Media Violence Begets Societal Violence - Essay Example

Violence incorporates any social behaviour that has intent to harm another person, and includes physical violence, verbal abuse, aggressive behaviour and intimidation; all of which are exposed to children from a very young age within their own homes. How often do we read about children as young as seven or eight seriously harming a younger child; not so long ago it was reported in the media that a boy of around that age murdered a toddler. Nobody could understand how such a terrible thing could occur.

The child had grown up within a loving and caring family; there was no evidence of violence in the home and violence had not been identified as a trait throughout the history of either parents. Yet, the fact is, this young child had not only contemplated the idea of serious physical abuse but actually knew how to go about it. It is difficult to suppose that such behaviour and such sordid knowledge was innate or instinctive. It is common knowledge that humans at the top of the evolutionary ladder are actually born devoid of instinct, unlike other animals, and only survive based on the care of a mother.

Children as they grow up learn by imitation and copying what they see and parents and teachers reinforce them when the behaviour is appropriate. The child therefore, must have been exposed to such display and if it was not within the family and school, the only avenue left open is the media. When considering fictitious violence on the television or in other media, we find that it is glamourised; yes we have the bad characters that get caught and pay the price, but more often than not the heroes of the program are also involved with violence that is condoned with no reprimand.

Victims are rarely portrayed as any real victim, the real damage and long term effects of violence are not revealed so again to some extent even the victims are glamourised. Violence that is presented with humour has even more potential for adverse effects on children because it is trivialized under the guise of humour. Cartoons are a prime example, wherein we find violence that is quite fierce, with the executor in an appealing role and the victim although suffering a plethora of violent actions never really suffering or dying.

Such fantasy in the mind of very young children must pose potential threat; they are not always able to distinguish the difference between reality and fantasy. Violence among adolescents and young adults is increasing; we only have to look on the streets of most cities in the world to witness thuggery, gang warfare, rape and murder. Many people blame this upsurge of social violence on drugs, unemployment and poverty; while there is no denying that such factors have impacted on social harmony and that there are significantly more reports of street violence today than there was twenty or thirty years ago because of drug abuse and other negative social and economical issues, media violence must also play a part.

Media itself has illustrated that although many adults take drugs, are unemployed and live in poverty the rate of violence and abuse for adult populations, at least within developed countries, has not increased