Learning Aggressive Behavior
Ever feel like doing an activity after watching an action packed scene on television? Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed (Adams 1). After watching aggressive programs, children feel like copying the actions that were displayed such as fight scenes. Experiencing fights has the ability to get the blood and adrenaline flowing; which may lead to children copying these actions and fighting other children as well. At Shepherd High School, there were a few freshman students who decided to start a club where two people would fight each other at a time and the other kids would place bets on who would win. This idea was similar to the plot of the movie “Fight Club” so this group was given the title “Freshman Fight Club”. As soon as the word spread to the staff of the school, the club was shut down. The ideas from this movie influenced them to take part in the same actions themselves. Learning to use aggressive behavior increases when the perpetrator is attractive, the violence is justified, weapons are present, the violence is graphic or extensive, the violence is realistic, the violence is rewarded, or the violence is presented in a humorous fashion (Aidman 1). Network programming often presents violence that is executed by characters that are attractive to children and others reward them by the acts of violence. The students believed that they would have zero consequences from starting this club. Most violent acts go unpunished on TV and are often accompanied by humor and consequences of human suffering and loss are rarely depicted (Boyse 1). These students thought that Freshman Fight Club was fun, and was hilariously interesting. It is quite obvious that children will imitate what they see on a screen.
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