Negative Influences of Media

Negative Influences of Media The Negative Influences of Media â€Å"Each year, the average American spends 1550 hours of TV, listens to 1160 hours of radio, and spends 290 hours reading newspapers and magazines,† (Workingpsychology). Media comes in all shapes and sizes: television, radio, magazines, internet, music, video games, advertisements and movies. Media is all around us; in our homes, cars, markets and even schools. Teens and young children are easily influenced by media, which affects their character and behavior (Debatepedia). Parents should take actions to save their child from losing their morals. According to Workingpsychology, TV is the most popular form of media. Statistics say that, â€Å"Television is the best studied medium and the average teenager watches it for more than three hours a day,† (NYTimes). With all the TV that kids watch, it is no wonder as to why some kidsdisplay inappropriate behavior. Parents constantly tell their children to stop doing what they see on television, but wouldnt it be easier for th em to simply censor the things they watch? Also, the â€Å"cool† things that media glorifies influence teens to want things that are not essential (Buzzle). Teens are also very active on the internet which has negative effects on their young immature minds. Media from all these sources can also mature a child too fast. Things such as sexual activities should be taught when the time is right, not when a child stumbles upon it (NYTimes). Media is everywhere you turn and kids are constantly influenced by it. With all this exposure to media, teens and children are susceptible to negative influences; therefore, parents should censor what their children watch and hear. Teens and kids are negatively influenced by Hollywood movies, magazines, and videogames. According to Debatepedia, â€Å"Hollywood films glorify sex and violence, attacking the moral values of all societies and leading their young astray.† Teens that constantly watch movies that are not censored can easily lose theirmoral values. They also believe that the characters† actions are acceptable, so they imitate them. Celebrities that are constantly in the media, such as Amy Winehouse, glorify the use of drugs and alcohol (Buzzle). Some teens believe that celebrities are ideal role models and feel that it is okay to emulate their actions. This is wrong since celebrities are usually in the mediadue tosex scandals and drug usage. Kids and teens look at these celebrities and say that they want to be exactly like them (NYTimes). Most popular video games which many teens play also demonstrate violence (Buzzle). Parents should pay attention to the rating of the games in order to pr event the minds of their child from being corrupt. Parents and guardians should be aware of the movies and magazines that their children view to preserve their character and morals. Teens are widely influenced by music and advertisements. Almost all teens and kids listen to music; however, some lyrics that kids listen to are not appropriate for their age (NYTimes). Kids that are only 10 or 11 years old listen to songs about sex. This is immoral, due to the fact that kids at that age are premature and should not be exposed to that kind of influence until they are ready. Also, advertisements on TV and billboards are displayed to children and teens daily. According to NYTimes, â€Å"Teens are showed an estimated amount of 50 advertisements per day.† Most advertisements that kids and teens see are regarding weight loss. By seeing the advertisements, kids are motivated to lose weight by enduring unhealthy diets and unhealthy techniques (NYTimes). When teens cannot afford the item that is being advertised, they find other ways to lose weight such as Bulimia (Buzzle). Teens are influenced into doing things that can potentially kill them. Advertisements on TV als o influence kids and teens to want things that are not essential (Buzzle). This wastes their parents money and creates a character that is spoiled and not knowledgeable. The influence of advertisements has proven to be negative because of the things that they promote. Both advertisements and music has a possibility of dehumanizing and corrupting a young adults mind. Parents should censor the music that has bad influences. Parents should also teach and censor their young ones from believing advertisements. By far, teenagers and children are the ones who are mostly influenced by internet and television. As years go by, the internet is becoming more and more popular among the teenagers. However, if an immature teenager or child stumbles across inappropriate things such as pornography, it can artificially age them (NYTimes). Logically, children and teens should mature at their own paces. Instead of accidentally coming across these inappropriate things, students should learn about this at school. Instead of simply letting kids go on the computer, parents should censor inappropriate websites. Another culprit of media influence is television. Television is popular among kids; in fact, â€Å"Television is the best studied medium, and the average teenager watches it for more than three hours a day,† (NYTimes). Some believe that television is just used for entertainment, but they are oblivious to the negative influences. The shows that teens watch such as â€Å"Laguna Beach†, glor ify sex and alcohol, which for some ages is not appropriate (NYTimes). These shows can contribute to negative behaviors of teens. Most teens take what they see on TV and reenact them in order to be â€Å"cool† (NYTimes). Also, most television shows that revolve around comedy make fun of nationalities and races (The CuteKid). This encourages kids to become discriminative towards others which can corrupt them and possibly turn them into racists (The CuteKid). As parents, they should either block certain channels or shows; or watch the shows with their children. If not handled properly, kids and teens can be corrupted by society. Although the negative influences of media is widely recognized, some believe that media has positive influences on teens and children. Some argue that, â€Å"Media has enhanced overall knowledge,† (Buzzle). However if children and teens have knowledge of things that are not suitable for their age group, they can very well age too quickly which will affect their growth as adults. Others might argue that media is a good resource because it helps teenagers embrace technology (Buzzle). Although kids embrace technology, such as the internet, they are distracted from their school work and their other priorities. If kids take in too much too fast, they can be overwhelmed and be consumed by it. Others, might also plead that media informs kids about drugs, sex, smoking and alcohol (Buzzle). In response, children and teens that are informed to early about unjustifiable actions, can affect their aging process. Also, some kids, although informed not to do drugs and alcohol, are too young to understand the consequence; and in the state of being immaturity, might try it to be cool or to fit into the â€Å"in† crowd. With this vital information, it is evident that the negative influences outweigh the positive influences. With all the negative influences in the world, teens should not fall into the trap of the media. Media can create a void inside a young adults life that can be irreversible (Buzzle). Teens and kids should age at their own pace, not by listening and watching the media. Parents should do their kids a favor and censor the things they view. If parents do so, they can be a proud to know that they tried their best to raise an adult with good morals and ethics. Works Cited Brody, Jane. Children, Media and Sex: A Big Book of Blank Pages. The New York Times Breaking News, World News Multimedia. 31 Jan. 2006. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. . Debate: Hollywoods Influence Debatepedia. Welcome to Debatepedia! Debatepedia, Debatepedia the Wikipedia of Debates. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. . Media Influence Bad Influence of Media on Children. TheCuteKid. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. . Media Effects on Teenagers. Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. . Rhoads, Kelton. Everyday Influence and Persuasion: the Media. Working Psychology: Applying Psychology to Influence, Persuasion Teamwork. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. .

