Media Effects

Watching both films made me realize that media depicts people, in certain ways that make people judge others solely based on the way people choose to live their lives. I think that Professor Jenkins and Seiter would in fact like to dissect the reasoning behind why the boys In the documentary “Paradise lost” did in fact feel so angry and connected with that type of music and lifestyle, and why maybe people would think they did murder innocent people. Jenkins feels that young children are not influenced by the television shows per se, but they are however influenced by pressure to be accepted in certain social settings. I think that certain communities such as the one shown in the footage is a conservative Christian community and the social norm is, where everyone goes to church and does exactly the same thing everyone else does. So these boys were viewed as outcast solely based on how they dressed, what music they listened to and how they were perceived in the community, not being conservative Christians. Marilyn Manson was in the documentary, and clearly is stereotyped solely based on his appetence, and an ever changing society, people who are ignorant of something they do not understand fully are scared to understand or embrace something new or different from what they are used to. Seiter also had a good point in which she believed that exposing the kids to all kinds of different things including all types of media might be beneficial to them in the long run. I think in “Bowling for Columbine “ even the title just proves that yes, we can blame music, and “Goth “ or “Emo” culture on the terrible tragedy. Did people fail to realize that the environment they grew up in is a huge gun community? Have they realized that maybe the kids had that as a factor in their doings? I think environment and parenting and maybe mental illness should be a factor that should be examined more thoroughly before blaming the media at all.