Paul Schierling

Prof. Padgett
ENGL 102: Rhetoric and Composition
March 24, 2016
On Friday the 13th of November 2015, a series of bombing took place in Paris, France suburbs,
killing, 130 and leaving 100 in critical condition (BBC). Following this tragedy was weeks of
media attention focusing on the lost innocent live, speculating on the cause, and overwhelming
the public with terror. Only a few months later was a similar attack in Brussels, Belgium took
place, from a similar terrorist organization, with similar media coverage. As the rate of violent
material is published through the news, movies, video games and music increases, so does the
rate of terrorism. There is a positive correlation between attention on violence and the homicide
rate. With not all correlations meaning causation, this idea is best proven by assessing the moral
and emotional power mass media plays in society. Commercial news today finds itself falling
into a pattern of sensationalizing acts of terror, giving a radical cause, the audience it was
seeking. From television to the big screen violence is becoming all the more relevant, while the
rating system is not changing to match the industry. The music industry has always been known
for glorifying injustice, but today, the songs being pumped out by big labels carry a violent and
maniacal undertone. Following these patterns of violent publication are irrational acts of
violence and radical terrorism. These tragedies root from a desensitization from violence, a
decreased self-worth and increased advertisement of extremist groups. A solution to this
problem must come from within the industries because any outside restriction is illegal as an
infringement on the freedom of speech. The mass media wields great power over determining the

Comment [MM1]: Were

opinion of the public, and as Uncle ben once said to Spider-Man, With great power comes great
responsibility (Spider-Man).
Try turning on the 11 Oclock news and see how long it takes for the anchor to bring up the
most recent terrorist attack or neighborhood shooting. Most often, it wont take long. At the end
of the day for commercial news, increasing profit while not jeopardizing the companies name is
the only objective. Though the media serves the purpose of informing the public on global and
domestic issues, it is not a charity, and if sensationalizing headlines and presenting intriguing
details can increase profit, then history has shown that the news will. For a news network to
remain credible, it must be able to assess the information it is publishing, but, more importantly,
the effect of that information. A British news network called The Guardian published an article
this past summer titled, Media coverage of terrorism leads to further violence. Jaimie Doward
of The Guardian, though following a liberal tone, presents credible studies to back up an article
which says, sensationalist media coverage of acts of terrorism in much more such acts being
committed (Doward). In the article, Doward cites Michael Jetter, a professor at the School of
Economics and Finance at Universidad EAFIT in Medelln, Colombia. Jetter mentions how,
terrorists need media coverage to spread their message, [to] create fear and recruit followers
(Doward). The article later shows, how terrorism attacks in the past 15 years have soared from
3,387 to 15,396 (Doward). With a 400% increase in terrorism in the past 15 years and media
coverage on those events increasing under 300%, the media is clearly feeding a fire that is
becoming too big for them to handle.

The news is an establishment to provide credible information on pressing topics, on the

provides an article by Michelle Castillo that show the increase of gun violence in movies. CBS
being a historically more liberal network has a pattern of promoting increased gun control.
However, in Castillos study Recent PG-13 Movies Feature More Gun Violence than R-rated
Films, the author provides outside studies by credible institutions that back up the claims being
made. The PG-13 rating was originally made as a buffer, allowing a young audience the watch
more intense films that were not beyond their maturity. The PG-13 rating became the most
profitable market for film-makers. Castillos study shows that, PG-13 films had a similar rate
of gun violence per hour compared to R-rated films until 2010. Then, gun violence in these films
surpassed their R-rated counterparts between 2011 and 2012 (Castillo). The seriousness of this
increase in gun violence comes in that many teenagers learn their behavior through films. The
rating system was one of the few filters limiting the youths exposure to gun violence, but as the
importance of the rating system deteriorates, people are become more and more desensitized to
violence and crime. Now with such sensationalizing now being put into movies, television, and
video games, the line between fact and fiction is now becoming more and more blurred. From
Batman to Call of Duty there is a major influx of violent stimuli, and a constant exposure to this
violence has proven to lead to similar events. In Brad Bushman and Craig Andersons article
Understanding Causality in the Effects of Media Violence, they looked at recent shooting linked
to these violent stimuli. The Sandy Hook Massacre consisted of an elementary school shooting
ending the lives of 20 students, 6 faculty member, and Adam Lanza; the shooter himself. After
further investigation, it came to the authorities attention that, Lanza was motivated by violent
video games and a strong desire to top the 77 victims killed by Norwegian mass shooter Anders
Breivik in July 2011 (Bushman, Anderson). Video games like Call of Duty condition the body
to become excited around gun violence, and, unfortunately, there are individuals who seek

