Comments

Patrick Scott29 April 2013 02:59

Hi Elsie, I love your topic as I think it is very relevant in today's world. I like the gifs, they add something new rather than just videos or pictures. I like that you acknowledged that you have no personal experience as well as the fact that you say this is your thoughts, and no one else’s. Your quotes seem very relevant and help in understanding what a beauty pageant truly is as what is described as purely on physical attractiveness. I agree with above that although these are your thoughts, i can’t see a clear choice on what you think of beauty pageants. Other that that, I can't wait to see the final product.

Patrick Scott29 April 2013 03:07

Hi Jack
I like that your blog is very factual and you clearly know your stuff and have done a decent amount of research. I can appreciate why you chose this topic because it is quite relevant in today's world. I like that you have broken it down, as it makes it a lot easier to grasp what I am reading. The sub-titles make it very clear as well. All in all, very good and i can't wait to see the final product.

Patrick Scott29 April 2013 03:14

Hi Alex, 
I like your topic as it is similar to mine. I can appreciate what angle you are coming from :) I believe that your topic is also very relevant in todays world and it will keep people interested as well as wanting more. I like that you have also broken down the topical points and how we know was are going to be in your posts in the future. I also agree with what you are saying :)

Patrick Scott6 May 2013 23:26

Hi Nick, I like your topic. It's so different and original but still so important it todays world. Your blog is very important and made me realise that this is a very important subject. I like that you have made it very clear your stance on this because it makes it easier to read. Personally I didn't really know about fracking so its great to read something that is very informative so I get the general gist of things. Also the video and diagrams are a great addition to a great blog. Your layout is also very well done.

Patrick Scott6 May 2013 23:56

I think you have chosen a very intelligent and original topic Natasha :) I like your introduction as it is simple and effective and gets to the point. I can't wait to read the rest of your posts!

Patrick ScottMay 8, 2013 at 2:04 AM

I agree with Natasha, I want to see where you take your argument. I definitely know where I would go with it, but it should be interesting to see what side you take. Personally, I always go to it, but I do always check with other sources like you have stated. Unless I was 100 percent sure that I knew it was right. I also think it is a refreshing topic so good on you :)

Patrick Scott8 May 2013 02:36

Hi Nicola, I like your topic as it is original and one that is not that common. Great to see you taking a big interest in it. I like how your blog gives off a positive vibe with the colours and picture of all the children and things like that. You seem to know a lot about the subject which shows with the magnitude of information you have provided.

Patrick Scott8 May 2013 02:59

Hi Shelby, I totally respect your choice in topic and agree with everything you have said so far. You have a lot of information about the tests themselves but I'm wondering if this is relevant to your argument as opposed to the results of the test. I agree with Julia's above comment about your outlook but maybe its needs more solid debate rather than just straight information. Hope this helps you :)

Patrick Scott12 May 2013 00:53

Hi Ashley, I love your topic. It is very original and im glad someone has decided to tackle this topic. You make several good points and I especially like your post "How not to be raped." I believe that really will help people who read this blog if they are to be attacked. Also the evidence you have provided regarding the 16 year old raping case, really helps in supporting your choice. Your conclusion I also one hundred percent agree with your conclusion. It is the same conclusion I would come to. All in all, a very informative blog and you should be happy with your end result :)

Patrick Scott12 May 2013 01:31

Hi Rebecca. I like your refreshing choice in topic. I believe its one that needs to be tackled head on and so far you are doing a great job. I know you've had problems with your URL and it deleting itself but so far you are doing a good job. Hopefully you get it done. I'm sure you've received an extension so everything will work out. So far you're doing great so don't worry about anyting! :)

Violent Media

I personally believe that violent media does create violent behaviour. A lot of people would disagree but I think it definitely has some influence over peoples lives.

Other people such as Yenguin (2013) who wrote the article 'Video Game Violence: Why do we like it? and what's it doing to us?' says "Violence Sells games." This is most likely the main motive behind creating video games and why they sell so well.

Here also gives us a look at the five most controversial video game moments of 2012 to help me get across my points and this explains what the violence has done to parts of the world and what effects it has brought with it. The article focuses on a controversial film that sparked protests in all of the Muslim world.

I guess if I want to get any point across its that we need to watch how much our children are watching and playing because I believe that the quantity is a large factor of the violence that occurs. So in stopping the heavy amounts they play and watch should cause a decrease in the violence we see.

Violent Media - How to help

Parents should know what there children are playing and watching. If they do not, they should start becoming aware as soon as they can. Below is a few tips for what I believe can help purge violent behaviour. 

Parents should be acknowledging that there is a lot of violent material that is easily obtained by their children. They need to realise that files are easily downloaded and with the rapidly growing youth of today, it is not difficult for children to get their hands on these things. We shouldn't be sheltering our children, rather letting them experience things little by little so that they are not bombarded later on in life.

