January 30, 2005

Question: Which came first, violence in the media or a violent society? Does violence in movies or on T.V desensitize people and make them more violent, or does it simply reflect our society? Give an example to support your response.

Answer: I think a violent society came first (as opposed to violence in the media). I think so because media basically portrays what people want to see, so violence in a society would have to exist first in order for the media to portray and exploit it (if that makes any sense—I hope it does). I think that violence in movies and on T.V desensitizes people to the extreme. I mean, when you see someone being robbed or raped or murdered, you just think, "Well hey, this is the city. It happens everywhere. I wonder if he/she has life insurance because they probably need it." So we wander around in our own little world completely oblivious to everything going on around us, and it's extremely creepy, to think about how completely oblivious and desensitized we are. For example, while on the train, I see this guy almost everyday who's collecting money for homeless people, but I've only given one time. He could be collecting money for drugs for all I know. It's actually kind of pitiful for me to actually have to consider that option. Really creepy.