Greg Klotz

Work in Progress
English 104:
Student Discussions

Section 39
Section 76

Section 39

Order	Group	Topic
10 / 9	Andrea, Brittany, & Vanessa	Legalization of Marijuana
10 / 11	Jason, Josh, & Tony	Women in the Military
10 / 16	Brandy, Ha, & Lindsay	Abortion
10 / 18	Brooks, Libby, & Mike	Drug Testing in Schools
10 / 23	Brandon, Brett, Dennis, & Mark	Affirmative Action
10 / 25	Dayton & Mike	Social Norms/Expectations of Men & Women
10 / 30	Beth, Kathi, Katie, & Theresa	"Can Men & Women Really Be Friends?"
11 / 1	Brian, Kyle, & Wes	Media Violence

Section 76

Order	Group	Topic
10 / 9	Jack, Josh, & Will	Invasion of Privacy (in Times of War)
10 / 11	Erin, Jessica, & Meredith	Legalization of Prostitution
10 / 16	Jake & Kelly	Legalization of Marijuana
10 / 18	Genny, Lindsey, & Ross	Personality Assessment/Types
10 / 23	Emily, James, & Liz	Stereotypes/Social Norms of Drag Queens
10 / 25	Kristy, Megan, & Youn-Kyong	Censorship of Violence in the Media
10 / 30	Emily, John, & Kody	Hypnosis/Powers of the Mind
11 / 1	Katie, Kayla, & Megan	Driving Age/Regulations
11 / 6	Mike, Steve, & Tyler	Effects of Media Violence on Children

Legalization of Marijuana
Marijuana use is not harmless. However, neither is water. Having said that, marijuana use can cause problems for some people. Research indicates that people with heart or lung disease, pregnant women, or people with a pre-disposition or family history of schizophrenia or psychosis should either avoid or be extra careful when using marijuana. There are tips people can use to reduce the risks of negative consequences from the use of marijuana. Marijuana is used for many things. Products, medicine, and food are just some of the things that marijuana is used for.

Questions

• Would it stop or reduce marijuana use or cultivation?
• Would it be socially less harmful?
• Should marijuana be legalized for medical use only?
• If marijuana was legalized, will more kids be apt to use it?
• Why not legalize marijuana if it causes fewer car crashes than alcohol?
• Aren't you afraid that if you legalize marijuana that everyone would get hooked?
• Would legalizing marijuana introduce other harmful elements into society?
• If marijuana was legalized, should there be tougher penalties for the under aged?
• Why isn't marijuana legalized if it is safer than most prescription drugs?
• If doctors recommend marijuana, shouldn't it be legalized?
• If legalized, should the government control the product of secure purity?

Bibliography

Armentano, Paul. Making The Case For Medical Marijuana. October 1996: Provided by the NORML Organization.

"Environmental and Economical Benefits from Hemp." http://www.csuchico.edu/pot/hemp.html

Erowid. "Cannabis Effect." Erowid Cannabis Vault: Effects. http://www.cerowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_effects/shtml

"Health Risk Myths and Realities." Marijuana Facts and Information. http://www.420times.com/420school/mi/

"Medical marijuana uses not a pipe dream." The News-Star.: February 18, 1996.

"Medicinal Marijuana." Drug War Facts. http://drcet.org/gateway/medmj.html

Extra Information

Positive Effects	Neutral Effects	Negative Effects
Relaxation, stress reduction Mood lift Creative, philosophical or deep thinking—ideas flow more easily Increased appreciation of music. More aware of, deeper connection to music Increased awareness of senses ( eating, drinking, smell) Change in experience of muscle fatigue; pleasant body feel; increased in body/mind connection Pain relief (headaches, cramps) Reduced nausea (used medically for this)	General change in consciousness (as with many psychoactives) Increased appetite, snacky-ness Slowness (slow driving, talking) Tiredness Blood shot eyes (more common with certain varieties of marijuana and inexperienced users) Mouth dryness Interrupts linear memory—Difficulty following a train of thought Cheek, jaw, facial tension (less commonly reported)	Coughing, asthma, upper respiratory problems Nausea Difficulty with short term memory during effects and during periods of frequent use Racing heart, agitation, tenseness Mild to severe anxiety Panic attacks at very high doses (usually oral) or in sensitive users Headaches Dizziness, confusion Paranoid and anxious thoughts more frequent Possible psychological dependence on cannabis "Mild" withdrawal symptoms occur after daily use in some users; these may last for 1-6 weeks after cessation of use and can include anxiety, anhedonia (reduced experience of pleasure), headaches, general unease/discomfort, difficulty sleeping, and a desire to smoke pot

