COMM 246
04/11/2012
Modern Anti-Heroes In modern media violence is worshiped and the hero is not always a law abiding citizen. The anti-hero is becoming increasingly popular. Many anti-heroes are criminals. Writers have the ability to have their audience fall in love and care about an anti-hero. Looking up to these anti-heroes might have some devastating affects on society. Violent media, particularly movies, could very well have an affect on the number of violent crimes being committed in the world. It may cause younger audience members to idolize the people in the media they consume, which could lead to the recreation of the crimes they saw, or a new interpretation of them. Some people are easily influenced. By studying
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Individuals seek alternative symbolic identifiers to establish their genders when traditional avenues of “doing” masculinity are blocked. Connell (1995) explains that changes in the workforce, the family, the economy and the political division of power has led to a crises in masculinity, in the United States, which increasingly threatens many men 's sense of what it means to be a man. In the precarious climate, some men may turn to crime as means to accomplish masculinity. “When other masculine resources are unavailable, particular types of crimes can provide alternative resources for accomplishing gender. (Messerschmidt 1993. p. 84). This means of gender accomplishment, criminality, seems, appropriate for males because, “crime is associated with power (Messerschmidt. 1986. p. 44)”, and power, whether legitimate or not, is tied to definitions of what it means to be a man.
This quote from page five of Crime in Movies by Sarah Eschholz and Jana Bufkin, explains that how certain men will turn to crime to help provide for their families or even just to prove their masculinity. They might think that they are justified because of stories like Robin Hood. When people condone certain actions by characters in media, then naturally they will find ways to justify their own actions. What about Jack Sparrow and Danny Ocean? Why are they popular? Their ethics are slightly lacking. They steal for personal gain. The
Violent media exposure of children or adults to violent media is a cause of aggression and violent behavior has been one of the most intensely debated issues in criminal justice and the broader populace. Concern have come and gone that media such as comic books, as well as television and movies, would lead to waves of rebelliousness, violence, and moral degradation. Sherry
The Anti-Hero The Anti-Hero takes the spot as the protagonist of a story. Hamlet is a prime example of the anti-hero archetype Today I am going to be researching the anti-hero archetype. The anti-hero is a character that typically serves as the protagonist of the work only to be a non-heroic sort. Possessing quality’s that would usually be un-fit for the hero of a story.
Tvtropes.org’s article over the Anti-Hero discusses the definition of a anti-hero, characteristics, and variations. Unlike the traditional hero such as Superman, an anti-hero lacks the traditional qualities of a hero. While heroes are showcased as all good in morals, values, and have little flaws, the anti-hero signature is weighed by their flaws. Some anti-heroes are normally ‘good guys’ however they are not doing this to be a hero, but often doing things for their own gain, revenge, control, or to clear up a dark past. Other anti-heroes are morally troubled or are willing to do anything to achieve their goals. Anti-heroes have grown since their counterparts of their past and have now taken center stage in our modern entertainment and are
According to Gerard Jones’s “ Violent Media Is Good For Kids,” violent media indeed has a remarkable influence upon the minds and general growth patterns of children. Jones argues that violent media can actually have positive effects on young people.
In Brad Bushman’s and Rowell Huesmann’s Article Short-term and Long-term Effects of Violent Media on Aggression in Children and Adults from the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine journal, they believe the violent media in video games, tv shows, music, and movies, are affecting behavior in children and adults. Bushman and Huesmann believe that all the violence that has made a more popular appearance in today’s culture is causing for adults and children to be more prone to aggression. They hypothesized that the long-term effects would be greater in children and the short-term effects would be greater in adults, and discovered their hypotheses to be correct. Other articles, such as Beth Stein’s If Violent Video Games are Harmless Fun,
There is no doubt that the popularity of the anti-hero as we know it has increased in recent times. With unlikely, yet popular moral gray protagonists like Jack Bauer, Dexter, and Gregory House leading some of the most popular TV shows and characters like James Bond, Lisbeth Salander, Tyler Durden (from Fight Club), and Jack Sparrow being some of the most memorable in movies, it is not surprising that there has been an increased interest to understand what causes this characters to be so popular (Peter Jonason in et al., 193). What is it that makes them as likeable, if not more, than a normal hero? How come we relate to characters that perform actions that, if done in real life, would cause us to see them in a whole different light?
