The root of all evil: pop culture
Ken Woods
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Opinion
The battle of good versus evil has been debated for centuries. It has come to pass that evil is currently winning the battle, and it is being won with a tool that is nearly undefeatable.
That tool is the mass media.
Whether people want to admit it or not, the images in the media affect the way we view the world, as well as ourselves. That's why it is important to analyze the media and research the effects it has on society.
The media has conditioned the mass audience to accept evil with no resistance. We have become mindless and dehumanized through the images portrayed in the media.
According to www.medialit.org, 68 percent of the images shown from all media outlets involve violence or glorification of sex. That is more than two-thirds of the images we see on a daily basis. Think about that.
Sure, there would be evil people in the world without the influence of the media, but in order to see the correlation, one has to first understand how the media works.
The media works best when it reinforces previously held beliefs about different subjects.
Does this pathology work on every individual? No. But these types of images have been ingrained in our mind for decades now, and we have been trained to accept it.
It's like drinking alcohol. The first time, it doesn't taste great and you probably get drunk really quickly. As you continue to drink, you build tolerance and condition your body to withstand the effects.
The media has done the same type of mental taming to us over the years, especially when it comes to sex.
Before the likes of Hugh Hefner, sex was a private subject and rarely seen on television. Now, due to his exploitation of women as sex objects, it can be seen everywhere you turn in today's society.
There are millions of ads that objectify women and show them merely as sexual toys. It started with Playboy and people were outraged. Then they were taught to accept it.
It went on to the porn industry with Larry Flynt, and now the porn industry is worth billions of dollars. Hefner was like that first sip of alcohol, and we have been conditioned to accept the objectification of women and lewd sex acts as part of society.
That tool is the mass media.
Whether people want to admit it or not, the images in the media affect the way we view the world, as well as ourselves. That's why it is important to analyze the media and research the effects it has on society.
The media has conditioned the mass audience to accept evil with no resistance. We have become mindless and dehumanized through the images portrayed in the media.
According to www.medialit.org, 68 percent of the images shown from all media outlets involve violence or glorification of sex. That is more than two-thirds of the images we see on a daily basis. Think about that.
Sure, there would be evil people in the world without the influence of the media, but in order to see the correlation, one has to first understand how the media works.
The media works best when it reinforces previously held beliefs about different subjects.
Does this pathology work on every individual? No. But these types of images have been ingrained in our mind for decades now, and we have been trained to accept it.
It's like drinking alcohol. The first time, it doesn't taste great and you probably get drunk really quickly. As you continue to drink, you build tolerance and condition your body to withstand the effects.
The media has done the same type of mental taming to us over the years, especially when it comes to sex.
Before the likes of Hugh Hefner, sex was a private subject and rarely seen on television. Now, due to his exploitation of women as sex objects, it can be seen everywhere you turn in today's society.
There are millions of ads that objectify women and show them merely as sexual toys. It started with Playboy and people were outraged. Then they were taught to accept it.
It went on to the porn industry with Larry Flynt, and now the porn industry is worth billions of dollars. Hefner was like that first sip of alcohol, and we have been conditioned to accept the objectification of women and lewd sex acts as part of society.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Lauren
posted 3/04/09 @ 8:26 PM CST
I agree with some of your article, except for the over-generalizing comment that "rock 'n' roll" is evil. Also, if you are going to cite a song, don't just say the video game you heard it in, research what the song is actually called. (Continued…)
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