Gerard Jones: Violent Media Is Good For Kids

Violent media can help people conquer their fear and make them courageous. Jones argument is very effective and convincing because he gives good examples of the positives that violent media has done not only for him but also for his son. Jones explains how violent media can help kids overcome their fears and passiveness. For instance, Jones says that his son was scared of climbing a tree at school :“But he was afraid: of falling, of centipedes crawling on the trunk, of sharp branches, of his friends’ derision” (6). He later describes reading Tarzan to his son to help him get over his fear of climbing a tree. As a result of the Tarzan comics, his son got inspired and courageous and started climbing trees. He argues that not only do super hero stories tend to help kids overcome their fear, but also makes them courageous. According to Jones, violent media is good for kids because it helps them become courageous and also lets them immerse themselves in a world of their own.

The media is generally seen by people as a way of conveying the truth. If something is seen on TV, has been heard on the radio or something has been read in the newspapers then it is perceived as being the truth. Throughout history the media has been used as a tool to convey different messages to people. The issue of the behavior of children when exposed to violence on media has been an issue to be debated upon and studied for a very long time. There are many devices that children have access to of late which include video games, iPods, iPads, DVDs, computers and so on. Children are often said to be impressionable, this means that they do not see the world in the same way as adults do. Children tend to see things the way they are. They take things literally as they do not posses the sensibilities that are sophisticated to make a distinction between reality and fiction (Limit TV, 2010).

Jones acknowledges these points. However, he refutes them by saying that “it’s helped hundreds of people for everyone its hurt, and it can help far more if we learn how to use it” (Jones). In other words, when we channel violent media into heroic battles of good versus evil, it can empower a child in need. This rebuttal contributes to the objectivity of the essay. It shows that the author did his research so well that he can recognize opposing viewpoints and refute them.

Violent media; a strikingly relevant phenomenon millions are becoming captivated by. It’s everywhere you go, on your phone, the TV or on the computer. As much as people try to avoid it, they soon realize it’s ineluctable. Gerard Jones, a comic-book author, released a brief report, “Violent Media Is Good for Kids” that argued violent media is not only beneficial to children but also inspiring. He goes on to support his claim by sampling his own personal experiences. However, not all forms of violent media are necessarily helpful. Some are more preferable while others can harm them. To an extent, violent media can help children by helping them release built up emotions, learn lessons regarding the real world, as well as create something for themselves.

Violent Media is Good for Kids, by Gerald Jones; a persuasive article written by a comic book author that analyzes how exposing children to violent media has positive effects in shaping a person. This article was written as a counter-argument to the negative response media received after a horrific mass shooting that took place at a high school. Jones defends violent media by telling of his own personal experience with it, thus glorifying it in the process. Jones argues in his article that violent media is a helpful resource for children and it does not necessarily harm them. Jones’ argument was effective and very convincing. He defends his stance by continuously stating the positives that violent media has had not only on him, but his own son as well.

“Violent Media is Good for Kids” is an article which makes many claims to support the argument that a controlled amount of violence could be good for a developing child. Even though this article is controversial the claims serve to support the argument. Throughout the analyzing process logos, ethos, and pathos are searched for and scrutinized. The rhetorical strategies are what makes a paper effective or not. In this case the author uses, what I believe, is just the correct amount of each and fulfills his goal for writing the article. Although this article is written more as a story it still provides information backing up the argument.

When it comes to the topic of violent media, some of us would readily agree it’s a controversial subject as to whether kids should or shouldn’t be exposed to it. This is because many children who view violent media react negatively rather than not being affected at all. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of what effects does it have on children. Whereas some are convinced that it is a healthy alternative for kids to express themselves, others maintain that it causes kids to become more aggressive and contributes to juvenile crimes.

