Violence in Boys Commercials

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Forrest Hill Dr. Jordan ENGL 1101 –LCR 10/16/13 Essay 1 A school bus slows to a stop in front of a neighborhood as children pour out onto the street. Excitement follows the scampering children down the street as they bolt into their homes, anticipating the start of their favorite cartoons. These cartoons are specifically placed by network executives in these timeslots to target these specific kids. Shows like Jessie and Liv and Maddie target blossoming young girls while Teen Titans, Mad, and Adventure Time target budding young boys.(Most) parents take great care in what these sprouting sponges soak up, so they watch their children’s favorite shows with a hawk eye; however, the gaps in between the show fall through the cracks of inspection. When the scope of your interest are widened, curious motifs appear in these “children commercials.” Although gender roles are promoted in most girl commercials, telling them to aspire to be wives, mothers, and homemakers, what is more disturbing is the constant theme of violence in commercials targeted towards boys aged 5-15.take for instance the Blasterpro commercial, like most Supersoaker commercials that plague cartoon network, is more similar to a scene from Bourne Identity than a toy commercial. It is a barrage of cut scenes showing kids getting blasted off their feet while metal guitar solos are going off in the background. While older adult commercials (especially during a football game or UFC event) can be violent, it is the frequency at which they happen on kids cannels, that raises concern. These commercials beg important questions about why this is the chosen strategy towards young boys. What are the adverse effects of violent marketing on young minds? How can we get mad at others for not walking on water when we were the ones helping submerge them in violence as children? The violent nature of commercials

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