Essay on The media perpetrating negative stereotypes of...

For as long as anyone can remember the battle between youths and older generations has been fuelled by the media†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"playgrounds have been turned into battlegrounds† and words are now a lethal weapon. It is a binary opposition which has been taken to extraordinary levels and waged a war between adolescents and adults. The media has taken the stereotype of youths, the way the public view youths and the way in which youths view themselves, and exploited the idea, turning it into nothing, but a delusional monster. The youths of society are tomorrow’s future leaders, inventors and scientists, eager to learn and offering new perspectives. The media however, has hijacked the appearance of teenagers, constructing a distorted idea, and warping†¦show more content†¦The writer, with supported arguments from faceless â€Å"experts†, continuously refers to society’s teens as fast approaching their ill-fated future, where it seems that in one way or another, a massacre will be the end result from a generation exuding violence. To state the prospect of an impending massacre, similar to those from across the globe is a colossal leap from the truth; the writer, uses this anomaly and warps it into an unrealistic â€Å"truth†, and in doing so has implanted a seed of fear and app rehension in the audience’s minds, evoking a sense of security, justice and safety. It is this fear which cultivates the aggression and negative attitudes towards youths, and the attribute with which the media abuses to gain control of their audience and influence societal beliefs. The article goes on to state that in youth culture violence and criminal activity is beginning at a younger age; this so-called â€Å"evidence† is based on the actions of ONE child, and to generalise an entire population based on the idiotic actions of one completely distorts the truth and is grossly unfair. The profuse use of the description â€Å"thug† and criminal-like terminology throughout the entire article portrays ALL teenagers as dangerous criminals who uphold â€Å"gangster† traits; this description is then furthered by the verification of â€Å"experts†, with absolutely no indication of statistical proof. This so-called â€Å"truth† yet again fails to address all points fairly, andShow MoreRelatedShould Marijuana Be Legalized? Essay1470 Words   |  6 Pagesmarijuana smoking was mostly performed by the lower class and immigrants, mainly of Mexican origin. Therefore, the association between the use of marijuana with violence and crime was not born with evidence, but rather by association made through the media that portrayed marijuana as a dangerous drug comparable to narcotics and opiates that were of greater popularity at the time. Since there was little distinction among illicit drugs—such as heroin, cocaine, and marijuana—they were all thought to beRead MoreHoward Becker s The On Opium Addiction3802 Words   |  16 Pagesindividuals so label. Labeling theory is the theory of how the identity toward oneself and conduct of people may be dead set or affected by the terms used to depict or group them. It is connected to the ideas of fulfilling toward oneself prescience and stereotype. The theory holds that deviance is not innate t, but rather concentrates on the inclination of greater parts to adversely label minorities or those seen as deviants from standard social norms. The theory was conspicuous in the 1960s and 1970s, andRead MoreSocial Influence4418 Words   |  18 PagesPeople will tend to obey authority figures. * Liking: People are more easily swayed by people they like. * Scarcity: A perceived limitation of resources will generate demand. [edit] Unanimity Social Influence is strongest when the group perpetrating it is consistent and committed. Even a single instance of dissent can greatly wane the strength of an influence. For example, in Milgrams first set of obedience experiments, 65% of participants complied with fake authority figures to administerRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 PagesWillner, the event precipitating the emergence of charismatic activities involves a crisis that heightens the tensions already rife in the society. She seems to think that the event that acts as a catalyst for the charismatic eruption is usually negative. However, although the hardships of the 1920s and 1930s were indeed part of the precipitant situations, the crowning of Ras Tafari (his original name) as Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia, was the main catalytic event that called the Rastafarian