It is said that each generation is increasingly desensitized to violence in the media. I have had a particular interest in this subject for a long time, and I have also sat on the fence on this issue for a long time: I can argue for and against this statement in many ways. Are we, as a society, more tolerant of violence in the media? Absolutely. I think we are exposed to so much violence that much of the time we don't even notice it. I have always been very interested in Jean Kilbourne's work about violence towards women in the media, so much so that Killing Us Softly was what led me to studying media at a university level to begin with, and during university I collected advertisements (often from mainstream media and magazines), portraying violence towards women. I was always amazed at the fashion industry (cosmetics included) and their portrayal of injured, damaged or even DEAD women. Why hadn't I noticed this before it was on my radar? I put these ads on the wall outside my bedroom in our student house - always a point of conversation for my roommate (also in media studies) and I, who always seemed to do most of our bonding in the hallway between our rooms. (I miss you, Sarah!!) I think our visitors thought I was obsessed with high fashion and cosmetics, but really, that had nothing to do with it.
Are we overall desensitized to media, not just violent media? Yeah, I think so. I think it takes a lot more to get the attention of media viewers/consumers than it used to. Does this desensitization start during childhood? I wasn't sure until I became a step-mom (before having children of my own). When watching children's TV networks, I was surprised at how much information was blasted at children in such a short period of time, in bursts. I thought to myself "No wonder kids have ADD - they're bombarded with short bursts of intensive programming" - nothing seemed longer than 15 minutes, and in between the actual programs were short bursts of other mini-shows - causing my step-son to sort of glaze over as his little brain struggled to take it all in. As a parent now, I understand that children can't focus for long periods of time, so the networks programming is meant to keep their attention for longer periods of time. Do I think it's good for them? No. I think our society of instant gratification when it comes to media and technology is creating demanding and impatient children (really, this could be the topic of an entirely different post, or even multiple posts). But do I use this type of programming to keep my kids busy while I prepare lunch or dinner? Sadly, yes. I try not to, but at times the convenience is, well, convenient!
So, back to violence in the media. I would never have said I was desensitized. I have always thought of myself as a very conscious, informed, and skeptical media consumer, and despite what I've realized, I still believe that I am in a lot of ways. However, since becoming a mother, I am much more sensitive to violence. While still understanding that it's not real, I find that certain types of violence create extreme reactions in me now, both emotionally and physically. These are things I would have glazed over about in the past - I likely would have only wondered why the violence was glorified and/or necessary and why it was on TV in the first place: to sum it up, I'd have criticized the violence as content, but wouldn't have felt a connection to, or have been emotionally affected by, the violence itself. We watched Law Abiding Citizen the other day. I wanted to turn it off after about 3 minutes, and thought I was going to throw up after 5 minutes (there's a child involved). Scott convinced me to keep watching, and really, it didn't get any better, and I only became more and more emotionally distraught at the thought of the pain and suffering of the "victims", while still fully aware it wasn't real. I kept thinking "I know this isn't real, so why am I so affected by it?" I didn't enjoy the movie one bit, and I can't understand why anyone would (we borrowed it from my sister, who has seen it three times.. once was more than enough for me). We have also been watching Criminal Minds on A&E lately, and unlike Law Abiding Citizen, I do enjoy Criminal Minds. However, I've been increasingly disturbed by the content. I do find it to be much more graphic than CSI and other such crime/cop shows, it seems more "real" than "glorified". I can't watch a single episode of Criminal Minds without getting fairly upset about some of the violence. Am I overreacting? I really have no idea. I can only say that since becoming a mother, I think more about the violence and find it to be much more scary than I ever had. I also find that I imagine myself and/or my family in the situations portrayed and often feel sick to my stomach. I can only explain it as a possible fear of something terrible happening to my family. Even though I know it isn't real, I feel that my reaction is being caused by my protective motherly instinct to keep my family safe from harm. If it were real events, I'd say that I have a newfound compassion, but since it's fictional, I don't know if "compassion" is the right word. It has also sparked an immense fear of dying - well, at least while I'm watching, I can't say that this fear is permeating the rest of my life, so I don't think I have a problem lol
While watching these shows, my fear is very real, and I have never experienced this before. Is it just that writing and story lines have become better and the goal of touching/impacting the viewer has been realized in me? Probably to some extent. But why now? Is it really motherly instinct? Has anyone else experienced this?!
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