A Moral Never-Never Land by Harold - Essay Example

Research Based Analysis Huessman and Taylor (293-395) elaborate the way digital media has a powerful influence in affecting the perception of viewers. According to Huessman and Taylor, violent actions do not result from a single cause, but result from multiple factors, which converge over a period of time, contributing to a specific behavior. Therefore, watching violent scenes and films in digital media would gradually lead one to develop aggressive and violent characters due to the strong influence of the digital media. Consequently, Sobchack in her essay The Postmobid Condition critically analyses the effects of Hollywood visual content in contributing to hate, violence, and evoking feelings among viewers. As viewers strive to be recognized alongside film characters considered as heroes, so do violence and aggression creep in from the psychological influence caused by such scenes. Consequently, the photo about Kony Make Him Famous 2012 elicits both violent and affectionate feelings from viewers of such photo or the real; film represented by the photo. Elicited feelings are much deeper in those who understand the main character, Kony. The photo conveys strong messages visually; this is further enhanced by the actual meaning of used words, the perceived meaning, the color and shadows, and the entire idea behind the photo. Bower (1-3) explains the use of symbolism in films, and the effects that such symbolism has to the viewer. For example, Bower (2) narrates the scenes in the movie, The Hours, where Woolf has some servants preparing food for her, and after doing all the cooking, she rejects the food to continue with her writing. In this case, Bower argues regarding the powerful messages passed to the viewer in such a case. One of the messages maybe that Woolf was too dedicated in her work and could not sacrifice the slightest moment to eat, or she was indeed detached from her workers that their food evoked no appetite in her. Similarly, in the photo regarding Kony, the same symbolic sentiments may be construed. For example, the photo portrays a dark, red background, and a feature that looks like a cave is visible at the background. The combination of words and the background color evokes perception of blood in viewers; blood is dark red after pouring out of the body. Blood and Kony are suggestive of violence as the history of Kony is told of his fighting with the government in a guerrilla war. Cohen (4) defines the monster and explains the body of the monster incorporates fear, anxiety, and fantasy, all which offer the monster the life they require, and an uncanny independence. Moreover, the monster is not an obvious creature as it in most cases hides, but only to resurfaces to cause havoc among the people. People are intimidated and averse with great fear. The monster does not die immediately as it incorporates a corporal and incorporeal body. This signifies its threat just shifts, but the creature never dies; it will be back again to cause more terror (Cohen, 5).The same characters can be deduced from photo about Kony. First, a monster evokes fear just as the name Kony evokes sentiments of fear in his home country. AS the photo portrays, the dark red color is the blood that Kony signifies, meaning similar to vipers or monsters, he is dangerous, hiding, and will only resurface again to spread terror and then hide again. This may be construed from the cave like features at the background of the picture. Just as the name monster itself without seeing the actual creature evokes fear, terror, and beastly acts (Cohen x-xii), so does the name Kony alone without seeing his picture evoke fear to the people affected. Kony and the beast described by Kohen have similar meanings to the viewer of such photo; they both spread terror and cause much fear in their subjects. Harold in his book, A Moral Never-Never Land explains that violence in media can stimulate views through both sympathetic and repulsive elements contained in such films (243). Moreover, Sobchack explains that increasing violence in these films and other digital media lowers the dignity of humanity, marketing the current films both insignificant and senseless (375-376). Therefore, visual impressions of violence lower the human dignity and value, which has been uplifted for many years. This explains the increasing violence and killings. Such images when presented to the viewer continuously may be decoded to mean killing is just a normal event or occurrence with nothing much attached to it. Since such a scene will have both repulsive and sympathetic elements, the photo about Kony will thus be interpreted alongside the same sentiments. For some, Kony will appear a hero, someone who has evaded the international community for many years, and has been able to antagonize security in his own country, yet has not been apprehended. The writings on this photo may be literary explained to indicate the same. The words “make him famous” and the explanation above regarding ability of Kony to evade arrest by local and international authorities may thus be read by sympathizers to mean a hero. On the other hand, the same reading and the photo to some are repulsive, more so due to the color of blood portrayed in the photo, and the violent nature that the photo portrays. This will make some viewers to repel and fear Kony, as a best or monster explained above. Therefore, basing on the Sobchack and Honey’s arguments, this photo will illicit different feelings as reflected. Considering that the thoughts of evil and thoughts of good are achieved through versatile