Americans are becoming more accustomed to marijuana usage due to the increasing frequency of displays in pop culture, a growing availability, and it being a serious political issue. The film and TV industry have played a vital role in how marijuana is seen by America. The first instance of the drug use in pop culture is the 1936 film Reefer Madness by Arthur Hoerl. The film takes two ordinary teenagers, who are pressured into using marijuana, through an over-the-top journey that includes a hit-and-run accident, suicide, manslaughter, and even an attempted rape. However, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which was established in 1970, used the movie satirically to aid in the reform of marijuana policy.
VIOLENCE IN THE MEDIA In recent years we have witnessed an alarming increase in the crime rate, especially among young people. We have been left shocked and at a loss to find explanations for why teenagers rob and blackmail, why young people commit physical violence, why children become murderers. Some people place the blame on the way violence is represented in the media and, as a consequence, demand that there should be stricter controls, or even censorship, put in place. However, this way of dealing with the problem is not undisputed. It is necessary to take a closer look at whether or not violence in the media really is responsible for this development and then to examine what censorship may entail before taking such a far-reaching decision.
The media likes to capture rock musicians using drugs at wild parties and acting irresponsible to get attention from people and increase magazine sales and ratings. I consider musicians to be artists who use music as a form of expression. The majority of their actions are to uphold certain image expectations from their fan base. Rock stars are expected to act wild and crazy always engaging in scandals to keep their fans wanting more. While a majority of these people are addicts with psychological issues who usually die from overdoses of illicit drugs many actually have families and are regular normal people when they are not in the spotlight.
Crack which is cheaper to produce became accessible to people of all socioeconomic statuses. Cocaine in the form of crack is now more widely abused . Cocaine in any form has had devastating effects on society, yet has been glamorized by media, especially in the movie industry. History of Cocaine
Ahmed 1 Sami Ahmed Professor Grannis English 112 7 December 2008 The Medias Affect on Teenagers The rise of violence and sexual activity in teenagers has placed the entertainment industry under scrutiny. Parents blame the industry for exposing their children to inappropriate content at a tender age. The industry has argued that the rating system at place should give the parents control over the content viewed by their children. Now let us find out whether the content of the media has an affect on teenagers? Or if it is the parent’s responsibility to regulate what teens watch?
The physical and mental effects on teenagers through technology are causing concerns for many parents and experts. According to Strasburger, Jordan, and Donnerstein, "parents and professionals are seeing an increase in aggressive behavior, sexual experimentation, weight gain and loss, and school academics” (Strasburger, Jordan, & Donnerstein, 2010). The average teenager will have viewed almost 200 000 violence acts on television. Interactive technology can foster antisocial beliefs and behavior in teens because of the violence in new technology, which can be found video games. An example is "In the aftermath of the West Paducah, KY School shooting, it was revealed, the shooter had never fired a real gun in his life, yet his marksmanship was both accurate and lethal” (Strasburger, Jordan, & Donnerstein, 2010).
Statistics have shown that the violence among young people is increasing every year. Many people blame musicians and other types of artists who portray negative actions as something positive. Others might blame the parents for not watching over their children. But many people fall short to bring up technology as an issue. With the new DVD that shows sex and violence or computers that gives kids access to unauthorized sites, technology is something that many parents need to look out for.
Although many students rely on drugs for educational purposes, the true factor for the rapid growth amongst teen users is peer-pressure. As seen through an article that researched the use of marijuana, “Illicit drug use among teens remains high, largely due to the increasing popularity of marijuana. Among twelfth graders, 6.5 percent use marijuana on a daily basis (Drug Abuse). According to the article, the drug proliferated amongst teens due to its popularity and other students would be pressured into using marijuana. For the students that attempted to refuse to take the drug they would face feeling rejected from their peers or they would feel as if they would not be considered “cool”.
Many people attribute the increase in violent youth to the increase of violence in the media. There is a common belief that television, films and video games are to be blamed for making children deem that violence is not only acceptable, but a necessary way of solving conflict. Some blockbuster movies that top the charts tend to be action-packed, such as the Terminator in 1984 or films about superheroes that save the day by destroying the villains. Superman, Batman and Spiderman are the perfect examples. The youth are then influenced by observing these behaviours and mimicking the actions of these so-called heroes.
Smoking started being abused in 1492, in Spain and has been used ever since. This is a growing problem that needs to be controlled. If it is not controlled, cigarette abuse will continue to spread and become worse and worse. Smokers often use the argument that smoking benefits the economy. In fact, ygoy.com shows that cigarette sales do create a very large amount of tax revenue.