"I see sh*t like that for breakfast"


With the development of the internet, access to information as exponentially increased. However, this also means an increase to access to violence. This one line from a popular television show on Adult Swim called Rick and Morty, "I see sh*t like that for breakfast," when referring to videos of beheadings illustrates this shift very well. The increase in access to violence in media has led to the desensitization of youth, which causes an increase in violent behavior.

Morty illustrates someone from before this shift, the desensitization to violence, has occurred, while Rick can be seen as someone from today's society. Throughout the show, Rick displays violence constantly with no hesitation or guilt. This seemingly shows what our society is moving toward with the current access and constant bombardment of violence is our society.

The shift I will be discussing is the desensitization to violence in America's youth and the impact it has. It has been shown that constant exposure to violence increases the likelihood of violent tendencies, especially for adolescents. In recent years, the area of violent video games has been a major topic of research.

There has also been studies that show how exposure to violence in media can influence someone's likelihood of stepping in when violence occurs. In this case, the people's view of what is 'too' violent and would call for them to step in and help in some way is influenced by the quantity of violence they consume within the media.


Works Cited
  • Jeanne B Funk, Heidi Bechtoldt Baldacci, Tracie Pasold, Jennifer Baumgardner, Violence exposure in real-life, video games, television, movies, and the internet: is there desensitization?, In Journal of Adolescence, Volume 27, Issue 1, 2004, Pages 23-39, ISSN 0140-1971, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.10.005 (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197103000939)
  • Beresin, Eugene V. “The Impact of Media Violence on Children and Adolescents: Opportunities for Clinical Interventions.” American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, www.aacap.org/aacap/Medical_Students_and_Residents/Mentorship_Matters/DevelopMentor/The_Impact_of_Media_Violence_on_Children_and_Adolescents_Opportunities_for_Clinical_Interventions.aspx.

    • Comments

    1. Jacob GlenisterOctober 19, 2017 at 6:58 AM

      This is certainly a very interesting and relevant topic. It will hardly be difficult to show the importance of your topic and you have chosen a narrow enough focus that it will make for an effective essay.

      ReplyDelete
    2. Liam KennyOctober 19, 2017 at 7:08 AM

      As long as you identify when your shift occurs I think you will be able to support your claim easily. The implications of this topic are also very important.

      ReplyDelete
    3. UnknownOctober 19, 2017 at 7:09 AM

      I think this topic is very relevant and has potential to be a really good essay, but I would recommend maybe narrowing the focus just a little bit more. I think that will make both research and proving the shift much easier.

      ReplyDelete
    4. UnknownOctober 19, 2017 at 7:10 AM

      I think it would be beneficial if you were to attribute a time period as well as discussing more specific causes for this change in violence. There is definitely plenty of data regarding this topic of increased violence especially concerning video games.

      ReplyDelete
    5. Morgan MalinichOctober 19, 2017 at 7:18 AM

      I really like your topic, and how you used a quote from a popular show today! I feel like you have a lot of potential, but what is your time frame? I think once you narrow that down that will help. Also are you talking about social media? Video games? Movies? TV shows? That will also help to focus your paper! Good luck!

      ReplyDelete
    6. Robin KramerOctober 20, 2017 at 1:32 PM

      Kevin, your classmates gave you some good feedback to think about. Two quick things:

      1) I agree it will be helpful to narrow to one type of media. Talking about ALL violence across ALL things will be a challenge, but it'll be easier to have a precise focus and more precise timeline if you're pinpointing one medium (like video games.)

      2) Be careful to not declare "causation" when it might be "correlation." It's extremely hard to prove that watching something violent outright "causes" someone to do something violent, although the two things are highly correlated. If you suggest that it's a direct cause, then it almost seems as if you're suggesting all people who view violent media would be committing acts of violence, which (thankfully!) isn't true.

      So, essentially, be careful to differentiate correlation and causation. That'll help you be more precise and avoid claims that can't be supported. Thanks!

      ReplyDelete

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