Archive of ‘RCL’ category

Rough Draft of Issue Brief

AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO INCREASE RESTRICTIONS ON MEDIA VIOLENCE

WHAT’S THE ISSUE: An Overlook of Increasing Media Violence in the United States

T.V. Violence:

In American mass media, violence is ubiquitous. When looking at television specifically, the American Psychological Association Commission on Violence and Youth reported that the average American youth will witness more than 200,000 violent episodes on T.V. (including more than 16,000 murders) before age 18, and weapons are shown on an average of 9 times per hour. On average, T.V. programs display 812 violent acts per hour, almost half of which comes from children’s programming.

46% of T.V. violence occurs in children’s shows, particularly cartoons. Saturday morning cartoons alone contain about 20-25 violent acts per hour, 6 times as many as prime time programs. Some claim cartoon violence is harmless and not damaging to the health of children, due to the fact that they are not “real”. In reality, cartoon violence is shown to increase the likelihood of antisocial and aggressive behavior in the youth. Since 67% of these programs typically juxtapose violence with humor, children have developmental difficulty discerning the “real” from the “fantastic.”

Video game violence

In video games, the players are an active participant rather than merely a viewer. 97% of children ages 12-17 play video games, most of which play every day for an hour or more. Some of the most popular video games, including “Call of Duty” and “Grand Theft Auto,” are especially violent, featuring missions with the main goal of brutally murdering others through firearm, warfare, or other weapons. Most games nowadays are “first-person shooter” styled, with realistic graphics and special effects, making shootings and other violent acts appear real.

IMPACT ON YOUTH

Media Violence vs. True Violence

Violence in the media presents a skewed portrayal of true violence. In the media, 75% of violent actions are committed with no remorse, 41% are associated with humor, and 58% involve victims who show no sign of pain. This inappropriate presentation of violence causes the youth to develop false expectations of true violence. Statistical analysis and reports by the National Institute of Mental Health identified these three major effects of media violence:

Aggression:

Over 1000, cross-sectional analyses, lab experiments, epidemiologic studies, reports, and longitudinal studies support the hypothesis that media violence leads to increased actual violence. In particular, certain categories of people including males, delinquents, and children with developmental and emotional disabilities, are particularly sensitive to media violence. Young children are more prone to be influenced by the media and often imitate violent acts on T.V. in their play with peers. In movies, television, and even video games, violence is often rewarded and viewed as “cool” or the ideal way to resolve a conflict. Especially before age 4, many children cannot distinguish between fact and fantasy and thus view violence as simply an ordinary occurrence. Therefore, youth typically accept violence as a way to handle problems.

When looking at video games, the children playing the game are actively participating in the physical violence. Through shooting, fighting, or brutally murdering characters in the game, children are subconsciously impacted psychologically. Constantly being exposed to brutal acts of violence and actively engaging in such acts through video games causes children to automatically think more violently in everyday life, which sometimes translates to actions.

Large-scale studies provide evidence linking frequent exposure to violent media in childhood, with aggression later in life. A report by the US Secret Service and US Department of Education, which examined about 40 incidents of targeted school shootings and school attacks, found that “over half the attacks demonstrated some interest in violence though movies, video games, books, and other media.

The graph below shows the correlation between % of students involved in physical fights and high/low violent game play.

graph1

Desensitization to violence, pain, suffering of others

New research shows that children watching televised violence or playing violent video games become desensitized to the idea of violence over time. In other words, they become “immune” or “numb” to the horror of violence, therefore becoming less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others. Adolescents are exposed to mass scales of violence almost everyday and as a result, they come to see violence as a fact of life and lover time, lose their ability to empathize with both the victim and victimizer. When young children watch characters get shot, stabbed, brutalized, degraded, raped, or murdered on T.V., it is “real” to them and they view it as though it were actually happening. As they are exposed to such violent acts hundreds and hundreds of times, they are essentially desensitized to the violence and don’t have much of a reaction when an act of real violence occurs.

Victimization and Fear

It has also been proven that media violence leads to a feeling of victimization as well as fear. In a study, 10% of high school students sough counseling due to anxiety, pure fear, and nightmares associated with media violence. Another study targeting 3rd-8th graders also reported having trauma symptoms and nightmares as a result of increased viewing of media violence.