DeLisi (2013) states "I think parents need to be truthful and honest about who their children are in terms of their psychiatric functioning. If you have a kid who is antisocial, who is a little bit vulnerable to influence, giving them something that allows them to escape into themselves for a long period of time isn't a healthy thing." 

Anderson (2013) later goes on to state here the very simple point of "media violence does matter."

I guess the point that I am trying to get across is that parents need to mediate what their children watch and play and that ratings need to be looked at very closely. It is not difficult to look at the brightly coloured sticker that shares what restricted material is shown in the film or game.

References

Andrea Norcia. (2013). Violent Video Games and Agressive Behaviors. Retrieved from http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/violentvideogames.html

Gordon Dahl and Stefano DellaVigna. (2009).  Does Movie Violence Increase Violent Crime?. Retrieved from http://qje.oxfordjournals.org/content/124/2/677.short

Matt DeLisi, Craig Anderson and Douglas Gentile. (2013). Violent video games are a risk for criminal behaviour and aggression. Retrieved from http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2013/03/26/violentvideogames

Sally Harris. (1999). Violent Movies can increase violent responses in real life. Retrieved from http://www.research.vt.edu/resmag/sciencecol/media_violence.html

Bendaimmortal. (2012). Horror Movies: causing violence/murders? Retrieved from http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/horror-movies/articles/51713/title/horror-movies-causing-violence-murders

Violent Movies

Directors like Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth have made themselves known because of the brutal and disturbing movies that they create. Kill Bill, Hostel and Pulp Fiction are amongst a few of these directors’ films and are known by most people as exceptionally violent. With these movies readily available to a lot people, we can see how they act similarly to video games.

One thing that can temporarily stop these movies being seen is the rating system, which puts a small halt on under aged people viewing them. That is until children’s parents begin to rent their children movies that the children want to see.  Now although ratings prevent people from seeing movies in the cinemas when they are first released, it becomes void when they are released on DVD or on iTunes. This is because people have got themselves fake ID’s or as mentioned before, parents come into play. Harris (1999) states that "Exposure to the gratuitously violent film also produced violence without provocation by the experimenter." This quote is taken from an experiment at Virginia Tech University. The whole experiment can be found here.

“Laboratory experiments in psychology find that media violence increases aggression in the short run.” (Dahl, DellaVigna, 2009). Further information can be found here. Also, “movie attendance appears to reduce alcohol consumption.” (Dahl, DellaVigna, 2009). This is interesting because we can see that alcohol is not a main reason that affects movie violence on people.  In my opinion, movie violence does have an impact on people, especially young people, as it can be a major influence on their lives. This is because of their young minds still being molded and shaped. 

Bendaimmortal (2012) states "Common sense should tell you not to let your little kid watch just any shut they want and as much as they want because children are usually incapable of comprehending the deeper meanings." The rest of the blog entry further talks about this matter.

A few things to think about...

Violent Video Games

Games, if any media, would be the number one cause of violence in people because it allows for violent behavior to be carried out without any repercussions. This where a lot of people believe that a persons judgment of what is acceptable and what is not is twisted as they are confused between reality and the game experience. "Due to consumer demand over the last three decades, most video games produced and sold today are violent." (Norcia, 2013). This helps in understanding why violent games are often thought to be a reason behind violent behaviour. This website helps to further understand where I am coming from. 

Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row and Gears of War are three of the thousands of games that allow lifelike violence that ranges from running over pedestrians to Gang warfare. I have played these games and I have never felt the urge to kill or injure anyone, but then again I do not play them constantly. Repetition of killing people, whether they are pedestrians, neighbors or police officers might cause something in people’s minds to think that it is ok to do it in real life. This is when the blurring between reality and fantasy occurs and people crack and perform psychotic things.

While playing these games, people are encouraged to empathize with the character they are playing as and if the characters are psycho gang members or zombies killing scantily clad women, then they, the person may be encouraged to feel like them. In doing so, possibly aquiring aggression and hostile feelings that these characters have might . "Players are encouraged to actively participate as a character by choosing how they will interact with other characters including which weapons will be used while fighting or attacking other characters." (Norcia, 2013).

An example of where video game violence has cause violence in real life is the Sandy Hooks Elementary School shooting where Adam Lanza shot and killed teachers and pupils. This article explains what happened and how video game violence can effect a person. Furthermore, a new mexico teenager shot and killed his family. He was also highly involved in violent video games. FoxNews (2013) stated "He also contemplated killing his girlfriend's parents, the sheriff said. Instead, they say 15-year-old Nehemiah Griego texted a picture of his dead mother to his 12-year-old girlfriend, then pent much of Saturday wither her. The two went to church where his father had been a pastor, and Griego eventually confessed to killing his parents and three younger siblings." The rest of the article goes to describe what happened. 

People have also stated there opinions here and the majority believe that no, violent games do not promote violent behaviour, however, I disagree.