Movies, TV and their Consequences

Arguments over the effects of the movies and television have been around as long as these two modes of expression. Because they are visual, they are treated somewhat differently than the written word. Because television comes into the home, it is treated somewhat differently from any other medium, including radio which, while it comes into the home, does not bring pictures with it. Television knows the power of the image, and critics of television are aware that the image can be a negative force as well as a positive one. Precisely how to gauge this and to ascertain when the image is too negative is at the center of the issue at hand. The issue of violence on television has been raised in the past and is once more being given considerable attention in the media, by congress, and in the public at large. At the same time, the scope of complaint this time is directed not just at violent entertainment shows but also at the way the network presents the news. While it may be true that the greatest offenders are the local news programs, we have to recognize that viewers do not always make a distinction between what is of local origination and what is from the ABC network. Care must be taken in addressing the issue today given the amount of concern expressed, the draconian measures that might be developed if the problem continues, and the reaction of the public whatever the network decides to do. As governmental leaders consider whether to regulate violence on television, t

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idly among youth who were in their formative early years when children's TV was deregulated and violent programs and toys successfully deluged childhood culture (Levin and Carlsson-Paige, 1996, 17). Of course, it is a stretch to blame television in this fashion for an increase in crime rates which could have multiple causes, and it is especially difficult to prove that linking violent programs with toys is the reason for this increase. The link does show the concerns raised and how some people are viewing the issue. Tice (1996) refers to the article by Levin and Carlsson-Paige (1996) and also calls for teachers to deal with these issues in the classroom: Somehow such influences on the lives of children, highly important to many of them, have to be constructively dealt with in classrooms, for it can be doubted that much is being done about them in all but a few homes (Tice, 1996, 37). This is a responsible approach and a far cry from demands that television violence be controlled by the government. Levin and Carlsson-Paige (1996) as well are not calling for government control of violence as such but are asking that the government reconsider its position with reference to deregulation of children's programming and to change

Category: Psychology - M