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Blaming the Media for the Worldwide Increase in Violence Essay

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Blaming the Media for the Worldwide Increase in Violence

The mass media are an increasingly accessible way for people to learn what is important in the world today and what is acceptable behaviour in this society. Media outlets include film, radio, print, music and so on; film being the most widely used medium. The media which is prevalent in every aspect of our lives, is the perfect instrument to instil ideas in the minds of the people, and the most susceptible of them all, children. During the past decade, there is an alarming increase in violence, especially among the youth. A study found that between 1993 and 2001, incidents of physical violence reported increased by more than 300 per cent. …show more content…

The 80’s saw the evolution of Gangsta Rap, a subcategory of the music genre, Rap. Gangsta Rappers spit profanities, demean women and pay homage to weapons. In this way, violence is glamorised and glorified. Fans of Gangsta Rap music find themselves starting to dress like their idols, carrying “bling-blings” and wearing clothes that fit two, using the rappers’ slangs (like calling jewelleries “bling-blings”), so it is not surprising if these fans start idolizing their lifestyles too and take weapons to be a proof of their power and influence. Hence, students start bringing guns to school, citing it as a form of “self-defence”. Some have weapons as a form of indicator of power to instil fear among others not to get in their way, and the fact that they are carrying these weapons, if something actually happens that anger them, their first instinct would be to use it. In this case, the entertainment media, in the form of music, is a propaganda for violence and weapons, making the using of the latter as an act that’s “cool” and respectable.

The increase of violence in popular entertainment slowly but surely makes it more a norm than ever. When the media inflate the presence of violence, viewers are likely to develop the “mean world” syndrome, a cynical view of the

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