Anti-heroes are becoming more apparent in the world whether its movies, films or families. Most people understand how we can justify with what an anti-hero does, because in reality the anti-hero is a flawed hero. They tend to take the law into their own hands to get the bad guy and do what they believe is justice. Havrilesky gives an example of the TV show Dexter. Dexter is a show about a guy who is a serial killer, but he only murders the guilty, so he feels justified with his lifestyle choices.
It is often said that heroes are made, not born; they are shaped by the paths they take and not the gifts they were born with. The same can be said for villains; they too are shaped by the paths they take and the life they make for themselves. Based on the philosophical belief that all people are born neither good nor bad, one can say that heroes and villains are made through their experiences in life. In his award winning novels the Killing Circle and the Guardians, Andrew Pyper explores the anti-hero. He introduces readers to the Killing Circle’s protagonist, Patrick Rush and The Gaurdians’ Randy (insert last name here); both of which become the anti-hero of their respective stories. An anti-hero is defined as a protagonist who lacks the
The relationship amid media portrayal of crime and succeeding violent behavior is actually tremendously complex. It is true that there are some numbers of interacting variables that actually play a significant role in determining who really will be affected as well as by what material and also in what method as said by Dowler, K. (2011). The background whereby the violence is actually portrayed as well as
The hero archetype has prevailed throughout literature and media for thousands of years. This quixotic character completes a quest or expedition with little to no faults. In recent times, the ideal hero archetype is challenged by the untoward anti-hero archetype. Today, the anti-hero is largely represented and featured in recent film and society. The hero archetype is losing prevalence in modern fiction stories due to the increasing demand of the anti-hero.
Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman—what do all these characters have in common? They are all products of the human aspiration to be saved. The word hero is passed around too much these days. A hero is not a football player that scores the game-winning touchdown or the goaltender who saves his team from a loss. A hero is usually an ordinary person that did extraordinary things. A true hero is really never a hero at all; at least not in their own mind. However, there are various cases today in which we see the exact opposites of these characters, the anti-heroes. The anti-hero is one who cannot be classified as a hero, for that said character lacks natural heroic qualities. However, the anti-hero cannot be described as a villain either.
The first and foremost factor that enabled creators to write and audiences to consume stories about anti-heroes goes hand in hand with society’s severe mistrust in establishments. TV has had a major role in how events unfolded in late 20th and early 21st century, making it possible to bring the news into our living rooms. The rise of the anti-hero is a product of a series of chain events that started with many atrocities that our society had to endure, followed by society’s realization of how flawed our government and news reporting was, eventually leaving the the people of this country (and of the world) with a darker
As humans, we all have the tendency to shape and mold ourselves so that we posses the qualities that will make us likeable. This likability is something that is more needed than it is wanted, a cover to help aid the facade that we have all adapted, a facade that hides the dark carnal urges that many of us posses deep within ourselves. It is an ingrained habit for us to hide them away, and instead be kind-hearted individuals with the purest intentions. When we encounter someone with the kinds of qualities that we are predisposed to despise, we cannot seem to look away. A part of ourselves is enraptured by the negativity that some people seem to emanate, they embody the parts of ourselves that we possess, but are groomed to hate. Once presented with a movie or show with a distinctly obvious hero/villain, we are entertained, but that 's typically the extent of our feelings towards them because of how unrelatable they are. This is why anti heroes are so appealing to the public. They are neither fully good nor fully bad, they represent us as human beings, flaws and all. It is more than that though, they take the paths that we wish we had the courage to take. Anti heroes make it possible for us to second hand experience a life that we would not dare to live.
An anti hero is said to have flaws, he is gritty, and he often looks for redemption or for his own revenge satisfaction and sometimes for the greater good of society. One more significant point is that unlike tragic hero who thinks of what is a right or a moral thing to do at times, an anti hero does what appears to be right to him. He is often misunderstood by the society; he could perhaps be called as a noble criminal or a vigilante and their mostly motives are fulfilled by breaking the law a.k.a “the ends justify the means”. The last characteristic of an anti hero is his increased moral complexities and rejection of traditional
In the book Critique of Violence ,author Walter describes Violence as "The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, male development, or deprivation .The violence that is portrayed in the media has been debated for decades ,and it has rose a question about how does it influence the youth?. From movies to video games society has been accustom to seeing violence in their everyday entertainment. Since children are easy to be influence by their environment, it is safe to say that violence in the media can and will contribute to violent behavior.