and comprehensive views (Harold, 241), the picture will thus elicit thoughts of good and thoughts of evil. Harold (241-244),argues that such views that elicit the two opposing feelings above will have the audience generating complex inspirations from characters; the minds of the viewer imitates that which the viewer imagines is exactly what is going on in the minds of the characters. Therefore, the viewer will relate with their favorite characters by feeling the same way, and having similar emotions to their favorite characters, viewing them as real people. Such view will lead to a good understanding on the gravity of the problem. For example, viewers observing the photo on Kony and the message will have compassion, and feel sympathetic to his victims, as they contemplate on the problems and difficulties facing these victims amidst all the violence. Such sympathetic feelings are good they teach on the dangers of war, and help the viewer to understand the gravity of being in such circumstances. Such people are thus repulsed from the photo and have negative feelings for Kony. However, those who view Kony as a hero have a wrong perception; it is through such people, that violence finds credibility in the society. To these people, human bodies are portrayed as just simple objects and not human beings Sobchack (373-375), and it is through such negative portrayal that technology has succeeded in lowering the dignity of humanity Sabo on the other hand presents the view held by most people that masculinity is about being able to withstand pain and undergo painful experiences; success involves difficult and torturous encounters to prove the worth of oneself. For example, Sabo (424-425) explains the various awkward ways that some young men have to withstand to attract attention, and be revered just like their legend sports men. For example, prickling flesh with thorns until blood draws, having hot pepper rubbed in their eyes, hitting hard on one another until they fall, or even calisthenics leading to much hurting of the arm. These are some of the ways in which young men portray their courage by withstanding much pain to be revered, similar to how their stars are perceived through digital media. Similarly, the photo about Kony portrays the same sentiments of acting in strange ways to be revered in the society, by proving oneself as being more superior or powerful than others. The perception of violence as brought about by the need for reverence, and as portrayed in this photo is a manifestation of a society that is ready to do anything to gain recognition and fame. Such societal thoughts as Sobchack (373-375) elaborates would amount to loss of human value and dignity; humans have been reduced to objects of competition. In order to be revered, just as the young men knock one another down, Kony as the photo reflects uses the same human beings to create terror and fear; this has led to his reverence, and even production of a film which while it might function in creating awareness about the atrocities it, still depicts Kony as a hero, similar to other heroes celebrated in films. Bower (5) argues that movie characters portray behaviors on screens for the viewer to imitate, cheer, boo, or avoid. Therefore, portrayal of Kony in a film may evoke the feelings of having a superstar to be imitated; as voile evokes both repulsive and sympathetic feelings, hence such a photo may actually cement appropriateness of violence as the only way to reverence and identity in the society, encouraging perpetration of Violence and further loss of human value as indicated through mass killings (Browne and Giachritsis, 702-703). This is complicated by a feeling that without pain males cannot achieve recognition, glory, and reward coming their way (Sabo, 425). Therefore, the male chauvinist society that requires contribution to the social structure through male competition for prestige as the best measure of gender identity is thus the main element communicated by such violence in films, and while it satires such notion through portraying the effects, the culture is still impressive to some who value inflicting pain to gain pleasure; this group is responsible for spreading violence through films and the digital media in general. Therefore, visual images are much stronger in communicating and passing information, as well as affecting emotions and perceptions compared to any other type of communication. The continuation of violent scenes in films is responsible for spreading the perception regarding need for violence to achieve certain ends, as the photo about Kony reflects. This makes visual communication more effective in passing a certain views than any other communication. Work Cited Bower, Anne L. Real Food: Essay on Food and Film: Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2003 Browne, D. Kevin and Giachritsis-Hamilton C., The influence of Violent Media on Children and Adolescents: A Public-Health Approach, Lancet, 365 (2005), 702-710 Cohen, Jeffrey J. Monster Theory: Reading Culture: Minnesota, University of Minnesota Press, 1996 Don Sabo, Pigskin, Patriarchy, and Pain? Sex Violence and Power in Sports: Rethinking Masculinity, 1994 Harold, James. "A Moral Never-Never Land: Identifying..." Signs of Life in the U.S.A. Fifth ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003 Huesmann, L. Rowell and Taylor D. Laramie. The Role of Media Violence in Violent Behavior, Annual Review of Public Health, 27, (2006), 393-415, Sobchack, Vivian. "The Postmorbid Condition.” Signs of Life in the U.S.A. Fifth ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003 Read More