blog 15

This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it is nothing but wires and lights in a box.
— Edward R. Murrow
There is an on-going debate that questions whether television influences violence or if violence is merely human nature. Sociologists, economists, politicians and parents alike all have drawn their conclusions and stated their positions on the matter. Regardless of who weighs in on the matter there is no shortage on reasoning and various opinions.
In the United States, New York was the first state to regularly broadcast programming. From May through December 1939, the New York City NBC station of General Electric broadcast twenty to fifty-eight hours of programming per month, Wednesday through Sunday of each week. The programming was 33% news, 29% drama, and 17% educational programming, with an estimated 2,000 receiving sets by the end of the year, and an estimated audience of five to eight thousand. A remote truck could cover outdoor events from up to 10 miles (16 km) away from the transmitter, which was located atop the Empire State Building. Coaxial cable was used to cover events at Madison Square Garden. The coverage area for reliable reception was a radius of 40 to 50 miles.
Television has the potential to unite communities, provide information to allow positive cultural, social and environmental change, and to create a true global village. It also has the potential to alienate, to promote aggressive and negative behaviors, provide negative and inappropriate role models to our children, and to create negative values such as values of consumption and possession.
Since the early days of television the debate on programming choices and the level of appropriateness has been in question. Over the years the content in programs has grown increasingly violent, lewd and vulgar. Aside from programming on television, commercials in between programming have violent undertones; advertising and marketing depict violence in still images.
In 1996 there was a system instilled into television by the United States Congress, the television industry, and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) this was the TV Parental Guidelines. These guidelines were mandated because of the excessive public concern of the explicit and vulgar content that was on television. Although this system is voluntary many networks have agreed to take part. The only programs that are “exempt” are on networks like CNN, Fox News etc. any news channel or program does not have to take part in the guidelines set forth by the FCC and the United States Congress. There are six (6) categories in which television can fall into. The first category is TV-Y which is used for all children’s programming between the ages of 2 and 6. These programs do not have to be animated but they have some content which is intended to be educational. The next category is TV-Y7 which is directed toward children ages 7 and older. These programs can include suggestive humor and mild fantasy violence. The third category is TV-G; this is the most general category. It isn’t geared directly towards children, mostly the content is informational. TV-PG is for parental guidance. Parental guidance is suggested for this programming mainly game shows and reality shows. The next category is TV-14 which is deemed unsuitable for children under the age of 14. There are also sub-ratings in this category. D is used for intensely suggestive dialogue; L is for strong coarse language; S is for intense sexual situations and V is used for intense violence. Most live programming i.e. award shows, concerts etc. The last parental guideline is TV-MA is intended for mature audiences and is unsuitable for children under 17. The sub-ratings for TV-MA are; L for coarse indecent language, S for explicit sexual activity and V for graphic violence. In the first 15 seconds of programming the TV ratings box appears in the upper left hand corner of the screen. For programming lasting longer than a half hour the TV ratings box appears at the beginning of each half hour.
Violence has existed for centuries before the invention of the television. However there has been a significant rise in violent crimes since television has become a mainstay in the American household. In the mid 1950s the rate of violent and property increased significantly. This can be equated to many events such as the end of World War II which brought home soldiers to pick up the pieces of their lives. With the soldiers coming home this also brought about new families. Also during the 50’s anti-communism ideals spread like wildfire throughout communities. However these events only explain a small percentage of the increased violence in this country something has to account for the rest. With the exception of shows like The Lone Ranger, Have Gun Will Travel, and Dragnet, the majority of the popular shows during the early years of television were family orientated such as, Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, I Married Joan, Lassie, Leave It To Beaver, and Make Room For Daddy. With all of this fun family programming how did the next decade end up in so much turmoil.
During the ‘60’s with the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Robert F. Kennedy and the rise of the civil rights movement racial tensions and racial violence was at its peak. With the Harlem riots of ’64, the Watts riots of ’65 and the Detroit riots of ’67 this was a completely different America than a decade earlier. However the television program didn’t get noticeably more violent during the ‘60’s. The Addams Family, the Andy Griffith Show, the Beverly Hillbillies and Bewitched were still family friendly shows that would probably fall into the TV-G category of today’s television ratings. Since…. something about not violent tv just any tv
Generation X or the Net-generation refers to children born between the years of 1977 and 1997. There have been many studies trying to conclude if there is a direct relationship between violence and the media. These studies show that there is a risk that exposure to violence over extended periods of time directly affect the individual in the long run. In the United States there was an “Echo Boom” this was a span of thirteen years between 1982 and 1995 where the number of live births reached over four million. This information was valid in the feeling that the baby boom aided in the rise of violence among people.
There have been news reports of incidents where television has been the prime suspect. In 1984 in Ottawa, Ontario there were three police officers shot and killed in a month’s time. In one incident the 18 year old suspect Gary White dressed as the character Rambo played by Sylvester Stallone in the movie First Blood. At the time, The National Coalition Against Violence, a group that monitors movies and television says White was the third killer to emulate Stallone’s role in First Blood in Ottawa. The police there violence on the screen blurs the line between fantasy and reality and desensitizes people to real violence. Not only do they think television creates a more violent atmosphere but it also undermines the police as an authority figure. The police of Ottawa feel because they are seen as “the bad guys” in movies and on television there is no respect from the citizens of the towns they protect..................