Deadly Stereotypes & Scapegoats: Media Effects & The Anxieties Which Encompass & Distorts Pop Culture

The population's relationship with pop culture has not only been unhealthy, but incredibly dangerous. As seen in Ellen Seiter's essay Power Rangers at Preschool: Negotiating Media in Child Care Settings, the population is divided into two distinct groups: Group One has people who harbor anxieties and distrust towards television and pop culture, like Gloria Williams; and Group Two has people who utilize pop culture to their benefit (compatibility) and trusts television, illustrated by Sara Kitses. Of course, there are neutral parties between this War on Pop Culture who teeter on the tight rope which both groups have created in order to persuade the Neutral Group to their side. Nevertheless, Group One seems to demonstrate the most destructive and dangerous behavior in regards to their actions towards themselves and others, specifically providing injustice to their victims due to their bias and anxiety formerly known as their 'witch hunts.'

Group One's hatred and anxiet perpetuates the hostile environment in pop culture. With this said, the Gothic world has been the most attacked and ostracized social groups (excluding race) in pop culture, with singer Marilyn Manson as a prime example. In the documentary Bowling for Columbine, which documents the disturbing high school shooting of two seniors, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who murdered twelve students and one teacher, while injuring twenty-four others, illustrates Group One's mob-mentality of scapegoating and finger-pointing pop culture than investigating crimes objectively. During the investigation of the shooting, the news media and Group One were quick to point their fingers towards the unique Gothic appearance and music of Marilyn Manson (he was one of the singers which Harris and Klebold listened to). As a result, Marilyn Manson became the scapegoat for the two shooters' crimes, instead of everyone's attention focusing on Harris and Klebold's life, specifically the intensity and quantity of being continuously bullied. Although getting bullied by others does not justify murder, the media and Group One could have utilized their time and energy by understanding the circumstances which pushed the two shooters into their killing spree, and attempt to prevent such atrocious actions in the future. Instead, Marilyn Manson's Gothic appearance and music were unjustly critiqued and blamed for persuading the shooters to create the Columbine shooting. This relates to Henry Jenkins' essay Mr. Jenkins Goes to Washington, where Jenkins was invited to the Senate to analyze and explain the correlation between video game violence and child violence. His words were unheard by the majority of the population of finger-pointers, yet he continues to show the population that pop culture does not control us. Furthermore, Jenkins relates to media coverage of Columbine because by the end of the day, true objective justice is not pursued because, as Jenkins expressed: "all the media wants to talk about is[...]violence."

Jenkins comments about the Gothic culture becoming unjustly attacked and the negative effects Group One had on the population in his essay: "Goth kids [were] harassed for wearing subcultural symbols and pushed into therapy. Kids [were] suspended for writing the wrong ideas in essays or raising them in class discussions. Kids [were] pushed off line by their parents. And I wanted to do something to help get the word out that this was going on." In this sense, Group One becomes the bully and the victims they accuse are bullied even further (yet Group One wonders why their victims snap and the vicious cycle of victim-blaming continues). Jenkins fits into Group Two which understands the benefits of pop culture and takes into account that the population is not a hoard of zombies who absorb and reenact all social media without intellectual decision-making. With this said, it is safe to assume Jenkins would have defended pop culture and would have attempted to explain that "the key issue isn't what the media [is] doing to our children but rather what our children are doing with the media." Furthermore, Seiter would also fit into Group Two through her insistence in following Sara Kitses' example, utilizing pop culture to our advantage and understand its benefits, than Gloria Williams who provided her students with a negative connotation towards television through her refusing to acknowledge pop culture and strictly regulated television (even though she recollects positive experiences of television in her childhood). Seiter also sheds light on the social hierarchy of class which is seen in the documentary Paradise Lost, which sheds light on the corrupted and bias trial towards the West Memphis Three (Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr, and Jason Baldwin) about three young children who were beaten, sexually assaulted, and murdered.

Echols, MissKelley, and Baldwin were victims of the Gothic stereotype by listening to metal music, dressing in black, believing in Wicca, and refusing to become the cookie-cutter individual our society wants us to become. What was moreso in their disadvantage was their low economic status. With little to defend themselves from Group One's anxiety and distrust towards the pop culture, as well as their desire to scapegoat others, the three young men were found guilty on killing the three children even though there was strong evidence which proved their innocence time and time again. The media effects were distorted by Group One by their bias. Evidence found by the police were "accidentally" discarded, actual witnesses were denied to speak during the trial by the judge, and even the case number was changed to "666" to increase the anxiety pop culture provides. Even during the trial, Damien Echols was questioned on why he changed his first name to Damien, the lawyer hinting at devil's child having the same name in "The Omen" (1976). Just like what Jenkins saw of individuals isolating twenty-seconds of the "Basketball Diaries" to emphasize their case of violence and create bias to the Neutral parties and others, the young men were attacked by Group One and the news media by the manipulation on pop culture as a prime persuader. This alone proves quite ironic due to their intense dislike for pop culture.

