The Shadow Vault

The Effects of Violent Media on Youth

Okay, so this is an essay I did for school. Uhh, yeah, it is about violence and youth, and stuff... Uhhmm... I just thought that since I bothered to write it for school, I should put it online, yaknow, give my opinion to the world. I don't really know all the sources I read this stuff from, but, whatever.

Oh, and students, DO NOT COPY THIS, THAT IS PLAIGERISM, AND IF YOU FOUND THIS, THE TEACHER CAN FIND IT TOO! AND THEY DO SEARCH THE INTERNET!!!

TEACHERS UNLESS THIS PAPER WAS TURNED IN TO BY HEATH S. MCCLANAHAN, YOUR STUDENT IS PLAIGERIZING!!!

The following is all of my article, exactly as I am turning it in. Yeah, I know it has an informal ending, I have nothing new to say, and I broke a bunch of rules already with the format, and no reference crap, whatever, all the information is there, why do I need to have other technical concluding crap in the right format. Blah, blah blah.

The Effects of Violent Media on Youth
Often, our television programs, music and video games portray extremely violent content. This violence is often viewed to negatively affect people, and even to spark violence in peaceful people. Many groups and individuals protest this media violence. These protests have been backed up with over a thousand studies. The studies of the anti-media violence groups have determined that the increase of violence in media has a direct effect on youth, creating and inspiring violence for their entire lives.
By the age of 18, the typical person in America has been discovered to view as many as 40,000 killings and 200,000 acts of violence on television. It has been found that most of a persons learning takes place before age 18, and with that being so centered on violence, children are being trained towards violence. Children who view violence on television are found to be more violent, not only as children, but also later, as adults. With all of this violence around people, they are also being desensitized to it. When anyone is exposed to something continually for a long period of time, they are gradually desensitized to it. This means that these constant images of violence create a deficit of fear or respect of use of violence. With no respect for violence, people will be less likely to question real acts of violence, and will be more likely to think violence is a reasonable solution to problems. This desensitization also broadens the affects of violence to people of all ages, not only children. Therefore, the thousands of violent images that are common to this country are a contribution to much of the country’s violence, and a very large contribution to the new generations’ violent acts.
Different media industries use many different “shock tactics” to gain audience numbers and increase profit. The video games industries are one of the most accused for these violence. Video game companies often use violence as the main element of their games. Players will often find themselves taking on the role of a Rambo-style character, shooting at anything that moves. This style of gaming essentially allows the person to get almost as close to actually shooting and destroying as you can without actually doing it, and does it for a long period of time. This is nearly equivalent to combat training, and has even been used by the US Marines as just that. These games put the player in the situation and leave them there, desensitizing them to the violence and stress, and giving them a false view of the consequences and difficulty of successful violence. Movies and television are also often criticized about their violent content. Movies and television often portray violence and portrayals of intricate murders. This violence, as with all the aforementioned violence contributes to much of the desensitization of the United States. When movies, as they often do, portray serial murders, they will show scenes with full depictions of the corpse, or even of the murder itself. When these scenes are shown, they often inspire people to copycat these scenes. Although anyone who will commit these murders must already have some sort of motivation, these scenes inspire the specific murders, which may have been more elaborate and consequential than what may have otherwise occurred. Finally, the third of the most criticized medias I shall mention is that of music. Music has always been viewed as a soul-touching art form, and when you hear music, and listen to it regularly, it is thought of to be embedded into your being. Therefore, it is also seen that when violent or degrading lyrics are found attached to music, that these lyrics will also be embedded. The majority of music that is listened to by the youth of most ages can be found to contain many violent images. In conclusion, youth is being fed violence through their precious musical art.
Along with all the negative sides of violence in media, there are a few positive things that can be said about it. Often, music and video games can be used not as a fuel to drive rage on and inspire new fits of rage, but it can be an outlet of anger from other sources. Often, violent music is used as a way to burn off the energy from anger from other sources. Singing along to the raging music of Marilyn Manson, Korn, or Rage Against the Machine can give one a view that others have similar problems, and that it is less of a big deal, and the energy taken by getting into the lyrics can burn all the energy from the anger and rage that had been built up from something else. Along with that, video games can become an outlet for violent desires, rather than an inspiration to pick up a gun and blast away In Real Life. A video game where you use a gun to kill or murder can be used in substitute of actually carrying out that act. Nevertheless, using video games or violent songs as an outlet in that manner can be like an addictive drug, not only curing the desire for violence at that time, but also placing the subconscious need for that violence even deeper into their being. As the need increases, that may inspire some who already have other impediments to go past the need for the video game, and pervert that desire into a desire for a violent act In Real Life. This is clearly a sign that images of violence should be used at least in moderation.
There are many obvious ways that this situation can be approached as a problem that can be solved. Further regulation of different medias is one solution. Most medias have some sort of regulation system, preventing children from purchasing or viewing them without parental consent. These systems are often too weak or too simple to properly moderate child exposure to them. These regulation systems should have extensive examinations of the media, determining what of it is inappropriate, and what ages should be allowed to purchase them. Movies have a system that is adequate, and could be used as an example, but, along with all the other restraints, should be more strict. Music industries have parental warnings, but are not very restricting, and are definitely not strict enough to protect our youth. Simply put, all things that may influence children should have strict restraints placed on them. Another solution is that everyone should monitor the amounts of violence children are allowed to intake. Parents need to take responsibility for their children, and not allow them to be exposed to the material that will train them to disregard violence as anything more than a common act. This will protect the future generations from extensive mental tendencies of gaining pleasure from viewing and taking part in violence. Although child exposure is important, adult exposure should also be monitored. All humans are vulnerable to desensitization, and should only view violent media in moderation, if at all.
If these actions are followed through, then the youth of the nation will discover a decrease in violent media, and its affects on society. *insert filler information that is useless here*

Oh, and excuse repetition, I had to fill six paragraphs with three paragraphs worth of information… if it was even three.