PROBLEMS WITH PAST PUBLIC POLICY EFFORTS 

 After research and analysis, there are two main reasons why past public policy efforts to curb children’s exposure to media violence have failed. These reasons must be taken into consideration when implementing new policies in the future.

  1. Legislation and past efforts to restrict children’s access to violent video games are struck down by courts as infringing on children’s First Amendment rights.
  2. There is an apparent gap between what scientific findings suggest and what the U.S. courts and society understand. (Disparity between perspectives)

Policy Proposal:

Policy changes must take into consideration the newfound understanding of the impact of media violence on mental and physical health, specifically of the youth’s. In order to take steps forward in addressing the mass issue of increasing media violence and improve the well being of the public youth and society as a whole, the following measures are strongly recommended.

  1. Increase federal, state, and local restrictions on media violence (and enforce current restrictions)
  2. Improve Media Violence Education

Enforcing and implementing both strategies will address televised violence, as well as violence in video games.

Enforcing Current Restrictions and Increasing Restrictions on Media Violence

Although film ratings and advisory labels are put into place in order to regulate and restrict children of different age groups from being exposed to T.V. or video game violence, this system has proven to be constantly ineffective and unreliable. In more recent years, film and video game ratings have failed to be strictly enforced, causing the youth to disregard or even ignore them. Labels like “parental discretion advised”, “R” attracts children, particularly boys.

The chart below shows that as time passes, the % of underage purchases of R-Rated films and M-Rated Video games increased drastically.

graph2

ENACTING A NEW POLICY:

In order to enforce current restrictions, a strict policy should be enacted in which it is mandatory to show personal identification in the form of a passport, license, etc. before purchasing video games rated “Teen” or “M” for Mature. Similarly, when buying/renting a movie or watching a movie at the theater rated “R,” “NC17”, or “PG13”, individuals must be required to show a form of identification. Failure to comply with policy will result in a hefty fine (can vary depending on situation).

HOW WILL THIS HELP?

Enacting and strictly enforcing such a policy will help to limit the youth’s (specifically adolescents and pre-teens) exposure to media violence. Additionally, such a policy will significantly lessen the impact of violent media on the youth. Children around the ages of 12-17 will not be able to purchase video games rated “M” or get into “R” rated movies at the theater. Thus, they will not consume as much media violence and will be less likely to be impacted mentally, physically, and psychologically.

Improving Media Violence Education

In addition to limiting exposure to violent media and increasing federal, local, and state restrictions on media violence, educational efforts must be developed to help children understand the divide between real and fictionalized violence, the root cause of many psychological and emotional problems amongst the youth.

Implementing Media Education and Literacy Programs

Alongside drug and alcohol education programs, media education programs that focus on processing, dissecting, and analyzing media violence must be developed and implemented in schools, targeting elementary and middle school students. Emphasis should be placed on the unrealistic and inappropriate nature of violence in T.V., films, and video games and include a curriculum centralized on discussing the consequences, complexity, and responsibility involved with true violence.

Media education programs will help younger children properly distinguish the difference between reality and fantasy, which will help their psychological development in many ways:

  • They will less likely be desensitized to the suffering and pain of others, and empathize with victims of harsh violence more strongly.
  • They will less likely see violence as an “ordinary occurrence” or an acceptable method of resolving a conflict or issue
  • They will less likely associate real violence with humor (like that portrayed in media) and thus view real violence with more seriousness.

Through media education programs, children and adolescents can be taught “critical viewing skills” so they can learn to better interpret what they see in the media.

This I Believe Podcast

The Power of Determination and Persistence

“Never lose sight of the finish line. Keep pushing yourself until you have crossed it.” These are the profound words my grandfather would often utter to me. The words that constantly replay through my mind. I use his life story as my almanac and personal guide through life.

“There is no way you are going to make it in the big city.” “The movie industry is too competitive.” “You will never be successful.” Growing up, my grandfather was accustomed to hearing these incessant mantras.