With all of this said, blaming pop culture for the actions of others not only discredits the perpetrator(s) but also ignores the emotional, physical, and psychological instability of the perpetrator(s). Because people of low economic status, such as the West Memphis Three, already have a negative stereotype surrounding them than if they belonged to a higher economic class. Thus, what Seiter properly discusses in her essay is how the children in lower-class areas need to use pop culture to their advantage and learn from it. Although television continues the lower class status since it is "cheap," being like Kitser by providing a safe environment for the children, an environment with no judgment towards the children, can help the children grow with little bias of others.

What stuck to me was the sheer bias, hatred, and animosity Group One continue to perpetuate towards Gothic culture. They took 'negative' Gothic stereotypes and distorted them in order to continue their circus in talking only of violence and censorship. Marilyn Manson was attacked for his appearance and was seen as "satanic" and a danger to children. The West Memphis Three were attacked and thrown in jail (Damien Echols on death row) because the individuals investigating the crime they were accused of were too focused on making the three young men murderers (because they were easy targets) than finding the actual murderer(s). Harris and Klebold were continuously bullied and harassed until they snapped and exacted 'revenge.' Yet these events could have easily been avoided if others listened to Group Two and analyzed the other variables which lead to the crimes and these witch hunts. These injustices and distortion of pop culture are exactly what needs to be addressed, yet others would rather censor everything and remind blind, bias, and uneducated. As Henry Jenkins tells us: "Listen to our children. Don't fear them." As a whole, we need to understand everyone's environment, what they are going through, and look through the manipulation of stereotypes and social media in order to provide proper justice and social improvement. If not, there will be more censorship as a result of deadly stereotypes and scapegoats -- and, like Damien Echols, Group One may attempt to end your life in order to enforce this unneeded witch hunt for censorship.

A Trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The films Paradise Lost and Bowling for Columbine both show how we consistently blame the media for negatively influencing our children, instead of thinking about what society has done to these troubled kids to cause them to want to be violent in the first place. People blame goth culture and angry music like Marilyn Manson for making kids angry, without understanding that it is more like the other way around: angry kids find solace in music that is equally fed up. But I think what I find most interesting about this whole discussion is Henry Jenkins' point that we as a society are afraid of our children, due to their culture being different than our own.
At first I found this concept hard to understand, but a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame changed all of that. This weekend I attended a wedding in Cleveland Ohio and decided to stop by the museum before the wedding. Besides depicting the origins of Rock and Roll and the direction it has taken more recently, it also had an entire section dedicated to the initial backlash against rock and roll when it began. Several monitors depicted experts, much like those in the films we watched, speaking against the negative influence of rock and roll and how things like the beat would lead the children to satanism. I was shocked. I never realized that Elvis was almost as controversial in his day as Marilyn Manson is in ours. The generation that grew up listening to rock music that their parents railed against is the same generation railing against goth culture now. But it only highlights the fact that, as Jenkins pointed out, it is not the content of teen culture itself that scares society, but the fact that it is different than their own.

Media Effects

Jenkins article was very interesting. It showed us how as viewers (of media) we tend to focus on one part of media and accuse it of being the only influence of our children's imagination. Why is it that as people, we tend to make accusations of people base on how they look? What are the media influences that people are inspire by and how does it affect them.

In Jenkins reading, he mentions that we shouldn't judge our children but rather learn to understand them. Just because someone wears a certain attire, or listens to a specific genre of music, that SHOULD NOT identify who the person is, as a whole.  In Paradise Lost, a man was accusing a student of committing a under simply because he was wearing black attire, while listening to music that talked about "taking blood". What stood out for me was when the man was at court and was actually trying to blame the violence on witchcraft, attire etc without having actual examples to show.

In Bowling for Columbine, we actually get to see an interview with Marilyn Manson and what was his thoughts. "Media wants people to fear ....because your being pumped with fear and consumption. Keep everyone afraid and they will consume." This is a man who plays music and yet, he gets the blame for being a "bad influence" to children. He gets to express who he is and yet, media has put in people's mind that he is to be feared of. The fact that Marilyn Manson spoke out really struck me, in a good way. It is a reminder to all that we shouldn't judge people. He knows what the media is doing, and informs the viewers that he is not to blame.

I think Jenkins would have been happy with the way that Manson responded. Not just for him, but for those who follow his music as well. Those people should not be getting all the credit for committing crimes and gun violence. We should also put a) the environment that a person grew up in b) the personality of  a person and c) a person's experience into consideration when 'debating on who to blame for influencing people towards violence'.

Seiter vs Jenkins on Media Effects

The first thing I thought when watching Bowling for Columbine and Paradise Lost is the sympathy Professor Jenkins would have for the murderers, and how he would try to figure out the reasoning behind what happened, rather than blaming the reasoning on things that are irrelevant. For example, they show the camera footage from Bowling for Columbine while playing the frantic sounding phone calls in the background. This makes this situation more horrifying for the viewers, and it also plants phone calls that may have been placed at any time, not necessarily at the moment being shown. In Paradise Lost, hard rock music begins to play when the children accused of murder are being interviewed. While I don’t doubt that the accused suspects are guilty, these specific scenes demonstrate how the media twists the way these suspects are viewed. There is also a scene in Paradise Lost where a man is in the church singing a song entitled “Whatever It Takes.” While this song is being played in the background, they are showing how “happy” the neighborhood is, and how religious everyone is, implying these children that committed the crime were worshiping Satan. I believe Professor Jenkins would make more of an effort to understand the children, rather than be quick to make an assumption related to their religious beliefs.

