I believe that the media has a great impact on a child’s life and can help teach children through out their years as a child. Therefore, I think the fact that the movie industry has agreed to help educate people was a great idea. In today’s society, we see that many children are watching movies and tv shows that are considered inappropriate for their age group. Most importantly, they are acting like the characters in the movies and shows. A perfect example would be the Disney Channel. Although they have cartoons in the morning for children, as the day goes on, the target audience shifts to early teens. The problem is that once a child watches these shows, they begin to pick up on how the people react in that particular show. Often times, parents are not aware because they are not there to watch tv with their kids and think that Disney is only catered to one particular audience. Therefore, I think no matter how the media tries to censor certain content which may seem inappropriate for children, it is important for parents to take part as well. Most importantly, to avoid these unwanted shows, there are ways to prevent children from watching. One idea would be parental control, where parents can block certain shows to ensure that his or her child is not watching shows that are not suited for them. However, if the media does act as educators in today’s society, can it have a negative impact on children or adults?
I think one of the problems with the media and education is that it is very difficult to be combined. As stated in the book, “All children’s programs should stress law and order, adult authority, good morals, and clean living.” I cannot imagine this rule being applied to today’s society. How can one determined what good morals are? Especially in the United State. Being in a diverse country with cultural difference would almost make this impossible. The main argument is that what one considered as having good morals might not be the case for another. I think morals and all the other focuses in the quote has mentioned can only be taught in a home. An example would be, in certain cultures, it is very popular to take of your shoes before entering a person’s home. Its a sign of respect for a person’s property. However, in another culture, it is unnecessary to take of your shoes when entering a person’s house. These differences become difficult when it comes to establishing a foundation of what is considered good moral values or not. However, would it be possible to teach basic moral values in our society despite all the differences?