My grandfather was raised in an underdeveloped village in India, with agriculture as his family’s chief occupation. Born as a naturally gifted public speaker, he had one prime aspiration: to break free from his family business and become a meritable politician or a movie producer. Despite being besieged with negativity and receiving no monetary support from his parents, my grandfather journeyed to the Indian city of Madras alone, carrying nothing but 10 rupees in his pocket and a dream in his heart. For 3 years, he hunted for jobs, climbing the footsteps of all the movie companies in the city. He was continuously rebuffed, but even at his lowest point, his vision failed to fade. Let’s fast-forward a couple years. Hundreds of rejections, insults, and humiliations later, he rose to the position of a successful movie producer and the Planning Commission Chairman of India.

I believe in determination and persistence. I believe in that alarm clock in our minds that perpetually motivates us to keep running and to echo the words of my grandfather, “never lose sight of the finish line.” Every single one of us sets goals for ourselves to aspire in life, and as I reflect on my experiences, I realized, what is the value if we don’t have the proper mindset to attain these goals?

At the age of seven, I was not braiding the locks of a Polly Pocket or assembling dollhouses with my friends. My favorite toy was my piano. I’ve played the piano for 11 years now, but it definitely did not come to me with ease. Before retiring, my piano teacher voiced one wish: he wanted one of his students to play his favorite piece, “Junkyard Jam,” at his last recital. I wished to be that student.

I often flashback to those frustrating nights- the nights I spent trying to master the music. I consistently kept striking the wrong notes and botching the rhythms. In fact, my piano teacher even advised me to choose a different song for the recital in order to avoid mishaps in front of the large crowd. Every time I felt engulfed with frustration, my grandfather’s face would cavalcade in my mind. His determination and persistence has always been my genesis of inspiration. Determined to master the song, I practiced six hours a day, attended additional music lessons by choice, and even sacrificed several hours of sleep. Countless hours of practice and persistence eventually translated to a standing ovation at my recital.

Whether our goals are trivial or paramount, we all seek to accomplish them. We all seek to achieve a certain destination in our lives. Persistence and determination are the vehicles that will get us there. This I Believe.

This I Believe (Rough Draft)

“There is no way you are going to make it in the big city.” “The movie industry is too competitive.” “You will never be successful.” Growing up, my grandfather was habituated to hearing phrases like these frequently.

My grandfather was raised in a small village in India, and agriculture was his family’s chief occupation. Born as a naturally gifted public speaker, he had one aspiration: to break free from his family business and become a major politician or famous movie producer. Without the slightest experience in political or film fields, his family believed he was doomed for failure.

But that did not hinder him.

Despite the negativity he was besieged with, and despite having no monetary support from his own parents, my grandfather journeyed to the Indian city of Madras alone, carrying nothing but the 10 rupees in his pocket and a dream. For 3 years, he worked as a simple storywriter who earned minimum wage. Fast forward a year. Hundreds of speeches, debates, meetings, and “small jobs” later, he became an accomplished movie producer and the Planning Commission Chairman of India.

I believe in determination and persistence.

Every single one of us sets goals for ourselves to aspire in life, but what is the value if we don’t have the proper mindset or impetus to attain them? Let’s look at a running race for example. You could be the next Usain Bolt or perhaps slower than a turtle, but it not your speed which determines if you are a real “winner.” True success is measured by the pathway in which you accomplish your goal, and to me, that pathway is through determination and persistence. Determination is that alarm clock in our minds that constantly reminds us to never lose sight of the finish line, when it seems out of reach. It is the engine that fuels our inner strength and motivates us to keep running. Persistence is like running the race itself. When you run, you push yourself until you have crossed that finish line.

At the youthful age of seven, unlike most girls, I was not braiding the hair of a Polly Pocket or setting up a dollhouse. My favorite toy was my piano. Ever since a young age, I have been immersed in a world of music and for the past 11 years of my life, I have played the piano. Learning to play was not always a breeze, and I still have flashbacks to learning a song titled “Junkyard Jam,” a nightmare to say the least. Week after week, I consistently kept striking the wrong notes and messing up the same rhythms. Determined to master the song, I practiced 6 hours a day for a month and attended additional music lessons by choice. Countless hours of practice and motivation eventually translated to a standing ovation at my recital.

Whether our goals are trivial or paramount, we all seek to accomplish them. We all seek to achieve a certain destination in our lives. Persistence and determination are the vehicles that will get us there.