Seiter believes that parents and teachers should worry “less about the debilitating effects of television on affluent children and more about improving access to education for children against whom the odds are already stacked.” (12) She believes that more access to popular culture would open the childrens eyes to more possibilities and give them a better idea of reality, rather than a blocked off ignorant idea.  It is hard to say what her opinion would be on the case regarding the child murders in Paradise Lost, it is almost too much information for a child to be absorbing at a young age yet it is important to know what is happening in the world. It is important to see the way that media twists these stories in order to pick up on the false images media displays to sway the viewers opinion in the future.

Media Effects

I believe after watching both films Paradise lost and Bowling for Columbine it showcased just how people can judge solely off of appearance and label them based off of what society or the media thinks is not the "norm". In Paradise lost people had preconceived notions about the teenage boys who were being held at trial for murder. In the film they showcase the trial and kept bringing up their appearance, tastes in music and how they were said to believe in satan. All of these acussations were dragged through each interview to lead people to believe that just because you dress in all black or listen to a certain type of genre of music you are capable of murder or any type of crime. 

I have to say that the media has a huge effect on this because they have formed people to believe that "Goth" or "Emo" kids are troubled kids. They put out in the world through movies and television shows that the kids who bully people or rebel are usually dressed a certain type of way and have interests that are different from the rest. The media influences the youth and what they believe. People watch these shows and think that it is cool to act a certain way and they end up mimicking the charters behavior. 

Media Effects Paradigm

In class we learn about the Media Effects Paradigm also known as the Cultivation Theory claims that prolonged exposure to Heavy TV viewing will effect the vulnerable minds of us people. We are viewed “empty vessels” and can easily be filled up with negative influences such as violence which we acquire through media. 

In “Paradise Lost” we see three kids on trial for the suspected murder of three children. The basis of this trial was based on their taste in music, choice of clothing and literature. They are associated with “Goth” lifestyle, and because of their interest in Wicca. We see that the “specialist” claims these children are Satan worshippers. The evidence they have is questionable, and because these kids do not fit into the “norm.” Like the Media Effects Paradigm the specialist claims these kids have their minds taken over by the media they associate themselves with even though Damien, one of the defendants, reassures his religious and good nature background and upbringing. They might be children, and the Media Effects Paradigm may suggest that these kids have had their minds infested with evil but we are not a “inactive audience.” We learned in the Seiter reading that even children can differentiate “make believe” from reality why wouldn’t teachers be able to? They underestimate the human population if they believe we cannot decipher good and bad in media. If we cannot even do that much how are we suppose to make ethical decisions in our everyday lives?

In “Bowling for Columbine” we focus on the issue of guns and the “fear of violence” and how it plays a active role in the Columbine massacre. I don’t necessarily agree with this documentary entirely because like the Media Effects Paradigm, it’s not solely the guns or the media that “caused” this tragedy but a number of factors. It is the gun laws, it is the bullying that causes these kids not to have a healthy outlet for all the negativity, and it may be mental disorders, whether it is caused by the environment or a chemical imbalance. 

Does Media Effect Our Youth?

In Henry Jenkins article, he writes about how he was invited to testify to the Senate about how the Media Effects Paradigm is flawed. The Paradigm explains that children are influenced by violence shown in movies, television shows, and video games. According to the paradigm, these influences cause children to engage in acts of violence and sometimes even murder. Jenkins, however, believes that these acts of violence are caused by social factors between youth and not by the effects of what they see on television. He also points out how many of the proofs for the Media Effects Paradigm have been taken out of context.

I, however, don't understand why these two theories can not both contribute to the violence we see in our youth.

One of the issues that we discussed in class, in response to both Paradise Lost and Bowling for Columbine was that many of the mass killings that have come up in the news were found to be in response to the killers having been bullied or targeted in the past. What the Media Effects Paradigm were to be applied to the bullies and not the killers and the killers had snapped because of their social issues.

Think about it, although there are acts of violence and murder shown on television and in films, it is not incredibly often that you see a mass murder depicted on screen. Bullying, however, is seen in television and in movies on a regular basis. Characters curse each other out, tease each other, play nasty tricks on each other, and sometimes even hurt each other. Many times the bullies are depicted as the "cool" characters. If this is the case, does the media give off the impression that this way of treating your fellow human being is acceptable? If it does, then i believe that the bullies are influenced by media much more then killers and murderers.

A person who is targeted by these bullies may not know the proper way socially react to their attackers. Every so often, someone who is targeted too much with poor on how to handle the situation may commit acts of dire consequences.