Some products that can be manufactured from hemp/marijuana are:

Animal bedding Auto/boat covers Backpacks Bags (paper and canvas) Balms Bandages Baseball caps Bed linens Belts Birdseed Books Carpeting Cheese

Dynamite Erosion control Fabrics Fiberboard Fire hoses Flags Paneling Pants Parachutes Particle board Pasta Pet foods Pillows

Ropes Sandals Scarves Shampoos Shirts Soaps Socks Sofas Stationary Tables Tea Tents Tissue paper

Women in the Military
Women have been soldiers since the beginning of time. They have even been used in combat. However, history has proved this doesn't work. We want to show, with facts, that it still won't work. Since women have been allowed within military ranks, taking on the roles of men; the military has catered to the physical and mental barriers women face, we now have a kinder and more gentle military. Should the military's combat arms try to accommodate women into their ranks.

Questions

• What do you think about women in combat arms?
• Do we all agree that men are usually physically stronger than women?
• A man and a woman are both injured; which one is likely to be helped first?
• The woman is fatally wounded, the man is seriously injured. Who do you help first?
• What percentage of women in the military would volunteer for combat?
• How many of you would volunteer?
• What would be the benefits of women in combat?
• What would be the disadvantages?
• Why should women be allowed or not allowed in combat?
• How many of you would approve if your mother or sister volunteered for combat?

Bibliography

"Bosnia and Beyond." http://www.USmilitary.about.com/cs/women/

"The Kinder, Gentler Military." http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/g/gutmann-military.html

Scarborough, Rowan. "Women In Arms Say No To Combat." The Washington Times. January 1999, reprinted.

"Technology, Friction, and Women in Combat." http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Library/

"Women in Combat Why Not?" http://www.USmilitary.about.com/cs/women/

"Women in the Military." http://www.claremont.org/publications/owens2.cfm

Abortion
"Abortion is right for those who think it is right, and wrong for those who think it is wrong" (Grisez, 270). This quote means that abortion is right when society accepts it and wrong when society rejects abortion as stated by the author (270). This statement rings true for our society in America. People's opinions tend to take after what they observe during their childhood. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but should abortion be legal?

Questions

• Is abortion right or wrong? Why?
• Do you think life begins at birth or at conception?
• How do people form opinions about abortion?
• Should the mother and father be punished or fined when having an abortion?
• Should women who get pregnant because of rape or incest have the right to get an abortion.
• Is abortion safe for the Women?
• If you knew ahead of time that something was going to be wrong with the child and you still had the chance to have an abortion would you do so?
• Is an abortion hard or easy to perform?
• Does the legalization of abortion give people the impression that they do not have to practice safe sex or take responsibility for their actions?
• Do people abuse the fact that abortion is legal?
• If abortion weren't legal would people be more cautious when having sex?
• Is it harder for the woman or man to deal with the thought of abortion?
• Should abortion be legal for those who only have special cases? Such as they were raped or something along those lines.

Bibliography

Grisez, Germain G. Abortion. New York and Cleveland: Corpus Books, 1970.

Luker, Kristin. Taking Chances: Abortion and the Decision Not to Contracept. Los Angeles Berkeley, and London: University of California Press, 1975.