Blog Topics

After giving both of my passion blog ideas much consideration and thought, I have ultimately decided to write my blog on music this semester. Although I know many of you were looking forward to reading a pet peeve blog, and it would be quite comical and unique to say the very least, I realized that it would be difficult to elaborate and expand on one single pet peeve every week. Most of my pet peeves are short, simple and fairly self-explanatory, and it might be somewhat of a challenge to write 500 words about each one without boring you or repeating myself. With the topic of music, I think there are a wider range of topics to discuss. I think it will be interesting to analyze a different song each week and share my individual perspective of it. To capture the interest of my readers, I plan on choosing modern songs (like from T Swift and Nicki Minaj) as well as a variety of songs from different genres, eras, and even different languages and writing about topics such as controversy or lyric meaning.

For my civic blog, I have chosen to discuss issues surrounding gender and sexuality both in the US and internationally. I think it would be really fascinating to learn more about the gender and sexuality issues that are overshadowed in the news today and bring to light topics such as women in the workforce, treatment of women and gays in different countries, and the media’s role in gender stereotypes.

Some Ideas to write about…

Passion Blog Ideas

I will be the first to admit that my decision-making skills are quite terrible, so you can probably imagine the struggle I went through while attempting to choose a topic for my passion blog this semester. After some soul searching and vacillating between different ideas for my blog, I have FINALLY settled on two possible topics.

One idea I had for my blog was to explore the world of music. I have played the flute, violin, and the piano since elementary school, and I am a major music fanatic. I think it would be fascinating to provide some insight into the significance behind several of the popular songs we have heard over the years. Each week, I could choose a different song and provide an analysis of it, whether it is focusing on its history, the meaning of the lyrics, controversy, what I did/didn’t like about it, it’s societal impact, emotional appeal- the list is endless.

Another idea that I came up with is discussing my pet peeves. Each week, I could choose to blog about a different pet peeve that I have, and relate a personal story (if any) to it. The only problem with this idea is that I feel as though there may not be sufficient information or content to discuss each week since this topic is relatively narrow.

 Civic Issue Blog Ideas

For my civic issues blog, I think it would be interesting to focus on gender and sexuality rights both domestically and internationally. Issues incorporated with gay marriage, diversity in the workforce, and the role of media in forming gender/sexual stereotypes are some of the facets that I could discuss.

For another idea, I could write about the civic issue of race. Diversity on college campuses, the idea of “affirmative action”, racial stereotypes, and multiculturalism, are just some of the topics I could take a stance on.

This I Believe Ideas

One of my ideas for the This I Believe project actually stems from the memory exercise we were required to do in class. A belief that has completely shaped my character today is the idea, “hard work pays off”. I could discuss my grandfather’s legacy and my piano lessons in 5th grade and explain how such things impacted my personal values and everyday actions.

I also believe in “appreciating what you have.” My grandmother who was diagnosed with a rare nerve disease as well as visiting orphanages has taught me to be thankful for the things I am blessed to have instead of focusing on things that I don’t have.

Reflection on RCL Class

For the most part, the first semester of this RCL class was extremely informative, and I believe it went fairly smoothly. Although there were challenges at times, I would definitely say this was one of the less stressful courses, when compared to some of my other classes. Through this RCL class, I was able to deeply understand the true meaning and significance of civic engagement, propaganda, and rhetoric: terms that I never gave much thought to beforehand. In addition, this class has helped me learn new skills and techniques, including key essay strategies, speech tips, and how to properly analyze a message, all of which were immensely beneficial.

When looking at the areas I have excelled in, I believe one of my biggest strengths in this class was public speaking. Amongst all the class assignments this year, I felt that I performed the best on both the civic engagement speech and the TED Talk. During presentations and speeches, I now feel confident and comfortable with the content I am presenting, while maintaining a strong tone and eye contact with the audience.

On the contrary, an area that I am struggling with is my writing skills. More specifically, writing formally. I still find myself having trouble connecting evidence in my essays back to my main thesis, and organizing my content into a cohesive manner. I hope to fix these problems as well as learn new writing skills next semester.

