I really hate the idea that young people need to be “protected” from the media. It’s not the sentiment that I hate, it’s the phrasing of it. It’s like the media is some big, scary monster and we must protect The Children! Not all media is out to corrupt the minds of the nation’s youth (although admittedly, some is.) I think the problem is that people confuse this “some” of the media that is sending negative messages with “all” of the media. And I think many adults underestimate the common sense that “the youth” possess. I mean, yes, there are kids out there who are going to try to watch shows with gratuitous sex or violence, but trying to shield them from that, or prohibiting it is not going to fix the problem. Kids will find a way to access that media, and prohibiting this media will only make it more attractive to kids. So “Protect The Children” doesn’t seem to be the way to go. Teaching them to view the media more objectively (without necessarily turning them into cynics) would be much more useful and better for them in the long run. Because just telling them “no” stops all dialogue about the issue and doesn’t teach them to be intelligent in their media consumption.
That being said, there is a lot of harmful media out there. The one form of harmful media that is seriously underrated, in my opinion, is reality TV. Now, I have my guilty pleasure shows just like anyone else, but today I was doing homework while my sister was watching “My Super Sweet 16” (in case anyone doesn’t know this show: http://www.mtv.com/shows/sweet_16/series.jhtml) And now I understand why she has been pestering our parents for months (in fact, ever since she turned 15) about her sixteenth birthday party. This show is sending a horrible message to kids—these are some of the most spoiled girls I have ever seen in my life: they don’t care about anyone but themselves and honestly think the world revolves around them. And the premise of the show is that it does, allows them to glorify this self-centered world view. Honestly, I think this is an awful message to be sending to kids—by airing this show and giving these spoiled kids attention and “fame,” we are condoning their behavior, and teaching children not only that it’s acceptable to act this way, but that it might even get you on TV. And who can afford birthday parties like that? It’s unrealistic for kids to expect that. If I could “protect” kids from this kind of media, I would. (I would probably yank this show off the air.) I’m sure there are plenty of people who watch it for fun, and think it’s funny to watch these girls throw tantrums (which, admittedly, it is,) but I worry about kids who don’t understand that this is not a model of good behavior, who don’t understand that MTV is just trying to sell them that lifestyle, and that it’s not realistic or acceptable. So in this case, teaching kids to think objectively about this show seems like a good idea. Any thoughts?
That being said, there is a lot of harmful media out there. The one form of harmful media that is seriously underrated, in my opinion, is reality TV. Now, I have my guilty pleasure shows just like anyone else, but today I was doing homework while my sister was watching “My Super Sweet 16” (in case anyone doesn’t know this show: http://www.mtv.com/shows/sweet_16/series.jhtml) And now I understand why she has been pestering our parents for months (in fact, ever since she turned 15) about her sixteenth birthday party. This show is sending a horrible message to kids—these are some of the most spoiled girls I have ever seen in my life: they don’t care about anyone but themselves and honestly think the world revolves around them. And the premise of the show is that it does, allows them to glorify this self-centered world view. Honestly, I think this is an awful message to be sending to kids—by airing this show and giving these spoiled kids attention and “fame,” we are condoning their behavior, and teaching children not only that it’s acceptable to act this way, but that it might even get you on TV. And who can afford birthday parties like that? It’s unrealistic for kids to expect that. If I could “protect” kids from this kind of media, I would. (I would probably yank this show off the air.) I’m sure there are plenty of people who watch it for fun, and think it’s funny to watch these girls throw tantrums (which, admittedly, it is,) but I worry about kids who don’t understand that this is not a model of good behavior, who don’t understand that MTV is just trying to sell them that lifestyle, and that it’s not realistic or acceptable. So in this case, teaching kids to think objectively about this show seems like a good idea. Any thoughts?
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