National Abortion Federation. "Facts about Abortion." Thursday, 11 October 2001. http://www.prochoice.org/default2.htm

Willke, Dr. J. C. "Why Can't We Love Them Both" Thursday, 11 October 2001. http://www.abortionfacts.com/online_books/love_them_both/why_cant_we_love_them_both_14.asp

Extra Information
(Based on True Story)

Jill is a freshman at Iowa State University. She was brought up and raised by her father who is a minister. Her mom died giving birth to her. Her whole life was controlled by her father who raised her very strictly. Her father forbade her to go out with anybody and was confined to home unless she was at school or church. She attended a religious school which did not offer any sex ed courses. Her father also did not mention the safety precautions of having safe sex or avoiding pregnancy.

Before her first day of college, Jill and her father had a serious conversation about how her behavior should be while she would be away from home for the first time. During this conversation her father forbade her to hold a relationship with any guy or fall under the influence from bad friends. If she did, then she would no longer be welcome at home.

With this threat, Jill studied very hard and was excelling in all her classes. But she did end up having a relationship with a guy named Jack. They were very close. Things kept going farther and farther and neither of them knew the precautions of having safe sex, Jill ended up pregnant. She did not know until a month later. When the pregnancy test came out positive, she quickly told Jack. Jack panicked said that it was her responsibility and he had nothing to do with it and left her. Jill was desperate to find a solution. Summer was quickly approaching and she was out of options. Abortion was out of the question since she did not has enough money to afford the medication. She asked her best friend, Mary, who was catholic and her religion was against abortion. She would not give Jill the money but did give information that a janitor could give her medication. Jill, with no other solution, went to the janitor who used to be a prostitute. The janitor gave her some pills that would kill the baby but the risk also included that her life might be taken. Jill went home and thought about it very hard. Finally she decided to take the pills and the abortion was successful but Jill's life was also taken.

Who was at fault here? Rate who was the most responsible for her death; 1 being the most at fault to 5 being the least:

___ Father
___ Jill
___ Jack
___ Mary
___ Janitor

Drug Testing in Schools
Public schools have the power to require students who participate in athletics and other activities to be subject to random drug testing. Many schools in Indiana have adopted such policies. The Supreme Court has decided that this testing is legal, but they never said that it was a good idea. In recent years drug use has been rapidly on the rise. Almost all of the schools in Australia have adopted drug testing in their schools. One of the main arguments is that students are getting testing for using drugs when they have never done anything to raise suspicion. Many people feel that there is no reason to be tested unless they have done something wrong.

Questions

• Should drug testing be allowed in schools?
• Does drug testing constitute your fourth amendment right?
• When should drug testing be used?
• Do athletes have any more risk of using drugs than non athletes?
• Is there any difference between student athletes and regular students?
• Is just stopping the athletes from using drugs any better for the schools?
• How would you feel if you were forced to take part in a drug test if it was completely the opposite of your personal beliefs?
• Should random testing be done?
• How often should the tests be administered?
• What if you were falsely accused of using drugs because of a pharmaceutical error?

Extra Information
In conclusion, we feel that drug testing should not be allowed in schools. Research has shown that there are many downsides with the topic of drug testing. The risk of ruining a students reputation not only in school, but in their hometown is just too damaging. If they were falsely accused who is going to be there to say otherwise. If there is a drug test that reads positive, nobody is going to challenge it. The amount of money that it would cost to provide drug tests to schools would be out of hand. With all there is about budget cuts in schools, drug tests should be the last thing on people's minds. The fourth amendment states that no person is subject to random search and seizure. Random drug testing completely violates this right.

Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is defined as being the policies used in the United States to increase opportunities for minorities by favoring them in hiring and promotion, college admissions, and the awarding of government contracts. An act was passed by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 to help minorities overcome the barriers of discrimination. There may be different meanings of the word "minorities" in different situations. These can include a person's race, ethnicity, or gender. The use of Affirmative Action has broadened since the beginning of its use in 1961. Many times, Affirmative Actions give the "less qualified" applicant a job over the college grad. Although there are many that disagree with the policy of Affirmative Action, there are those who think that giving advantages to minorities and women is more than fair, since the past was led by whites and men.

