The Media Really IS A Circus

When you turn on the news or the Internet all you see is Violence. Stories upon stories of murder, rape, burglary, bullying, robbery, drugs. It's all there...every day. I often here people say that times have changed. "It wasn't like this back in MY day!" "People are meaner now than they were in MY day!" "Times are so different than they were when I was growing up!" "Kids have no respect nowadays!"

I agree AND disagree. As far as people saying that times have changed, that is somewhat true. Parents don't discipline their children like they use to. There are no consequences to kids' actions now. They can get away with virtually anything without any backlash from mom or dad. Kids aren't learning about respect, consequences and all the other vital things parents are suppose to teach kids these days. That's the parents fault. 

So what about media? What role does THAT play in today's society? EVERYTHING!!! Do you REALLY think that people are meaner now....that the world is just NOW going to Hell in a hand-basket? Fuck, no. We've been on this course FOREVER. There has been murder and other crimes that date as far back as 2100 B.C. Probably farther than that. That's just what we know. Guess what there wasn't though? There was no media to shove it in our faces. 

Since the internet arrived in the 90s, we see violence all the time now. So, it makes us think that there is more of it than there use to be. In fact, according to The FBI, rates of violent crimes have actually DECLINED over the years. But, all day, every day we see it on the news as the headline news...we see it as the main focal point on news websites. It's constantly thrown at us. Sensationalism. Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers. So sex sells. VIOLENCE SELLS. The media is giving us stories that their research has shown (no doubt by the magazines we buy and movie/TV ratings) WE will buy. So, maybe this is our fault too. I think it is. As a society we have become more and more engrossed with hearing 911 tapes, seeing bloodied victims and making issues about race. The media has learned this and they give us what we want...in abundance!!! 

The only thing that has changed in time, is technology. So, if you are tired of seeing it or reading it, stop buying into it!!!