Introduction
The article “Readers on Morality: Don’t Let TV be a Guide” published by the Today is focused on the perception of people about the impact of TV on morality. Based on the piece of work, another of the respondents gave their opinion concerning the mass culture and how they perceive the influence. The article effectively examines the aspect of popular culture and its impact on society. The various respondents provided different viewpoints whereby some blame the TV shows for influencing the overall behavior of people while other individuals believe that conducts are predetermined (“Readers on Morality”). The argument implies that irrespective of the nature of content displayed on TV shows, they have an insignificant impact on one’s behavior.
Discussion
The article effectively uses logos to enhance its arguments to convince readers about the effects of pop culture. For example, the author collected the opinions of different individuals concerning mass culture. In other words, the author picked views from people to portray the issue of pop culture in relation to TV shows. Based on the approach, it becomes easier for the piece of work to persuade readers about the influence of TV, especially on their children’s behavior (Heiphetz et al. 21). Similarly, the article effectively uses the aspect of pathos to pass the message. For instance, the respondent section “inspired by TV to murder,” (“Readers on Morality”).
This part of the article linked the emotions associated with the murder case that might happen due to watching similar episodes on TV shows. In other words, the writer wanted to show what might happen if indeed TV shows displaying murder scenes can influence viewers. In addition, the author portrayed the aspect of ethos by producing different respondents’ perspectives on the matter.
Based on the article, the writer picked the opinions of different individuals meaning that the facts were presented in the correct manner. In other words, the writer considered a broader perspective by not concentrating on the opinion of one or two people but rather on significant respondents. More respondents gave varied viewpoints on the topic, thus making it adequately reported. In addition, the article covered essential areas, including cases of possible murder, TV as an escape, better parenting is critical, and many others (Cingel and Krcmar 364).
Therefore, the piece of work did not omit significant facts as it tried to cover all the aspects of TV’s influence on morality. Even though the article seems to cover related facts, the respondent entitled “torture and tolerance” does not directly link the articles (“Readers on Morality”). This means that the authors included some context that is less related.
The article provides the perception of different people concerning the influence of TV on morality. It covers various subtopics basing on children to adults. Despite focusing on the broader perspective, the article failed to provide statistics on the impact of TV on morality. Furthermore, the piece of work did not depict the factors that might make an individual choice or ignore specific behaviors portrayed by the TV shows.
In addition, the author should have shown the exact elements that may make a person opt to watch programs that can negatively impact their behaviors (Mitra). The article is oversimplified, which makes it easier to be understood the readers. It addresses specific viewpoints yet covers the core themes of the paper. For instance, under better parenting is key, the article clearly describes the impact of parenting and how it can influence morals.
The article addressed the fact that TV shows are rated; thus, it is upon the people to choose the one suitable for their ethical development. “These shows are RATED appropriately so that kids shouldn’t be watching them if they are not of a certain age,” (“Readers on Morality”). The author depicted that it is not about pop culture but what people opt to gather from the contents displayed. The piece of work failed to cover the specific impacts of pop culture on young ones.
Based on the simplicity of the article, it will be easier for a general reader to comprehend the themes being discussed. The author focused on the aspect of human interest to convey the message about the topic. For instance, “For me one of the shows with the greatest moral example is ‘Extreme Home Makeover.’ This shows communities at their best, pitching in to help struggling families in their midst,” (“Readers on Morality”). The facet shows that people choose what they feel is of interest to them.
In the current generation, people’s behavior ranging from eating habits to wearing clothes is significantly influenced by the programs aired on TV shows. Therefore, based on the article’s argument, I believe individuals should not allow the TV to be their guide. Hernández (144) iterated that the aspect of morality can be learned from another person. Therefore, it implies that watching TV programs has the potential of influencing one’s conduct. For instance, children being at the early stage of development can be easily impacted by the context of TV shows (Farias et al. 218). It is upon the parents to take the necessary initiatives to prevent such effects on the young ones and on themselves as well.
Conclusion
Exposure to different conducts through TV shows has the ability to influence the moral conduct of people. Even though people can choose the contents to watch, sometimes the impact becomes severe and affects the behavior, especially for young ones. Based on my argument, it is upon the parents to help young ones watch TV shows that instill good morals. The approach will enable the guardians to determine best performance that cannot influence the behavior of children negatively.
Works Cited
“Readers on Morality: Don’t let TV be Guide.” This is Today. 2008. Web.
Cingel, Drew P., and Marina Krcmar. “Prosocial Television, Preschool Children’s Moral Judgments, and Moral Reasoning: The Role of Social Moral Intuitions and Perspective-Taking.” Communication Research, vol. 46, no. 3, 2019, pp. 355-374. Web.
Farias, Carine, Tapiwa Seremani, and Pablo D. Fernández. “Popular Culture, Moral Narratives and Organizational Portrayals: A Multimodal Reflexive Analysis of a Reality Television Show.” Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 171, no. 2, 2021, pp. 211-226. Web.
Heiphetz, Larisa, et al. “Who am I? The Role of Moral Beliefs in Children’s and Adults’ Understanding of Identity.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 78, 2018, pp. 210-219. Web.
Hernández, Rafael. “On Politics in Civil Society: Reflections about Civic Culture, Morality and Common Sense.” International Journal of Cuban Studies, vol. 11, no. 2, 2019, pp. 142-146. Web.
Mitra, Rahul & Fyke, Jeremy. “Popular Culture and Organizations.” 2018.