I honestly think that if we let the mass media pass un-analysed then yes, we get into that learned behaviour argument.
Hm...trying to gather my thoughts on this one.
I would never argue that what one sees (on television, in their personal environment) doesn't affect them, especially children. But how is going to be fairly individual and personal - and personal environment makes the lion's share of that.
Anyone who's using House as substitute parenting/morals development and a 'guide for life' isn't thinking straight to begin with.
And I'm trying to think - this may sound odd, but - the environment I grew up in (and continue to work in) was so 'clean' (being religious and all), that I don't know anybody (any guy) who's a right shithead. I really don't. I can't think of a single personal acquaintance who would fit that category. Because everyone had relatively decent families. Not perfect, but good. And because of that - what we all watched on TV didn't dictate our behavior. We had plenty of other models to look up to. I mean, my father loved Archie Bunker on All In the Family. I find him kind of nasty. My dad loved Benny Hill - I've always gotten an 'ick' factor from that. But my father was the kindest, gentlest man you could know, and most certainly nothing like the characters he liked to watch on tv.
Just because something may include triggers for one person doesn't mean that it should then be 'cleansed' of that trigger for everyone else for whom it's not a trigger to begin with.
I hate horror movies. I don't think they're good for the psyche of those who watch them. Should my local cinema refuse to show them until they bring down the level of gore and violence? Should I picket the theaters that do show them?
It starts getting into dicey territory, when you begin to want to censor what kinds of things 'should' be shown or not in any given program.
Which isn't to say that you shouldn't talk about it. That's how we all learn and grow.
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ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2011-05-20 12:55 am (UTC)Hm...trying to gather my thoughts on this one.
I would never argue that what one sees (on television, in their personal environment) doesn't affect them, especially children. But how is going to be fairly individual and personal - and personal environment makes the lion's share of that.
Anyone who's using House as substitute parenting/morals development and a 'guide for life' isn't thinking straight to begin with.
And I'm trying to think - this may sound odd, but - the environment I grew up in (and continue to work in) was so 'clean' (being religious and all), that I don't know anybody (any guy) who's a right shithead. I really don't. I can't think of a single personal acquaintance who would fit that category. Because everyone had relatively decent families. Not perfect, but good. And because of that - what we all watched on TV didn't dictate our behavior. We had plenty of other models to look up to. I mean, my father loved Archie Bunker on All In the Family. I find him kind of nasty. My dad loved Benny Hill - I've always gotten an 'ick' factor from that. But my father was the kindest, gentlest man you could know, and most certainly nothing like the characters he liked to watch on tv.
Just because something may include triggers for one person doesn't mean that it should then be 'cleansed' of that trigger for everyone else for whom it's not a trigger to begin with.
I hate horror movies. I don't think they're good for the psyche of those who watch them. Should my local cinema refuse to show them until they bring down the level of gore and violence? Should I picket the theaters that do show them?
It starts getting into dicey territory, when you begin to want to censor what kinds of things 'should' be shown or not in any given program.
Which isn't to say that you shouldn't talk about it. That's how we all learn and grow.