becoming famous. According to the script, they
indiscriminately kill fifty-two people before they are caught. It seems like
many more. Then they manage to kill at least fifty more as they escape from
prison. They free themselves, have children, and are at last seen happily
rambling down the highway in a Winnebago (346-347).”
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According to Sarah, "Ben loved 'Natural Born Killers,' and as they drove to
Memphis he spoke openly of killing people, randomly, just like Mickey spoke to
Mallory" (Grisham 347). Undoubtedly, if Sarah's evidence is true, the picture
had an endless and unconstructive impact on Ben Darras. "Natural Born Killers"
has enthused a lot of other copycat acts. In Texas, A 14-year old boy told
police that he "wanted to be famous like the natural born killers" (The Freedom
Forum). "In 1995 after watching the movie 19 times, four people in there
twenties from Georgia are accused of killing a truck driver" (The Freedom
Forum). And a killer from Massachusetts told his girlfriend that he and the
other killers are "natural born killers" (The Freedom Forum).
We cannot blame the media for all of society's problems, as Madeline Levine say
in "Media and the Adolescent" (357), but to utter that media and films has no
affect on teenagers would be ridiculous. Levine pointed out that, "Children who
watch 'Sesame Street' can increase their cognitive skills; those who watch 'Mr.
Rogers' have been shown to exhibit more compassionate behavior" (357). One has
heard no points of view in opposition to this fact. Why then, must one consider
the claims of those who say that violent effect have no impact? People who
depend on the television for information might with no trouble be mistaken. The
world exposed on the screen is time and again impractical. U.S. Attorney General
Janet Reno says, "Only if we provide appropriate guidance can we expect our
young people to understand that not everything on the screen has a place on the
street corner..." (Center for Media Literacy).
Deborah
Prothrow-Stith is the dean of Harvard University's School of Public Health. She
informs the story of a young man who had been shot, and was surprised that it
hurt. "...It dawned on me that what he sees on television is that when the
superhero gets shot in the arm, he uses that arm to hold onto a truck going 85
miles an hour around a corner" (Center for Media Literacy). How can one
anticipate adolescents to make sensible choices if one doesn’t give them
practical information? Sandra Pascoe Robinson, a media literacy educator and
mother of three, says, "If you step back and look critically, some of the
messages are very frightening. ...Violence is entertaining, sex is no big deal,
the more things I have the happier I'll be -- those are the three big messages I
see" (Malcolm 15). John Leonard, in an essay in opposition to controlling media
violence, quarrels that TV is educational. Mockingly, when he goes on to share
what he "learned" from TV, we see a list that comprises many things we don't
want America's children knowing about: "racism, ecology, homelessness, gun
control, child abuse, gender confusion, date rape, and AIDS..." (355). Maybe
murder, thoughtless killing, and rape should be added to the catalog.
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Recommendations
One Study about the impact of aggression in our society and then share this
material with one’s pastor, elders, deacons, and church members. Help them
appreciate how significant this subject is to them and their society. One ought
to generate a secure atmosphere. Families live in the midst of violence. One
must make one’s homes safe for one’s families. A child ought to feel that his or
her world is safe. Providing care and protection are obvious first steps. But
parents must also establish restrictions, give emotional security, and lecture
principles and asset in the home.
Parents should bound the quantity of media experience in their homes. The
standard young person sees completely too much hostility on TV and at the
movies. Set limits to what a child watches, and assess both the measure and
value of their media contribution (Rom. 12:2). Spotlight on what is clean,
attractive, factual, correct, admirable, outstanding, and commendable (Phil.
4:8). Build up children's confidence and belief in God. Children at an
premature age spontaneously depend on their parents. As the children mature,
parents ought to labor to increase their child's trust in God. God is autonomous
and all-powerful. Children ought to be taught to trust Him in their lives and
depend upon Him to observe over them and keep them safe.
References
Center for Media Literacy. "Violence in the Media." URL (5 Dec. 1999).
Grisham, John. "Unnatural Killers." Kirszner and Mandell 343-351.
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, ed. The Blair Reader. 3rd ed. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.
Leonard, John. "Why Blame TV?" Kirszner and Mandell 351-356.
Levine, Madeline. "Media and the Adolescent." Kirszner and Mandell 357-364.
Malcolm, Teresa. "Teen Violence: Does Violent Media Make Violent Kids?" National
Catholic Reporter 28 May 1999: 14-15.
Roper Center at University of Connecticut. Poll. Accession number 0327641.
Question number 001. 19 May 1999.
The Freedom Forum Online. "Oliver Stone and Natural Born Killers."URL (5 Dec.
1999).
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