Polls Post

The demographics were teenagers from North Gwinnett High School, adults from the CDC, and young adults from various universities. These demographics were chosen to give a wide spectrum of possible beliefs and ways of thinking. It was difficult to come up with questions that did not seem to push the people one way or the other, so I came up with some fairly simple questions and allowed people who responded a certain way to explain why they did, giving their full perspective on the issue. I came up with the groups due to their differences and ease of access. I asked my sister to poll people at her high school, I asked my father to give the survey to people at work, and I sent the poll to various people in college I know on Facebook.

Question 1: Do you think there is too much violence, sex, and language in media and entertainment?

Question 1 – Teens

Yes =8

No= 2 (one indicating it could be much worse)

Question 1 – Adults

Yes=10

No=0

Question 1- Young Adults

Yes=6

No=4(three indicating it could be much worse)

Question 2: If yes, what effect do you think that these aspects of entertainment have on people?

Question 2 – Teens

·         One effect is that a lot of children are learning swear words from programs.

·         Distorts the view of how the public perceives these areas. Essentially makes the public think they can use it as much as they see it in media/entertainment.

·         Media and entertainment teach the younger generation that violence, sex and language is normal and acceptable.

·         It’s cool to get wasted and have sex. If you don’t put out you are too much of a goodie goodie. Movies make this the norm.

·         I think that it has taken the innocence of the population and has caused major perversion in teens. I also think it causes people to believe the extremities shown are socially acceptable.

Question 2 – Adults

·         It has a negative impact on young, impressionable minds (if not properly monitored by a responsible adult) by desensitizing the seriousness and repercussions of the acts. It glorifies rather than discouraging the acts.

·         If we go by some new stories it makes some people do cruel things to others in real life.

·         Degrades their images of others.

·         Low morals

·         It makes them desensitized to vulgarity and violence.

·         More attention to aggressive aspects of life versus of life versus softer aspects. E.g, kindness, caring for each other, community values, etc.

·         Very negative particularly in shaping women’s views of themselves and others peoples views of others.

·         It can have a dehumanizing effect.

·         It allows us to feel “normal” when we have negative thoughts and feelings.

·         Desensitizing both adults and children therefore making people more accepting of violence, sex and language.

·         Constant exposure to violence desensitizes us and makes it seem common, expected and too big a problem to deal with.

Question 2- Young Adults

·         It teaches young kids that it is normal in everyday life, so they start to mimic what they see.

·         Makes them think this is acceptable for themselves and our culture

·         I think it makes children grow up too quickly when they are exposed to such mature themes.

Question 3: Do you feel that it should be the responsibility of the government to regulate media to make it more acceptable for all?

Question 3 – Teens

Yes= 1

No=9

Question 3 – Adults

Yes=2

No=8

Question 3- Young Adults

Yes=0

No=10

Question 4:  If no, who should be responsible for regulating it?

Question 4 – Teens

·         People themselves should regulate it. If they don’t want to see violent or sexual media, they should learn to try to avoid it themselves.  I do that and it works pretty well.

·         In this day and age, media changes so fast that an attempt to regulate it will only create another underground market like the 18^th amendment.

·         People in general should be responsible for regulating it.

·         The media itself.

·         The stations showing the programs/news outlet/whatever . Also the viewer can just decide not to watch/listen/read it.

·         I think the producers and the people who show the programs should regulate it.

Question 4 – Adult

·         Adults in the household and the structured community. The only regulation by government should be enforcing regulation for parental control, ie, mechanisms that allow parents to block access.

·         Parents for kids. As adults, if we don’t watch the shows, buy the games it will not be available for long.

·         Industry should provide tools like the v-chip but the family is responsible.

·         People should choose not to watch or write to the sponsors.

·         The free market. Boycotting shows or writing to their advertisers can apply pressure to tone things down.

·         Self-monitoring by media to make sure a fair balance is kept and not always “what sells” is the policy to improve business.

·         Public demand should spur industry to act.

·         Parents, family members. The market determines it in a way and advertisers can have an impact too.

·         Government cannot, will not, and has never saved anyone from themselves. We must choose who we will serve, we choose what is important and that guides all other choices.

·         People (the public) should choose but social norms dictate what we watch. Industry should be more responsible as well.

Question 4- Young Adults

·         Kid's parents, I don't think there can be an outside source that should regulate it. There would be too much unrest among the people. If they want to watch it then they can, and if they don't then they shouldn't.

·         If anyone is going to regulate the media, it should be the people. They are the ones who are constantly exposed to it; therefore they would be best able to regulate it.

