Thesis: Television doesn’t influence crime or violent behavior but is a reflection of society.
I. History of incurious programing and its evolution
II. No factual evidence or statistics of a relationship between tv and crime
III.
Tv reflects violence and crime from society for viewers entertainment
It’s been a little over a century since Edison’s Vitascope was first introduced to the public at the Koster & Bial’s Music Hall in New York City. Since then a black and white three minute silent film has transformed mass media and society. From what began as a modest mean of entertainment for a humble and simple population, television has been morphed into a massive industry reaching billions of people providing entertainment and revolutionizing culture. In the beginning the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) licensed three main broadcasting networks: CBS, NBC, and ABC. By the late 1940s and early 1950s these networks ruled the airway providing distribution to 6 million homes or about 9 percent of Americas house holds coast to coast. This form of media spread to ten times as much as 60 million families by 1965. In the late 60s 93 percent of American households had at least one TV sets (Gelletly 18).
New York City was among the first cities to receive televised broadcast in the 1940s. Programs were very primitive like baseball games that were captured by only one camera and newscast that where known as “chalk talks”. As progression in television continued viewers that lived closed to TV station were able to tune into varies of shows like The Texaco Star Theater (1948), starring Milton Berle, or the children's program, Howdy Doody (1947). There was also the choice between two 15-minute newscasts CBS TV News (1948) with Douglas Edwards and NBC's Camel News Caravan (1948) with John Cameron Swayze. Even early advertisement was visibly noticed. According to Mitchell Stephens: John Cameron Swayze was required by the tobacco company sponsor to have a burning cigarette always visible when he was on camera. (ARTICLE).
This next era in TV is called the Golden Age of Television. Family oriented sitcoms depicted morals values reflecting a time of a desirable life for Americans. For example the classic sitcom Leave it to Beaver (1957) portrayed the iconic postwar American family with the perfect housewife “June” and “Ward” the formal businessman father. Another classic from this period is I love Lucy (1951). Lucy is naïve and ambitious, with an overactive imagination and a knack for getting herself into trouble.(Wikipedia).
Early TV programs such as Amos 'n' Andy (1951) and The Jack Benny Show (1950) were taken from radio shows that were very popular. Most of the formats of the new programs newscasts, situation comedies, variety shows, and dramas had been once aired shows and were now becoming cinematic. Amos ‘n’ Andy differed from Jack Benny because the role models portrayed were African American. Like most Fifties' sitcoms, 'Amos 'n' Andy' had comic characterizations and bizarre plotlines. None of the stories had anything to do with race. This show introduced the concept of black doctors, business leaders and lawyers in dignified roles, which was a first for any mass medium.(webpage)
As the times were changing in America so was television programing. The real world became more apparent to people as actual violence streamed through news in the 1960s. Known as a decade in turbulence the public witness terrific images like the shocking assassination of President John F. Kennedy captured by an NBC cameraman. In the mid-1960s combat footage of bloodshed and death from the Vietnam War was broadcasted straight into peoples living rooms on a daily basis. Along with images of assaults and killings in the civil rights marches and antiwar protest (Gelletly 19).
Violence from the real world was reflected in fictional television programming during the 1960s. Crime dramas and western were most popular and contained strong content. Well-known shows like Gunsmoke (1955-1975) the role model of the show is Marshal Matt Dillon who is in charge of Dodge City, a town in the wild west where people often have no respect for the law. He deals on a daily basis with the problems associated with frontier life: cattle rustling, gunfights, brawls, standover tactics, and land fraud. Such situations call for sound judgment and brave actions. (imdb.com). Gunsmoke was capable of influencing the viewers not to do crime and to be courageous like Marshal Dillon as oppose to have gunfights or start a bar fight. Even though there was violence the criminal faced punishment for their actions at the end. The crime drama known as The Untouchables (1959-1963) presented organized crime and violence in Chicago, 1930, time of the prohibition. Special agent Eliot Ness and his team were determined to defeat the alcohol Mafia. Another TV Show that demonstrated that crime doesn’t pay. There isn’t any direct connection between what was seen in these two very popular TV shows in crime or violence. The years that Gunsmoke and The Untouchables were able to run indicates that society is attracted to watching violence and isn’t disturbed but enjoys it.
The evolution of television displays noticeable changes in society for the period of occurrence. In the 60s there was a sexual revolution and in 70s there was a interest in expression. Television is a mere reflection of the real world but doesn’t control people; people control the TV. My argument is that there is no causal relationship between TV watching and increase of violence. While statistics may show a superficial relationship there is not solid evidence to support causation. it is a case of two things happening at the same time and people assume one causes the other
It is human instinct to enjoy a thrill. Violence and crime is staged into shows to entertain not to influence humans to harm one another. If the media really did control people by making them watch only what they wanted all we would be watching is commercials instead of shows.
