Aggression and Television Programmes - Research Paper Example

Aggression and Television Programmes The issues of exposure of children to violence on various television programme has been at the center of debate for some time. In particular is the assertion by various research findings that such an exposure may lead these children see these violence as ‘cool’ an as such they themselves become violent over time. Looking at violence broadly, it is important to appreciate the fact that the violence may be towards others or to oneself. This paper explores this issue by looking at three television programmes by analyzing scenes of violence, both physical and social and recommending steps that can be taken to protect the children. Children cartoon seen is called ‘Dragon Ball Z’. There are several acts of violence. For instance, a news correspondent approaches an emperor called Cell. Cell appears to be disgusted by this particular individual and kicks him so hard, the correspondent lands on his back. Cell follows up and kicks him hard that he literally flies across what a filed into rocks head first and dies instantly. Hannah Montana is a teen programme which largely brings to the fore the struggles teenagers undergoes. Most of the violence here is of a social nature, with many teens facing pressure to conform to the peer pressure. For instance, when Jackson, Miley’s boyfriend, is struggling to keep up with Miley’s lifestyle. It is a form of social violence as Jackson is undergoing emotional turmoil so as to keep his girlfriend and create a picture of pacification.Another one is an education programme called Mister Rodgers Neighborhood. The episode is when Aber and Hula are putting final touches on a sand sculpture. Their work comes under sharp criticism from Lady Elaine. This is a form of social violence as it hurts the feelings of the duo. From the above analysis, it is important to note here that Hannah Montana and Mister Rodgers Neighborhood are more socially violent compared to Dragon Ball Z, which has more episodes of physical violence. This is shocking given that Dragon Ball Z is a cartoon progranme principally aimed at the children. Such levels of violence is shocking because the violent tendencies may lead to the children being a danger to their colleagues. This is not to say that children are safe from other programmes mentioned above. The kind of relationships portrayed and how some characters are critical of others may lead to harmful social effects on the children. In these programmes, the violent behavior is either rewarded or punished. In the Mister Rodger’s Neighborhood, when Lady Elaine criticizing the sand sculpture, she is immediately punished in the form of being criticized herself by Lady Aberlin. Lady Aberlin so much likes the sculpture to the point that she starts to dance. She does not waste time in giving Lady Elaine a tongue lashing of her lack of appreciation for the work other are doing. This is the trend the episode attempts to take, where violent action is punished and good behaviour rewarded. In fact, violent behaviour punished a record six times, while it is only two times that punishment was not meted out. However, the situation is a bit different when looking at the Dragon Ball Z because violent individual tends to get away with their behavior a lot more times. In this cartoon episode, it appears that the message being propagated is that it is okay to beat up the bad guys. It is therefore the bad guys like the correspondent who receives punishment. For a child, this is dangerous precedent because the tag ‘bad guy’ is not defined. The danger with this is that children may not find it difficult to attack those who they do not like. Other than aggression, there are other valuable lessons that a child can learn from the episodes. In the case of Hannah Montana, we come across how to deal with our personal problems. One way of doing so is to confide in people who are close to use and whom we trust, for they may have a good advice that can help us out. For instance, when Jackson is having financial problems, he confides in Rico, and in the end Rico helps him to find a dream job. On the other hand, the two characters are teach us that being friends does not necessarily means that you cannot disagree with your friends. The two have had a difficult relationships out of their differences over how to handle Miley’s trip to Paris. Picking Mister Rodger’s Neighbourhood, children can learn that it is good to control our emotions and opinions so that we do not rush into judging others. Sometimes, our judgment of others may be too harsh and this may harm them emotionally, something that is not fair. Another lesson that children may take from Dragon Ball Z is the need for children to learn self-defense lessons. For instance, the scene in which a girl uses her karate techniques to knock out three men who wanted to abduct her. Therefore, apart from violence, children should also look for alternative ways of being safe both at schools and at home because in the society they live in, they may be exposed in danger from their colleagues or even adults. If the three programmes were to be rated, I will assign a score of terrible (1) to Dragon Ball Z because of the way it gives prominence to an evil emperor who kills a lot of people without being made to face consequence. For Mister Rodger Neighbourhood, a score of good (3) will be assigned given that it was motivating to watch. Hannah Montana will also be assigned a rating of good (3). In view of the project, there is no denying the fact that children are exposed to a lot of violent scenes, even when the programme is educative in nature. As a result, there is need for limits to be placed with regards to access of children to those programmes. If parents are better informed, they will be in a position to appreciate the dangers of violent scenes in programmes and help protect their children from such television programmes. This can be achieved through self-regulation by media players as well as the government through enacting laws. Violence Physical Aggression Social Aggression Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood 9 2 7 Dragon Ball Z 15 12 3 Hannah Montana 7 0 7 Read More