Self-censorship Essay example -- Essays Papers

Self-censorship During the time of my life age zero to six, I watched television. I listened to music. I watched movies. From a stroller, my mother would push me around the grocery store as she shopped. I would read various signs posted around the store. â€Å"Frozen.† â€Å"Watermelon.† â€Å"Pasta.† Where did I learn to read? Not from books, teachers, or educational toys. I learned to read from a daily diet of â€Å"Sesame Street† and â€Å"Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.† Individuals who blame media for the downfall of society are shortsighted. The existence of television’s â€Å"Power Rangers† or video game consoles' â€Å"Grand Theft Auto† does not explicate violence in schools, or on the playground. There are more factors influencing today’s children. As I came home from preschool to â€Å"The Price is Right† to now as I sit in front of my Internet-connected computer and type this paper, screen time has always been a part of my life. Has this given me a distorted view of reality? Has my media use desensitized me, making me prone to committing acts of violence? Do I feel that my sense of self is defined through spending money and purchasing material goods, or that I have distorted views of reality and of the other people in my life? I grew up with media. I was raised in a media-containing environment. Then what sets me apart from the student shooters at Columbine? As our surroundings shape and influence who and what we are, the media in our lives influences and impacts our worldviews. Currently, there is fault on both the "transmitting" and "receiving" ends of today's media. Inappropriate messages are received by the wrong audiences due to inactive parenting and irresponsible media. Corporations who are driven by p... ...he comedy of the sexes." The Velvet Light Trap. Fall 1990. Found in: Pomerance, Murray and Sakeris, John. "Popping culture." Pearson Education, Boston: 2004. 6 Lull, James. â€Å"Media, communication, culture: a global approach.† Columbia University Press, New York: 2000. 7 Postman, Neil. Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. New York: Penguin Books, 1984. 8 AskMen.com readership statistics retrieved from <http://www.askmen.com/whoarewe.html>. Accessed on 1 May 2005. 9 Ahlers, M. â€Å"Expert: Malvo said he was the spotter, not shooter.† CNN.com 8 Dec. 2003. Accessed from <http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/12/08/sprj.dcsp.malvo.trial/index.html> on 15 Dec. 2003. 10 Holloway, Sarah L., and Gill Valentine. Cyberkids: children in the information age. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2003.