In “Violent Media is Good for Kids” Gerard Jones introduces us to his fearful and lonesome childhood. He lived in a world where he was taught to be the violence fearing, and passive boy his parents wanted him to be. But, when one of his mother’s students gave him a Marvel comic book, his fearfulness was transformed into inspiration. He found a way to escape these discouraging feelings through the “stifled rage and desire for power” (Jones 285) that he had newly found. The popular comic book hero “The Hulk” freed him from his passive and lonely persona. Throughout the article he cites his testimonies and the testimonies of others as examples; and shows how they used violence as a positive realm for “overcoming powerlessness.” (Jones 287)

According to Gerald Jones ""¦head-bonking cartoons, bloody videogames, playground karate, toy guns gives children a tool to master their rage." In a bid to further reinforce his assertion, Jones uses his own childhood as an example of how violent entertainment can benefit kids. In his opinion, "Hulk", a fictional character, helped him become more self-assured and confident. The author further points out that his son seemed to have overcome the fear of climbing trees after he (the author) read him Tarzan comics. In Jones' opinion, by shielding our children from all the violence in the media and denying them a chance to watch their favorite heroes, we could end up "confusing them about their natural aggression in the same way the Victorians confused their children about their sexuality." Thus according to the author, shielding our kids in the aforementioned way does more harm than good in the final analysis. Sometimes in 1997, Evan Ramsey, a student at Bethel Regional High School, carried a shotgun to school from where he went on a shooting spree. During the incident, Ramsey shot at four people killing two. Although the jury is still out on what really motivated the shootings in this case, Ruthus (2011) notes that Ramsey was an avid player of video games such as Resident Evil, Die Hard and Doom. Indeed, Ramsey as Ruthus points out was fond of playing these games for hours on end. What did these video games

In the writing of Gerard Jones “Violent Media is Good for Kids” is very interesting essay in which he describes how violent media can help kids to overcome obstacles, but whether it is convincing or not, I am not truly sure because the way the essay is written is biased. Jones as writer is making this controversial topic to gain more audience to read his writings, in addition, this essay fails in detail, it needs more statistics to support the examples that Jones addresses in his essay. Also, we need more information about what is the opinion of parents of these kids that believed violet media is good so, we need the statistics of the studies of the psychologist that support the idea of good

Gerard Jones is the author of the essay “Violent Media Is Good for Kids”. This essay is a very interesting piece about how violent media can actually help young kids get through stressful points in their life. I truly enjoyed reading this piece and it was very entertaining, but it didn't really convince me that violent media is good for young kids. I have two reasons why the author didn't convince me. The first is statistics, he didn't use any data or studies on the subject , and the second reason was the types media.

In our class book Practical Argument, I chose “Violent Media is Good for Kids” by Gerard Joneson page 36. In this article Jones states and tries to prove that violent media is undeniably good for children. He challenges this by saying what he believes also how he grew up too passive because he was sheltered from the media. Upon hearing that the media has "lofty messages of pacifism and tolerance" (par.2), his mother had borrowed some comics for him to read. After reading the comics, he said that he followed Hulk for a while then switched to "more sophisticated heroes", in (par. 3) and "finally found my own lead along a twisting path to a career and an identity." (par. 3) Later on, his son

In the article, “Violent Media Is Good for Kids”, the author, Gerard Jones, begins by providing background information about himself. As a child, Jones was taught that violence was wrong, and as he grew up, he learned that violent comics and stories aided him to become an action movies and comic book writer. In his article, the author addresses why violent media are good for children. He points out that it helps them transform better socially, explore and conquer their feelings, and improves self-knowledge. Jones purpose is to inform readers about the positive use of violent media on children. The author uses rhetorical appeals of pathos and ethos, and stylistic techniques such as allusions and repetitions to create his argument.

“Violent Media is Good for Kids,” written by Gerard Jones, is an interesting argument about the positive aspects of violent media. He has narrated his own experience as a child about the impact of violent media. Jones has further developed his argument to convince parents about the importance of violent media by noting that exposing kids to violent media helps the kids to overcome their fear. Jones is focused on parents and teachers, both of whom restricts the exposure of kids to violent media. He also notes the skeptical thinking, which argues that violent media have a negative impression on kids. His argument is catchy and strong based on his own realizations of the world and experience. Let us discuss how he has made the argument realistic.

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.