Questions

• What are the benefits of Affirmative Action? Are there any benefits for white males?
• Why should a minority treated poorly half a century ago deserve better treatment now? Why don't they deserve it?
• Should a minority get a job over a highly educated white person?
• What do you think of quotas-should we have them?
• Do you feel that it is alright to discriminate against white Caucasians to help other ethnicities? Why?
• Is diversity on college campuses a valid reason to discriminate applicants due to ethnicity? Why?
• Do you believe affirmative action is a worth cause? Why?
• What are you feeling about this statement: "Race has a ride in college admissions."
• Do you see Affirmative Action as principle or policy?
• Some states, such as California, have banned race in college admissions. What are you feeling regarding this issue?
• Does Affirmative Action makes things better or worse?

Bibliography

Feminist.org: Your Daily Source for the Feminist Perspective on National and Global Events. Media Resources: Americans for a Fair Chance—Press Release—March 27, 2001 and Associated Press—March 27, 2001.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lds004.htm

http://www.studentadvantage.lycos.com/lycos/article/0,4683,c1-i0-t0-a133314,00.html

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/affrim/affirm.htm

"Affirmative Action." Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. 2001. Copyright 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation.

"Can Men & Women Really Be Friends?"
Definition of a friend: A person whom one knows well and is fond of / intimate associate / close acquaintance
Definition of a boyfriend: A sweetheart or escort of a girl or woman / a boy who is one's friend
Definition of a girlfriend: A sweetheart of a boy or man / a girl who is one's friend / a woman friend of a woman
Definition of a sweetheart: loved one / lover
Definition of Intimate: most private or personal / very close or familiar / deep and thorough

Questions

• What characteristics do you look for in a relationship? Boyfriend/girlfriend vs. friend?
• Who do you feel has a harder time with just staying friends? Males, females? Why?
• Do you think it is acceptable for a married person to have a platonic relationship outside the marriage with a single person of the opposite sex?
• Has anyone had a platonic relationship that crossed the friendship line, and afterwards you regretted it? Was alcohol or drugs contributing factors? After you have crossed that line, can you ever go back to being just friends?
• People that are involved in a platonic cross-sex relationship right now, do you feel just as comfortable with them as you do in a group?
• How are cross-sex friendships different from romantic relationships?
• What is the purpose of having a friend of the opposite sex? (Vs. a friend of the same sex)
• When choosing friends, is looks ever a factor? If yes: why if they are just going to be your friend? If no: you don't even look at little bit at what they look like (a stranger)
• Are any of your close friends of the opposite sex? Why are they your friends? Any attraction there??
• When Harry Met Sally: social rules that govern a friendship between a man and a woman, being unattractive doesn't matter because "even then you still want to nail them." (Billy Crystal/Harry Dunn) Agree or disagree and why?
• Anyone have an ex b/f or g/f that said you would be friends with after you two broke up and no friendship was ever established? Why not?
• Have you ever been on a date with someone and ended up not hitting it off, is it possible to be just friends with out thinking about a relationship with this person? (one on one)
• Do you think you should you like your friends as much as you like your Significant other? (Why would you want to be just friends with that friend of the opposite sex, what is missing from the "romantic" relationship?)

Bibliography

Bowskill, Derek Person to Person. London: Unwin Ltd. 1973.

Duffey, Eliza. Relations of the Sexes. New York: Arno Press. 1974.

Wood, Julia T. Gendered Relationships. The University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. New York. 1982.

Goldberg, Herb. The New Male/Female Relationship. New York: William Morrow and Company. 1983.

Ramey, James W. Intimate Friendships. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. 1976.

Rubin, Zick. Liking and Loving: An Invitation to Social Psychology. New York: Hold, Rinhart, and Winston Inc.

Schwartz, Roslyn, and Leonard J Schwartz. Becoming a Couple. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. 1980.

Webster's New World College Dictionary.

Werking, Kathy. We're Just Good Friends. New York: Guilford Press Inc. 1997.

Media Violence
In 1950, only 10% of American homes had a television and by 1960 the percentage had grown to 90%. Today 99% of homes have a television. Children spend more time learning about life through media than in any other manner. The average child spends approximately 28 hours a week watching television. The average American child will witness over 200,000 acts of violence on television including 16,000 murders before age 18. Many people can tell the difference from fact and fiction but there are those who have a hard time doing so.