As any typical college student would say, procrastination is probably the biggest factor that has hindered me from doing my best work in this class. I am poor at time management, and I often put off many class assignments (primarily essays) until a couple days before they’re due, causing me to rush and not do my best work. Although I do procrastinate, one thing that has helped me throughout this course is taking detailed notes on the PowerPoint presentations given in class. I have been able to reference my notes throughout the semester, and they have been extremely helpful when I had to prepare for a speech or write an essay.

Ted Talk Reflection

 

For the most part, I think my presentation went really well. I had rehearsed my TED talk multiple times to myself as well as to my friends, so I felt extremely comfortable and confident with the content I was presenting. I believe that my presentation flowed well, or in other words I did not have any awkward pauses or blatant mess-ups during the middle of my TED talk.  I spoke loudly and with an enthusiastic tone in order to convey my message more clearly to the audience and show interest and passion in the topic at hand: advances in medical technology. Finally, I think I had a strong intro and conclusion-  I opened with a relevant and relatable question to the audience to capture their attention and ended with a “look into the future” and something for the audience to ponder.

As for improvements, I think I could have incorporated more humor into my presentation. Although the topic of my TED talk is a little more serious, including some form of humor would have kept my audience more engaged. Additionally, I believe that I could have cut down on discussing the historical background before advances in medical technology, because that section sounded more like a “speech,” as opposed to a TED talk.  Instead, I could have expanded on the modern medical technologies in more depth and their impact on society, or at least show more visuals of them.

I thought my voice would be shaking during the entire presentation, and I would be speaking very quickly due to nervousness; however, I was surprised to see that was not the case. I appeared more calm and collected, and I seemed to speak at a normal pace.

Changing my Essay into a TED Talk

For my TED Talk, I plan on discussing the increased technological shift in the medical field, and whether modern medical machineries are meliorating medicine, or potentially posing a threat. Since the TED Talk is considered to be less formal and a “presentation”, as opposed to a formal speech, I plan on adding humor and relevant personal anecdotes, whether it is about society as a collective whole or a specific piece of medical technology, in order to capture the audience’s interest. Additionally, I am going to be directing questions to the audience throughout my talk in order to keep them engaged, including questions regarding their current technology usage and their opinion(s) on modern medical machinery.

A huge majority of my paradigm shift essay focuses on the history of one specific technology (x-rays) and detailed information regarding the invention itself. I will cut down on this information for my TED Talk, because it is not pertinent to the audience and will turn my presentation into a boring, drawn-out speech.

Instead of focusing the bulk of my talk on discussing X-Rays and how they have impacted the medical field, I will rather highlight more modern medical technologies such as surgery performing robots, electronic aspirin, and mechanical heart valves, in addition to the effect these could have on our society’s future. Although I will still point out the importance of x-rays and its impact on our society, I will certainly downplay such information.

In my essay, I briefly touch upon an argument against modern medical technologies improving medicine. Before my TED Talk, I intend to research these arguments in more depth and place a heavier emphasis on them during my presentation.

Excerpt from Paradigm Shift Essay

The primary argument that I am making in my paper is the fact that the invention of the X-Ray machine marked a turning point in the medical world by shifting the society into a more “technological world”. Here is an excerpt of my essay that focuses more on the consequences of the shift, and the impact X-Rays have had on society.

The invention of the X-Ray machine marked a monumental pivot in the field of medicine, and paved the way for the continuous innovation of highly electronic technology in the medical field. After people viewed the success of the x-ray machine in successfully diagnosing broken bones and tumors, doctors increasingly started to rely more on technology and machinery in hospitals, consequently shifting the medical world and society as a whole into a more technological world. X-Ray machines triggered and sparked a massive trend towards electronic and robotic methods of diagnosing and treating patients in hospitals. In today’s society, there is company called DaVinci Surgery, which creates advanced, highly effective robots that physicians use to perform surgery. Prior to 1895; however, such technology was unfathomable and beyond the realm of possibility. Before hospitals were technologically advanced, they solely relied on doctors to manually perform the surgeries on patients. With the creation of the X-Ray machine and this shift towards a more technological world, robotic machinery in the medical field is more accepted and common in today’s society.

