Media's effect on people or the lack thereof

[Markedoutforlife]

Ok, so here goes my take on music/movies/tv and whether or not it has an effect on the thought process of the human mind.


There are two schools of thought on this subject. The first says that the media the you intake directly influences the the way you process information, while also changes your perception of what is right/wrong. I personally beleive in the second school of thought inwhich states that your decisions in life effect the media you take in and that individual preference has no dorect correlation to decision making skills.
For instance, the columbine shooting didnt occur because marilyn manson sings about murder suicides and thing of that nature. Columbine happened because weak minded people had made poor choices.

Any comment on this subject is greatly appreciated and will be considered with an open mind.

[JoePublic]

I believe that the media and Governments often blame cultural intake for people's actions for a number of reasons, none of which hold weight with me. One irony is when the media talk about 'the media' it is an exclusive term that they don't include themselves in, this only weakens the logic of the argument.

Behind most crimes and anti-social behavior blamed on media lies a multitude of social and economic issues that are far harder to put right if they are acknowledged as a part of the problem. It is easier to cite Marilyn Manson as the reason for Columbine than to question parental responsibility, school discipline or laws that surround gun ownership let alone the culture and celebration that surrounds gun ownership.

Art imitates life, it is a mirror held up to the world, the irony is of course that it is a self perpetuation as art becomes culture and has an impact.

One point of interest, Manson said Helter Skelter by The Beatles was a message about race war, the Bulgar killing was blamed on the film Child's Play 3, The Night Prowler listened to ACDC and Judas Priest were blamed for inciting kids to kill themselves...all these case were honestly considered to have been genuine influences on those that commited crimes.

More than any other text The Bible is cited by killers, serial murderers and rapists as an influence over any other cultural artifact in existance - when people say God told them to do it they are labeled as fantasist. That is hypocrisy.