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Many of my friends and even acquaintances know that I am not one to take a great deal of issues very seriously, when it comes to writing or otherwise. But to tell you the truth, I’m sick of this hoopla. When something goes terribly wrong, people love to point the finger. It almost seems like part of human nature. Nothing is ever any one person’s fault as of late.
Of course the responsible parties could claim accountability for their actions and admit they were stupid, but in the land of 100,000 lawyers, why bother? Especially when it is so easy to pin the blame on some “flaw in society.”
And what would this popular flaw be you ask? That’s right boys and girls, it’s the media.
From Columbine to sniper shootings and insane backyard stunts – some aspect of the media is singled out as the cause of society’s troubled youth.
The most recent cry of “foul” came from the suburban wasteland of Seattle, Wash. where a 15-year-old youth soaked his shirt in rubbing alcohol and lit himself on fire while his friends videotaped the whole thing. To make a long story short, the stunt landed the boy in the hospital with severe burns on his face and body.
With this recent indecent none other than MTV’s hit show “Jackass” was thrown into the firing range. The program has been put under the microscope, with authorities dubbing the stunt as “Jackass” style. MTV has previously been chided for being the inspiration for real life incidents with the popular cartoon “Beavis and Butthead,” along with music videos far too graphic for the likes of Tipper Gore.
OK, OK, so kids are impressionable, and what they see on television may be hard for them to separate from reality. Well blah, blah, blah. The truth of the matter is that the only “jackass” in this situation is the kid who lit himself on fire.
I was 15 once, not too long ago actually, and I’m pretty sure I had the smarts to avoid lighters and alcohol-drenched clothing. Hell, I used to watch “America’s Funniest Home Videos” a lot when I was a kid, but I never went out and nailed my dad in the balls with a tee ball bat. But maybe I should have.
My point is pretty simple. If somebody’s disturbed enough to bring harm to themselves or others, they’re going to do it regardless of whether there is a movie, music video or television show about it. If kids are copying television shows, the only thing it proves is their lack of creativity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending a show such as “Jackass,” or Viacom for producing a hideous channel like MTV, but people need to think twice before suing a corporation for something they inflicted upon themselves.
In the end, you can simply throw your liberal fists to the sky and argue that the media is just a crooked, one-sided conglomerate that puts blinders over our eyes and controls what we see. And while I won’t deny that there are some serious flaws with the media, as a pseudo-member of such a crooked, one-sided system, I’m strangely compelled to defend it.
Jason Houle is a sophomore journalism major.
