The other day in class we talked about the idea of manufactured consent, the idea that if you continually show something to people in a positive light they will eventually except it. this idea isn’t just pulled from thin air though, its real. One such study that has been done on the case is teen desensitization to violence through games and violent tv programs
“Summarizing his findings, Dr Jordan Grafman, of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, US, said: “Exposure to the most violent videos inhibits emotional reactions to similar aggressive videos over time and implies that normal adolescents will feel fewer emotions over time as they are exposed to similar videos.”
He added: “Continued exposure to violent videos will make an adolescent less sensitive to violence, more accepting of violence, and more likely to commit aggressive acts since the emotional component associated with aggression is reduced and normally acts as a brake on aggressive behavior.”
He said: “I don’t think anybody would deny that people do become desensitized to violence. But the real issue is whether that in and of itself causes negative consequences.”
What other things have the media used to manufacture our consent beside violence though. well depending on who you watch for news; CNN makes you thing that republicans are evil, and fox makes you think democrats are stupid.
Some people feel it goes deeper than this though. all the way down to music videos as a form of advancing a secret world domination take over. One such article I found like this dissects the lady gaga music video Alejandra, and describes how it promotes the sexiness behind being controlled by a police state Nazi like government.
http://vigilantcitizen.com/?p=3979
There is no question that the media influences us without us knowing it some times, but to what extent and reason?
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