Leave it to Cleaver! lol To address the whole of it I would say the same as in another thread, peoples minds are up for grabs. I can't say that it is all about identity issues but there seems to be a degree of self representation in what people absorb from the external. The advertising industry knows this very well and promotes products in a way that bolsters the human ego. From the big truck to the elitist mustard the sell is based on that simple appeal. As far as television and movies I do believe that they have an affect on society. The presentations on the tube or screen are no better than the people in control of the industry, which as we all know doesn't run high in the ethics and morals department. Either way the offerings of non violent role model presentations are next to none. There have been many studies that show how young children act out violently after watching a movie containing violence.
Excerpt: Societal influences help foment violent behavior. The images that populate mass media actually have the longest-lasting impact of all contributors to violence. Prolonged exposure to violent images increases the fear of becoming a victim, desensitizes violence, and heightens the viewer's appetite for similarly engaging in violence. http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199403/violence-has-home-address Violent and other antisocial behaviors involving children and adolescents are being blamed on the media. In the United States, controversy over the influence of the media on children remains intense. Yet more violent acts are depicted on tele- vision, sales of video games depicting death and destruction are skyrocketing, and many rock videos show violence as a viable means of conflict resolution. Efforts to limit the acts of violence shown in the media are met with the industry's consid- erable financial resources to resist responsible programming. Although media vio- lence is not the leading cause of real-life violence, it is a significant cause, and one that is easily remediable. The major components of the media affecting children-- television (videos, movies), print (comic books, magazines, and newspapers), and radio--continue to have powerful negative effects on American children. http://www.questia.com/read/27253421?title=Schools%2c%20Violence%2c%20and%20Society (#5 left pane) Television has a dominant role. American children view two hundred thou- sand violent acts on television by the age of eighteen. While parents have a central role in influencing the lives of their children, television has a powerful effect on the development of unhealthy activities, negative attitudes, and antisocial be- haviors. American children and adolescents spend twenty-three to twenty-eight hours per week viewing television. This three to four hours per day displaces healthy activities, including exercise, play, reading, and homework. By high school graduation, twelve thousand hours will have been spent in formal classroom instruction, yet fifteen thousand hours will have been spent in front of the television. Violent Human Nature: Telling a New Story William L. Ury In this past year when it came to the question of intervening in Kosovo, as in Bosnia or Rwanda, we heard countless times in the media that these people have been fighting for centuries and centuries; it's in their blood and there's nothing you can do about it. The day after the Columbine shooting in April 1999, the spokesperson for the school district was quoted as saying, “You can take every reasonable step to make a positive environment for everyone, but sometimes human nature will defeat you.” This attribution of violence and war to human nature has a rich intellectual heritage. Voltaire, for instance, expressed the widespread beliefs of his time when he asserted that slavery is as ancient as war and was human nature. At the beginning of this century, Freud posited the existence of an instinct of destruction and aggression, believing that it lay at the root of war. He wrote, “Under primitive conditions it is superior force, brute violence or violence backed by arms, that lords it everywhere.” _____________________________ I feel that little sincere effort is made towards nurturing peace, instead we succumb to barbarianism as with Popeye when we had all we can stand it's time for the violence. We don't actually try to instill attitudes of peace but relay the idea that violence is a solution. The world continues to churn with decreasing attention to reason. I wouldn't imagine any violent uprising in a meeting room full of Minds Eye members, therefore I would reason that the lack of reason and the effort to place value on reason in the minds of our society lies at the core of the increase in violence behavior. In the beginning of the video in Chicago I hear the girl yelling "get out the car" and wonder where is the disconnect in our system of education, the integration somehow has been lost, somewhat abandoned and a sub culture had been allowed to fester and emerge, a lord of the flies scenario. The tragedy of the death is simply a by product of another tragedy, the failure of a segment of society to grasp hold of the opportunities that are afforded them, the reasons for that are many. This is not a race debate but a social issue directed at the whole in failure to address the part. Unfortunately there is a tendency to ignore that which is not a immediate personal problem. Society ignores inner cities because most don't have to live there with the rats and rodents. Society spends millions on incarceration as a result but spends little on a infrastructure that promotes productivity, advancement