·         For entertainment movies, a group that any citizen in the country it was made in or for can join freely and voice their opinion on how a movie is rated. Individuals can decide if they view a movie or not. For t.v. entertainment, individuals can decide what they watch, but I think the more obscene should be on after 9 or so when the majority of children go to bed- more clean shows on during prime t.v. hours.

·         I do not think these themes should have to be regulated for everyone, but there are too many people being exposed to them at too young of an age.  Parents should decide what is suitable for their children to watch

Question 5: Do you think that the need for sex and violence on many programs says something disturbing about humans as a whole?

Question 5 – Teens

Yes=8

Sort of= 1

Question 5 – Adults

Yes=7

No=2

Yes and No=1

Question 5- Young Adults

Yes=8

No=2

Question 6: Explain your answer

Question 6 – Teens

·         Humans are sex driven animals and most tv and radio should be checked because of the emotional attacks made. Innuendo is only good if the children don’t catch on to it.

·         Some of the popular programs have violence or sex or a combination. That humans think these things make a program better is a little disturbing.

·         We as a society are reverting back to a primal mind state in a way. Base instinct which previously were considered vulgar in society are becoming more acceptable, ie, sex and violence.

·         America needs to stop being obsessed and need different forms of captivating audiences.

·         People should have more self control and not be solely dependent on the entertainment of sex and violence.

·         For the violence part, I think it is disturbing because it shows the hatred most people hold in their hearts and that’s sad. On the other hand, people are animals so liking sex is natural.

Question 6 – Adults

·         I believe the media found something that sells and makes money. If another avenue comes that sells, then everyone will jump on the bandwagon for that outlet. It’s more about the money.

·         Not necessarily. I’m not sure that sex and violence on programs means that there is a “need” for sex and violence. Perhaps the people developing the programs are more disturbed than people as a whole or possibly those developing the programs have misinterpreted what “the people” want.

·         Humans were not created as perfect instruments. Sex and violence on programs is just another example that we are not perfect. Nothing has really changed about human nature over time.

·         I have a great fear of this becoming normal to people.

·         We’re overly fascinated by violence, criminal thinking, aberrant behavior and we’re over exposed to it.

·         There is something disturbing about humans as a whole any way. Media just reflects that. It always has. The internet just makes it more global and brings it into our homes.

·         Even shows that are main stream (Law and Order SVU, Criminal Minds, etc.) can get incredibly graphic and gruesome. It always make me wonder “is something wrong with me?” when I watch these shows. I think the problem is more pronounced with violence than sex (although sexual  related  violence is included in the violence issue).

·         Violence is presented as a solution or way of expression to standard challenges in life. Sometimes as a “power symbol.”

·         My answer has more to do with my Christian faith…I have always been a tv junkie but have cut way back because of the content.

·         Desensitizing people to the negative consequences.

·         But, it is the human condition. Humans have always been this way.

Question 6- Young Adults

·         I mean everybody loves to be entertained, and I don't think there is really anything wrong with that.

·         Sex and violence are a part of human nature, so it's not disturbing that they show up on tv shows. However, they both carry a lot of weight, so how we choose to use them is very important.

·         These programs are made for our viewing pleasure, so if they are watched, they show what people want to see. If we are watching immense amounts of abduction, rape, and murder- yes that does say something disturbing about our interests. Humans do naturally like the thrill of violence and the seduction of sex, but the context these are put in definitely reflect our thoughts as a group.

·         It is placing the emphasis on the wrong things, so we come off as being sex obsessed violent people.

Additional Comments – Adults

·         This topic has been in discussion for decades. Things seem to escalate but the bottom line it comes down to individual decisions. And ultimately, human nature has not changed much.

·         Where is evolution (becoming more perfect) when we need it?

Overall, while the responses to the “yes/no” questions were fairly logical, it was the responses to those answers that were intriguing. I found the answers to whether or not our viewing decisions reflect negatively on us as a whole were very diverse, most likely due to the optimistic or pessimistic views people had on human nature. One group I found surprising were the teenagers, who I would have suspected to have gone in an opposite fashion to the adults and young adults, but they focused on the fact that humans revert to a more primal nature when watching entertainment, while the adults were more focused on the media selling an idea of people. I feel like these responses affirm Atwood’s warning about the appreciation of such ideas and what occurs in Oryx and Crake is the issues that the people who took the survey wrote about on a grander scale. It also shows what might happen if greater access to the extreme material is given to children, with Jimmy becoming a lover to many after being allowed to watch extreme porn as a child and being ambivalent to actual violence that is occurring during riots, due to his watching of executions and other violent shows with Crake. The correlation between entertainment and reverting to a primal nature is very disturbing for one to watch, yet hopefully the population will recognize that fact and be able to control that nature outside of the field of entertainment for the betterment of all.