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If the character of a society can be judged by the type of media that it views, what could be said about America? The films and television programs that the American population watches for entertainment contain numerous depictions of stabbings, shootings, rapes, and other senseless brutality. The entertainment industry is not the only entity in the media that exposes the public to violence. Mainline news media bring images of war and violent crime into many American’s homes. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting is becoming more and more popular on television, and also in many local venues. For some it may look like the forms of entertainment that Americans are seeking out today have digressed to what seems similar to the ancient Roman spectacle of the gladiator.
In order to entice people to view their films movie producers are including as much sex and violence into their previews as possible. One movie marketer said, “The objective of nearly every movie trailer is to get teenage boys' butts into seats ... And that means going for as much violence and sex as you can jam into 2 1/2 minutes" (media violence). One study found that violence and sex in a movie preview heightened the viewer’s expectations of the movie itself (Oliver).
The mainstream news media have also discovered that violence and sex entice more viewers. The news media has a need to entertain in order to draw a larger audience for its advertising sponsors. News networks are trying to get more viewers by airing stories of high profile celebrities that have run into trouble with the law. Some recent examples are the Paris Hilton jail sentence, the trial of O.J. Simpson, the White House sex scandal of Bill Clinton, and the countless celebrities that are going in and out of drug rehab.
UFC's Spike TV reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, often outdraws NBA and baseball games among the coveted 18 to 34 year-old male demographic (della Cava). Ultimate Fighting Championship...