It is also important to note that another rather direct impact of the invention of X-rays is the creation of the MRI Scanner, another piece of technology that is now considered absolutely vital and indispensible. Prior to the technology shift in the medical field, doctors found it considerably challenging to accurately diagnose a patient’s disease, especially with the limited resources and basic technology available. Reliance on technology was extremely minimal and therefore, it was difficult for doctors to figure out how to provide the patient with optimal treatment. After the X-Ray machine was invented; however, doctors started to realize that using technology was a more effective way of diagnosing patients. Thus, the X-Ray machine led to the development of technology such as MRI Scanners, which allows doctors to view an image of the physiology of the body, making it easier for medical diagnosis and treatment of a particular disease. This instigated the invention of more advanced technology in the medical field, exemplifying the prominent technological shift that occurred in the field of medicine.

Problem: I feel like my shift is a bit too narrow, considering that I am limiting my paper to discussing the impact of X-Rays only on the medical field. I don’t know whether or not I should expand it to focus on other technologies as well. I was also having trouble making my position more arguable.

Ideas for Paradigm Shift Essay and Response to Common Core

Ideas for Paradigm Shift Essay

An idea that I am definitely interested in exploring is the shift of the purpose of reality television, and its psychological impact on teenagers and society as a whole. Around the 1970s, the primary purpose of reality TV was to accurately represent the normal lives of people, with shows such as “An American Family,” which portrayed the real life of a middle class family. Modern reality television shows such as “Jersey Shore,” “The Bachelor,” and “Toddlers and Tiaras” are ultimately intended to have the same purpose; however, they seem to be a bit more risqué in nature. Reality TV series are becoming more and more crazy, ridiculous, and unrealistic, and the main objective of these shows appear to be for entertainment value as opposed to accurately portraying the normal lives of people. It raises the question, “is reality TV truly reality or is it scripted for higher entertainment value?” Additionally, I can look at how reality TV has led to a decline in morals over the generations. Reality TV shows that teenagers watch nowadays promotes drinking, drugs, teen pregnancy, dating multiple people at once, and other risky behaviors. I could explore how this psychologically affects teenagers and their behavior.

As a biomedical engineering major, another paradigm shift that would be fascinating to look into is the shift in medical technology. One of the most vital technological advances in our society is in the field of human medicine and health sciences. When comparing the medical technology we have now to the technology many years ago, there is a striking shift. Many years ago, with the limited resources and basic technology available, it was difficult to diagnose a disease and thus it was complicated for doctors to figure out how to treat the person. Today, we have technology such as a MRI scanner, which allows doctors to view an image of the physiology of the body, making it easier for medical diagnosis and treatment of a disease. Now, we also have prosthetic limbs and bio mechanic heart valves, which can be used to improve the quality of life for many people. In my essay, I can generally talk about how technology in the medical field is becoming more electronic and what effect this shift will have on the society.

Response to “Common Core” Reading

When looking at my personal educational experiences thus far, I noticed that education in my high school actually fit the Common Core standards. As Hutchinson mentions, implementing the new Common Core standards into educational practice proved to fail miserably in many schools, due to the difficulty teachers faced in changing their accustomed teaching method. My high school happened to be one of the few rare exceptions. From 10th-12th grade, I attended a STEM International Baccalaureate (IB) school, one primarily centered on the core subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The school was based on a foundation of educational ideologies consubstantial to the Common Core Standards, and these standards were implemented successfully. Since the school was relatively new, all the teachers who were hired were required to put a substantial amount of time and effort into “training classes,” where they were taught how to teach using the new educational standards. Thus, the courses and classroom instruction at my school focused on enforcing the idea of analysis and developing higher-order thinking skills, as opposed to blind memorization of facts and equations straight out of a textbook. All throughout high school, I had extremely minimal multiple choice examinations, and more open ended style exams, where I would have to utilize conceptual understanding and analytical skills, rather than just factual knowledge.

Although assessments in my high school fit the Common Core Standards, there have still been no noticeable efforts to resist the tests that truly matter: high-stake assessments. In order to be admitted into college, students need to attain a certain score on their SAT exams, and in high-school, many students need to get at least a “proficient” score on their Keystone Exams in order to graduate. Having standardized multiple choice exams, not only creates a high level of stress, but also poorly measures an individual’s high-order thinking skills and conceptual understanding, which doesn’t align with the Common Core.

Hopefully, in the future, standardized testing can be changed to actually measure the new Common Core standards, with more analytical and conceptual-based open ended questions.

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