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Vol. 6: This Issue
When the extreme becomes the norm
A Culture of Disrespect
by David Walsh, Ph.D.
 In the weeks and months
since the tragedy at Columbine High School I have done hundreds
of interviews with journalists from all over the world.
The conversations always return to the fundamental question:
"Is the media involved as one of the causes of this
and other similar tragedies?"
I do not believe that media directly caused the murderous
rampage in Littleton, CO. I doubt that Eric Harris and Dylan
Klebold listened to Marilyn Manson, played Doom for a while
and then loaded up their guns. Rather, the role that media
play is in shaping the norms--and the norms, in turn, determine
the extremes.
No one will argue against the statement that what happened
at Columbine High School was extreme. Unfortunately there
have always been and there always will be kids drawn to
extreme behavior. But what qualifies as extreme is related
to the definition of normal. If normal behavior is kids
treating each other with some respect, then the extreme
might be a verbal outburst, a kick or a punch. But if putdowns
and "in your face" behavior is already the norm,
then the extreme behavior is going to go farther over the
edge. As our culture becomes more and more violent, extreme
expressions of violence will inevitably be more grotesque.
That’s where the media come in. Whoever tells the
stories defines the culture. That isn’t new. It’s
been true for thousands of years. What is new is that during
the 20th century we have delegated more and more of the
story telling function to mass media. Some of the media
take the art to new heights. Too many, however, don’t.
Too many specialize in dishing out heaping servings of violence,
mayhem, and degradation.
Today the average American child will see over 200,000
violent acts on TV alone by the time high school graduation
rolls around. Who knows how many simulated murders they
will have participated in if they’re "playing"
video games like Eric Harris’ favorites? Besides TV,
movies and electronic games, many kids spend hours and hours
listening to music or visiting web sites that wreak of vulgarity,
misogyny, and hatred.
The research linking violent media with attitudes and behavior
is so overwhelming that few researchers even bother to dispute
that screen bloodshed has an effect on the kids watching
it. But what’s the real effect of a steady diet of
Jerry Springers and video games with slogans like "Easier
than killing babies with axes?" In my judgement the
most pervasive effect is not so much the violent behavior
but rather the culture of disrespect it creates and nourishes.
The media have redefined how we are supposed to treat one
another. We’ve gone from "Have a nice day"
to "Make my day." And too many of our kids have
learned the lesson. When the norm becomes threat and intimidation,
then the extremes shift as well. They take the form of kids
torturing and killing their peers.
What's Your MQ?
We have charts to measure how our children are growing,
nutrition guidelines for feeding our children and standardized
testing to check school progress -- but until now we haven't
had anything to help parents evaluate their children's media
health. Well that's all changed with the introduction of
MediaQuotient®
(MQ®).
MQ
helps parents evaluate what's entering their children's
brains just like nutrition labels help parents monitor what
goes into growing bodies. MQ
gives parents tools to control media's powerful influence
on their families.
MediaQuotient
includes:
The Family Media Inventory. This inventory measures your
family's media habits in six categories.
The Individualized Media Profile. This seven-page profile
cites important research findings related to your responses,
offers you valuable recommendations and describes how the
answers you gave on the inventory compare to national averages.
For further information and how to order: MediaQuotient®.
Awards
National Institute Wins
Video and Web Awards
* The Jolts and Tricks video produced by the National
Institute on Media and the Family was awarded third place
in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis's sixth annual
Religion Video Festival held in June (1999).
Jolts and Tricks gives viewers an inside look at how our
brains grow and develop and how being exposed to violence
can have harmful effects on children's brain development.
It is one of three videos included in the MediaWise Resource
Kit.
* The National Institute's web site, www.mediafamily.org,
was selected by users of HotSheet.com as a premier "HotSheet
'Best of the Web' Site."
Institute is featured
at National Media Education Conference
Educators, health professionals and media experts from
all over the country converged at the 1999 National Media
Education Conference held in St. Paul (Minnesota) in June.
Several Institute staff gave presentations. Marilyn VanOverbeke
showcased the Institute's new MediaWise Resource Kit for
educators and trainers. Douglas Gentile, Ph.D., presented
"Testing Your MediaQuotient -- A Tool for Parents"
and Dr. Walsh participated in the expert-panel discussion
"New Directions in the Violence Debate."
In the News
Today Show Spends a day at the
Institute
NBC reporters visited the National Institute in June to
film segments for the popular Today morning show. The news
crew spent a long day conducting many personal interviews.
They were especially interested in the Institute's award-winning
KidScoreTM rating system and the process used
to rate computer and video games. The crew was fascinated
by Andy Barnes, electronic gaming specialist, as he demonstrated
playing games and the process he uses to prepare games for
media raters. Media Rater Patsy Green and her husband spent
time with the reporters at their home and their children
were filmed playing computer games. Later, the crew dropped
in on an evening media rating session where they filmed
how games are rated for age appropriateness and content.
Look for this story to be broadcast in late summer (1999).
On-the-Road
“Safe from the Start”:
National Summit addresses children and violence
A select group of national experts from mental health,
criminal justice, government and academia, including Dr.
Walsh, were invited to attend the National Summit on Children
Exposed to Violence in June (1999) in Washington, D.C.
The summit was convened by Attorney General Janet Reno
and Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. "Findings
and input from the summit will help develop a national action
plan to address the important issue of children exposed
to violence," says Dr. Walsh.
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