and higher educational programs. The great disparity becomes evident and clear when you have mega wealth and abject poverty in the same place. The ostentatious wealth of billionaires and the plight of Derrion Albert. Money does something to people and I'm not sure exactly what it is but I've seen many go from rags to riches and then turn their backs on their humble beginnings and those they struggled with only to live in over sized houses with six car garages while tossing money away on frivolity. It's not as if we really can't do something about poverty, is it? It's all about self preservation and greed. On Oct 5, 7:13 am, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > whoops, that should have been clever, not cleaver. Oh Freud, you've > done it again.... > > On Oct 5, 8:08 am, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Popular shows (according to the ratings industry) sell advertising. > > To look at why violence in our entertainment industry is popular you > > need to look to human psychology. We are taken to a process of > > completion when we watch a show that includes violence and the story > > has a beginning and an end. We, on more subtle levels, as we follow > > along also express the violence within us in acceptable ways. The > > mainstream or majority of the bell curve of us wrestle with > > oppositional feelings and suppress violent tendencies so that they > > come out in, if we are cleaver, more and more subtle ways, through > > interpersonal violence, bullying and manipulation. Violence in media > > is attractive to many of us because it illustrates those parts of us > > we are taught to look away from. > > > Now the Tipper Gore questions of, at what point does the violence > > begin to breed more violence, or influence us to act in violent ways, > > or lead us to believe that violence is acceptable, or introduce our > > children to violence are very good questions. But they do not negate > > the fact that violence in our media is simply a reflection of our > > collective violent nature. > > > Better questions may be: Why are we hooked on opposition? Why does > > our need for opposition express in violent terms? Why can't we see > > this tendency in ourselves or its effects on those around us when we > > express it? How can we reconcile the opposition within us without > > violence? What prevents us from understanding the more subtle > > expressions of interpersonal violence in our daily lives? > > > On Oct 5, 5:42 am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > I know the answer to that one Slip. If advertising did not work, then > > > there would be none. Do you suggest then that violence on TV is > > > tantamount to selling violence to the masses? > > > > What does that say about that bloody ballroom dancing show that seems > > > ohhh so very popular at the moment? > > > > On 1 Oct, 17:33, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > “…Can it be said that portrayals of good morality as seen on any > > > > amount of TV programes with a moral message to convey, has induced in > > > > mankind a good morality? I do not think so. So why imagine that > > > > portrayals of bad morality from the same source has any effect > > > > either?” – lee > > > > > Lee, while in many ways I agree with you, on the other hand, it > > > > clearly appears to me that TV has one purpose in the US, to sell. And, > > > > we are all well aware of how much money passes from hand to hand in > > > > the process of advertising. I question whether this would occur if > > > > there was no result. What do you think? > > > > > On Oct 1, 7:59 am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > I think I see differantly form you there Slip! > > > > > > Can it be said that portrayals of good morality as seen on any amount > > > > > of TV programes with a moral message to convey, has induced in mankind > > > > > a good morality? > > > > > > I do not think so. So why imagine that portrayals of bad morality > > > > > from the same source has any effect either? > > > > > > On 28 Sep, 21:14, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > >http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/video_derrion_albert > > > > > > > In the past it would seem, in some abstract way, understandable as > > > > > > cultures had conflict in establishing rule or territorial > > > > > > acquisitions. Today it is hard to understand in the context of a > > > > > > civilized nation. I see in the video a primitive sort of behavior, > > > > > > unwarranted and inexcusable. This is murder, violence at it's peak, > > > > > > street violence not different than that of any jungle warfare. > > > > > > I also see a tendency in youth of becoming numb to the concept of > > > > > > violence as a result of years of exposure by various forms of what > > > > > > is > > > > > > oddly enough called entertainment. > > > > > > Is violence pushed on society like cigarettes and alcohol? Should > > > > > > we > > > > > > continue to allow portrayals of violence on the screen because > > > > > > violence exists? I don't understand why they are making movies and > > > > > > television series based on despicable characterization, it's almost > > > > > > like glorifying the behavior, setting up role models for dummies to > > > > > > identify with. We have lost our sense of abhorrence towards this > > > > > > behavior and are heading in the wrong direction as a society? > > > > > > I'm not sure that we will ever be able to weed out the violent > > > > > > behavior that is inherent in our species. > > > > > > What do you see?- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
