Popular culture portrays sex and violence much more explicitly if to compare it with the past conception people have had towards the issue. Popular culture is the typical invention of modern civilization.
It is not restricted to the activities perceived in everyday human life since it can be seen in various places. For instance, on the TV, on billboard posters and even can be easily accessed via an individual’s smartphone. The violence and sex in pop culture is a good example of how the digital revolution encourages the growth of the interest in this issue in society.
The subject of sex and violence is under constant debate, giving the extent to its influence on society and mainly on the young and growing mind. The articles Teen Violence Spawned by Guns and Cultural Rot, Violence Never Solved Anything, but It’s Entertaining, and The Myth of Television Depravity showcase the different opinions the authors have towards the topic of sex and violence.
Analyzing the articles it is possible to come to certain conclusions about the ways and facts the authors choose to convey the topic and how they contributed to the understanding of the question.
The main problem people have with the issue of sex and violence is the possible negative effect it might have on their children. There are different values which are of the main priority in each family. The article Teen Violence Spawned by Guns and Cultural Rot by Albert R. Hunt presents disputable information regarding gun violence among kids and children.
One notable misconception Hunt presents is comprehended when he mentions: “Nothing is more offensive than some of the music.” Hunt’s approach to this claim is uncalled for and void of proof. This is because listening to a certain kind of music; for example, rap music is not a finite fact in proving that it is a root cause for gun violence among the youth. Guns have been in existence for centuries, and using them for sports like hunting is the held tradition among most Native American citizens.
The essay is rather unclear and unreasonable. The author surprises the reader with an unusual structure. Having started his article with the discussion of the influence of the availability of weapon on children, he then tries to lead the reader to the cultural aspect of the topic, though, in a rather illogical and unconvincing way. It is rather difficult sometimes to follow the authors thought and try to understand what he means.
Trying to find the interrelation between music, guns, and culture he rambles from one thought to another, which results in rather vague general image. Additionally, the concluding paragraph also does not give any detailed explanations of the thoughts, covered in the article, just making some general conclusions and not outlining the problematic issue of the child violence or adding something new to the question.
The subsequent essay The Myth of Television Depravity by Michael Hirschorn offers contradicting material regarding sex and violence. Hirschhorn says: “earnestly dramatizing the conflicting demands of family and work, competence and ethics” and then he continues: “these are the most popular shows in an America, and to accuse television of subverting family values without considering this mainstream programming means someone is either not doing his homework or they just do not care ”
This text contradicts with the authors claim: “how consistently prime-time television dwells on the very issue that conservatives complain are being ignored by Hollywood.” This statement in its turn contradicts with the earlier phrase claiming the content being inappropriate for viewing.
The article is also overflowed with the unnecessary details of the plot of the films or of the TV series. Understanding that it was the authors way to give some evidence to his point of view, it should be mentioned, however, that it can be taken as the absolutely unnecessary details which, on the contrary, make the article sound less convincing.
Due to this fact, the article is conceived as a review of the discussed films with short comments for the reader to understand the main idea better. Having read the article, the actual question of the sex and violence on TV did not become clearer as it contributed nothing to the development of the discussion.
The essay Violence Never Solved Anything, but It’s Entertaining by Holman W. Jenkins Jr. provides interesting facts supporting the notion of the amusing and pleasurable side of violence as it is showcased in the movies.
The Holmans text: “Certainly television has wrought changes in the world, but before asking how it has reshaped human culture, how has human nature shaped television,” begs for an individual to positively question the benefits that televised violence has brought to the existence of human beings. Recognizing the use of violence on TV for financial gain depicts the advantages that the issue of sex and violence subject brings to movie makers.
The essay Violence Never Solved Anything, but It’s Entertaining by Holman W. Jenkins Jr. is the most responsibly written essay in the list because it informs the society about the entertaining side of watching violence on the screen. The author delivers critical views exemplifying the benefits of portraying violence on the TV, which is mainly for advertising purposes to earn and acquire revenue from viewers.
The author is also trying to analyze not just the influence the TV makes on the viewers but also how the viewer has influenced the development of the television and the increase of the popularity of some certain topics. The unusual approach to the question makes the reader think about the problem from a different point of view. The author not just blames the TV on the destruction of the ideals of the youth and upbringing violence, he states the fact that it just answers the demands of the society.
The request should be fulfilled and TV just tries to accomplish the task. As against the other two essays, which just state the known facts or enumerate the list of the programs which can be dangerous for children, or speculate on the old problem of the availability of weapon, this one just directs our thoughts in another way.
The author is trying to cogitate thinking about the reasons for violence being so attractive for young people, and it is rather interesting to follow this speculation. The logical structure of the essay is clear, and it is easy to understand the main idea.
Moreover, it is not overflowed with the great number of the meaningless and unnecessary details, that is why it seems to be the most reasonable and the most responsibly written essay on the list. This is the only article which can be related to the question of sex and violence. One more thing which makes it even better is its title. Being rather provoking, it draws the readers attention from the first lines, combining two things which are not usually associated with each other in modern society.
The modern age call is called the age of information and digital technology. The availability of the information achieved the level it has never had before. That is why some new problems, which were never actual in the past, appeared. Supposing to be one of the greatest benefits, the great stream of information is ready to turn into the greatest curse of the modern age. In chase of revealing the secrets, society has forgotten that not all secrets should be revealed, especially if they are available for children.
They became the main victims of the digital revolution. Unfortunately, modern pop culture propagandizes things, which should not be mentioned, especially in the presence of children. Sex, violence, drugs, and nihilism can be found in almost every song or film. The idols of the children say from the scene words and things, which can astonish even an adult person.
That is why something should be done to prevent further decline of society – severe censorship and control over the most viewed TV programs can be the first steps to do. The world should try to change its attitude to the violence and return to the high-toned ideals of the past. “We could expect creators and entertainment companies to do better, not because bad movies are anywhere near the moral or practical equivalent of loaded guns, but simply because it would be better” (Poniewozik para. 22).
Works Cited
Poniewozik, James. 2012.What We Should Be Thinking About Pop-Culture Violence, and What We Will Probably Do Instead.