Of Mice and Men: An Unexpected Connection

Lennie and Curley’s wife come across as very different characters. They differ greatly in appearance, mentality, and personality. Despite their differences, though, Lennie and Curley’s wife are surprisingly similar in the way they both constantly need to create physical connections. As a result, they are able to relate to each other, and when they are finally alone together they address each other’s needs, which leads to a tragic end. Lennie and Curley’s wife are extremely different people, both externally and internally. Lennie is â€Å"a huge man, shapeless of face, †¦with wide, sloping shoulders,† (2) while Curley’s wife is a very â€Å"purty† (28) woman with â€Å"full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes† (31). Lennie has animalistic qualities and moves clumsily: â€Å"†¦he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws† (2). Contrastingly, Curley’s wife is more graceful and moves very quietly, which is depicted when Candy says, â€Å"Jesus Christ, Curley’s wife can move quiet† (82) after she had entered the stable on the way to Crooks’ bunk without anyone hearing her. Lennie suffers from an unknown mental illness – the other characters think he’s â€Å"nuts† (74)— and as a result, he acts callow, imitating the behavior of certain animals: He drank from the pool â€Å"with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse,† (3) and he â€Å"dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the water arose in little splashes† (3). Lennie is â€Å"a nice fella† (40) who is very innocent, illustrated by how he interacts with the girl in the red dress in Weed: â€Å"†¦he reaches out to feel this red dress, †¦he jus’ wanted to touch that dress† (42). He is also very tractable; â€Å"†¦he’d do any damn thing† (40) that George told him. In contrast, Curley’s wife is mentally sharper and very observant; she notices all â€Å"them bruises† (80) on Lennie’s face, which resulted from his fight with Curley, and realizes that he was the one who hurt Curley’s hand, not a machine. Curley’s wife is also very assertive, manipulative, and flirtatious. A clever lady, she knows how to get what she wants. The superiority of Curley’s wife’s qualities to those of Lennie later contributes to their tragic end. Both Lennie and Curley’s wife have to constantly create physical connections in their lives, but each for a different reason. Lennie has an obsession with petting soft things, which he reveals to Curley’s wife: â€Å"I like to pet nice things with my fingers, sof’ things† (90). His obsession, which he has had since he was a child – his Aunt Clara used to give him a piece of velvet to touch — is depicted throughout the book. In the beginning of the book, Lennie finds a dead mouse and when asked why he keeps it, he answers, â€Å"I could pet it with my thumb wile we walked along,† (6) expressing his desire to pet things, dead or alive. He wants to pet things so badly that after George throws the mouse off into the distance to get rid of it, Lennie goes and retrieves it again. In Weed, when Lennie saw the girl in the red dress who he had never even met before, he reached out to touch it, just to feel the dress. George describes Lennie’s obsession concerning Slim’s pups: â€Å"He’ll want to sleep right out in the barn with ‘em. We’ll have trouble keepin’ him from getting right in the box with them pups† (38). Lennie â€Å"wants to pet them pups all the time† (42). Furthermore, his dream to tend â€Å"furry† (16) rabbits results from his obsession. Lennie has a longing to pet every soft thing he encounters in the book and each time he fulfills his craving something unfortunate happens, foreshadowing the book’s final events. He doesn’t know his own strength and can’t control his obsession. Similarly, Curley’s wife has a constant need to physically feel loved. She is someone who needs a lot of love and attention (her dream was to be an actress), which her husband will never give her. As a result, she tries to interact with any guy she can; in Crooks’ room when talking to Candy, Crooks, and Lennie, she admits, â€Å"†¦what am I doin? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs†¦an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else† (78). Slim comments on her behavior: â€Å"She ain’t concealin’ nothing†¦ She got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody†¦ Seems like she can’t keep away from guys† (51). Although many of the ranchers view her as a â€Å"tart,† (28) I believe that Curley’s wife is a genuinely lonely person. She expresses her loneliness to Lennie: â€Å"I get lonely†¦ You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley† (87). Ironically, Lennie and Curley’s wife, who have nearly opposite qualities, can cater to each other’s need by responding to each other’s obsessions. Purposely kept apart by the author through various characters for most of the book, when Lennie and Curley’s wife are alone together for the first time, the already existent chemistry between them is ostensible, and the extent of their needs is so great that neither can resist acting upon them. Leading up to this final scene, Lennie’s attraction to Curley’s wife is unequivocal. When he first sees her, his eyes â€Å"[move] down over her body,† (31) and when she talks Lennie watches her with fascination. Furthermore when George speaks negatively about Curley’s wife, Lennie â€Å"defensively† says, â€Å"She’s purty† and then later repeats, â€Å"Gosh, she was purty† after which he smiles â€Å"admiringly† (32). Curley’s wife knows how to relate to Lennie and speak to him on his level. After Candy tells her that Curley’s hand was caught in a machine, she, knowing what really happened, speaks flirtatiously to Lennie: â€Å"O. K. , Machine. I’ll talk to you later. I like machines† (80). In the final scene, Curley’s wife indicates to Lennie that she understands his obsession; when Lennie reveals that he likes to pet things, she responds â€Å"Well, who don’t?†¦ Ever’body likes that. I like to feel silk an’ velvet. Do you like to feel velvet? † (90). Lennie and Curley’s wife open up to each other, and as a result the reader learns the most about these characters from this scene; Lennie explains his obsession, while Curley’s wife explains her loneliness and need to feel loved. The reciprocal connection between them is so strong that Lennie disobeys George’s orders, risking his dream of tending the rabbits, and succumbs to the temptation of Curley’s wife. Her loneliness is so great that Curley’s wife, aware of the consequences, â€Å"[takes] Lennie’s hand and [puts] it on her head† (90). Lennie’s obsession overpowers him, and he continuously strokes Curley’s wife’s hair harder and harder, making her scream in pain. Afraid that George â€Å"ain’t gonna let [him] tend no rabbits,† (91) when Curley’s wife doesn’t stop screaming, Lennie shakes her while covering her mouth and accidentally kills her. Lennie’s actions illustrate his lack of self-restraint, and he is therefore viewed as a threat to society. As a result, Lennie’s killing of Curley’s wife leads to the killing of Lennie. The characters that seem the least alike in Of Mice and Men, Lennie and Curley’s wife, ironically, share a common need that enables them to have one of the strongest connections in the book, both physically and emotionally. Knowing that they have the ability to satisfy each other’s needs, Lennie and Curley’s wife are in a very vulnerable situation that is full of temptation. Lennie can’t control his obsession and accidentally kills Curley’s wife, while trying to preserve his dream to tend rabbits that is based on his obsession. The physical connections that once gave them pleasure and happiness in life lead to each of their deaths.

8 Tips For Writing Great Feature Stories

The Causes And Consequences Of Anxiety - 943 Words

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