further arousal leading to events such as Sandy Hook. Much like video games, movies have
provided another source of violent arousal. Most recently was the Aurora, Colorado shooting,
occurring at a Dark Knight Rises showing, killing 12 and wounding 77. Following his arrest,
Holmes [the shooter] identified himself to the police as the Joker (Bushman, Anderson).
Similar shooting motivated by movies and video games have occurred like: Bethel, Alaska;
Paducah, Kentucky; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Columbine, Colorado; Red Lake, Minnesota; Beltway
sniper attacks, Washington DC. There is a clear pattern between the exposure to violence and
similar acts. Movies and video games were originally made for people to escape reality, but with
such realism, people are having trouble distinguishing between what is true and what is not.
Movies, video games, and the news all give explicit human violence, but music is a different
medium. Music provides direct lyrics that quite often convey a violent tone, but music also
encapsulates a culture or a movement. When musicians lyrics hold a violent message, they are
also creating a violent culture. Music, especially rap, has for the past 30 years, advocated the use
of guns. The National Review is a published an article by Jay Nordlinger, Bang: Guns, Rap,
and Silence. Nordlingers article talks about the rap music and its link to violence. Nordlinger
compares rappers to the NRA, where they both advocate for gun ownership, but where the NRA
follows that with a heavy emphasis on Gun safety, contrasts with, gangsta rappers, who glory
in guns and gun violence in song after song after song (Nordlinger). Skeptics of Nordlingers
claims present the argument the music is an expression of oneself and an example of the freedom
of speech. Nordlinger retorts by saying, [Skeptics] are perfectly happy to claim that the sight of
Joe Camel causes millions of the youth to smoke cigarettes; but they are reluctant to consider
what rap-poured constantly into young ears-might do (Nordlinger). Proving most of the claims
that Jay Nordlinger made, Sarah M. Coyne and Laura M. Padilla-Walker conducted a study of

over 500 teenage boys and girls to assess their change in aggression when exposed to aggressive
songs advocating for homicidal behavior. Coyne and Padilla concluded that, exposure to
aggressive lyrics impairs the development of aggression and prosocial behavior over time
(Coyne, Padilla). Without a meaningful understanding of what defines aggressive behavior, and
a constant stimulus of violent lyrics, music can increase peoples likelihood to be violent. The
musicians who advocate for gun violence, are no different than the makers of Call of Duty and
Batman, the only difference being the form of medium they use.
Violence and terrorism will always be present, people will always see movies listen to music,
and watch the news, but when violence is sensationalized to such a glorified state, violence will
more than exist, it will consume humanity. News networks serve the purpose to inform that
public of important information, but commercial interest has caused credibility to take a back to
profitability, making headline more and more sensational. Movies and Videos are tools to
escape the stresses of our realities, but those industries now promote gun violence through
constant implementation, thus creating a generation heavily absorbed in violence. Music is more
art than anything else, but when art reaches such a large audience, which such dry messages
today, advocating for gun violence will create a society of gun violence. Peace and violence
cannot coexist, for one to rise, one must fall, and the pattern of publishing, and human behavior
that follows shows an environment of violence.

Comment [MM2]: I really like your topic, and I like how

Work Cited
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Bushman, Brad J., and Craig A. Anderson. Understanding Causality in the Effects of Media
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Complete. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
Castillo, Michelle. "Recent PG-13 Movies Feature More Gun Violence than R-rated Films:
Study." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
Coyne, Sarah M., and Laura M. Padilla-Walker. Sex, Violence, & Rock N Roll: Longitudinal
Effects of Music on Aggression, Sex, And Prosocial Behavior During Adolescence.
Journal of Adolescence 41. (2015): 96-104. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr.
2016.
Doward, Jamie. Media Coverage of Terrorism leads to Further Violence The Guardian.
Guardian News and Media, 01 Aug. 2015. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
Nordlinger, Jay. Bang: Guns, Rap, And Silence. National Review 53.7 (2001): 37-40.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.
Spiderman. Dir. Sam Raimi. Perf. Tobey Maguire, Kristen Dunst, James Franco, J.K. Simmons,
and Willem Dafoe. 2002. Film.