Playing the Victim

The article that I chose, “Community Violence, Children's Development, and Mass Media: In Pursuit of New Insights, New Goals, and New Strategies.” by Friedlander proves to be a scholarly source because it is indicated to be so according to the online database provided by Texas A&M University.  This means that the source was peer reviewed.  The only thing that might take away from the relativity of this article is the fact that it was published in 1993.  However, for my purposes, I think that the message still rings true today.  

The article makes the claim that “[c]omprehensive meta-analysis indicates that prosocial messages on television can have greater effects on behavior than antisocial messages.” more specifically, “Community violence that victimizes children is an unmitigated evil that is exacerbated by vast economic and social forces”(Friedlander).  By this, Friedlander tries to convey the power of the media’s message but only when it comes across in a certain way.  But he also tries to show that in the media can play a role in stopping this cycle of violence by saying “that mass media can play a strong and positive role in alleviating some of the distress of victims of community violence, and in redirecting the behavior of some of its perpetrators so as to protect the children.” (Friedlander)

The main point that Friedlander is trying to make, I think, is that when media takes the blame off of the perpetrator and puts it on the community, then the weight of the consequences feels light enough for kids to act violently because they feel then the guilt would be shared and no longer their own.  In other words, kids see other kids who commit violent crimes not getting blamed for what they’ve done, instead media tries to put the blame on their situation.  This creates a victimization phenomena that makes people think they can do something bad because they feel it’s all they’re good for, or that its’ all they can do because of their situation, even though that’s not true.  People should be held accountable for their actions, and they should be judged not because of their circumstances but because of their character.  That is what Friedlander thinks the media is taking away and that’s what’s leading to these crimes. 

I think that he brings up a good point and the fact that I still hear this same argument today leads me to believe that he is right in making these claims.  I think this addresses a very specific discipline because I don’t think that just anybody looks at why there are violent crimes being committed and trying to link them to media.  

Works Cited

Friedlander. ““Community Violence, Children's Development, and Mass Media: In Pursuit of New Insights, New Goals, and New Strategies.” Psychiatry 56.1 (1993): 66-81. TAMU Library Database. Web. 21 Oct 2012.