Questions

• Does violence on T.V. effect what a younger mind decides to do?
• Is it television's fault that kids act the way they do or is it the parents fault?
• Does publishing acts of crime (example: Columbine shootings) have a more bad then good result?
• Should their be restrictions on what types of violence goes on air?
• Would restrictions violate any freedoms?
• If media violence never started, would the world be the same as it is today?
• Should parents decide what kids watch or do you think the government should decide?
• Does cartoon violence have the same effect on adult minds as it does on little kid 's minds?
• Do you think that the T.V. chip helps reduce the amount of violence that a kid sees?
• Should America be punished by getting their favorite T.V. shows taken off the air because of a few people who can't tell fiction from reality?

Bibliography

Diamant, Anita. "Media Violence." Parents. October 1994: 40-41, 45.

"TV Violence." October 10, 1996. http://www.cep.org/tvviolence.html

Donahue, J. Christopher. "What's Right With Television." America. October 8, 1994: 25.

Neifert, Marianne. "TV: How much is too much?" McCall's. June 1995: 52.

http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/news/news/archive2.htm#violence

http://www.babybag.com/articles/amavio/

Invasion of Privacy (in Times of War)
A Right to Privacy

Although our constitution assures us such absolute rights as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," there will always be pressures from certain segments of our society to limit personal freedom, and furthermore, attempt to deny equality to all citizens. Invasion of privacy is an issue of people's civil liberties being impeded upon.

Everyone is familiar with how uncomfortable they feel when their liberties are not fully respected. The amount of affection one has for when their privacy is invaded by a parent, a teacher, or an employer, is most likely rather consistent. Most people resent it when they are questioned about their phone calls, when our personal mail is opened and read, or when we face an inquisition after we have been out with a friend.

On a broader scale, subtle invasions of our privacy by government and private enterprise threaten civil liberties. These invasions can intimidate us as individuals, restraining our diversity of thought, our freedom of choice and decision. The previous liberties are our very independence as free men and women.

Two very different views exist on what liberties society has and where the line should be drawn for our individual privacy. Some people would like to intrepid the Constitution as saying the freedom is what comes above all other liberties, others may legitimately recognize a "need to know" by groups such as the government or parents for a particular concern. Both sides make balancing arguments about one of the major issues faced by America today.

Questions

• Do you think the general American population would be willing to allow their privacy to be monitored?
• Would you be willing to sacrifice your privacy to have the confidence that you live in a safer country?
• Do the actions of September 11^th affect how you feel about privacy being monitoring?
• If it is allowed, who should be able to monitor.
• What can be monitored?
• What should be the intention of the people who are monitoring?
• What can be prosecuted?
• How strict should the punishment be if information is gathered using this process?
• How effective do you believe it would be?
• Would the cost be yield anything productive?

Extra Information
Information about invasion of privacy

The following are currently legally accessible:

• Credit history
• Income
• Personal data (Social security number, age, family history, ethnicity, religion, etc.)
• Reading material (magazines, books, etc.)
• Listening preferences
• Motor vehicle information
• Federal, state, and private loans
• Telephone calls
• Medical information
• Insurance information
• Schools records
• Employment history
• Legal hearing and judgments
• Marital History

• Conversation monitoring (Phone Tapping, E-mail, Letters, Personal Conversations, etc.)
• Location monitoring
• Computer activity
• Video surveillance

Previous Actions:
The Privacy Act of 1974
The Privacy Act of 1974 provides safeguards against an invasion of privacy through the misuse of records by Federal agencies. In general, the act allows a citizen to learn how records are collected, maintained, used, and disseminated by the Federal Government. The act also permits an individual to gain access to most personal information maintained by Federal agencies and to seek amendment of any inaccurate, incomplete, untimely, or irrelevant information.

Electronic Communications Privacy Act
In short, the act bans all wire and electronic communications interception and interception of oral communications.

Bibliography

Howlett, Debbie. "Security of a Nation," USA Today 24 Sep. 2001: A7.

Invasion of Privacy, 1 Jan. 1999 CMSU Department of Social Studies, CMSU, 4 October 2001 http://cmsu2.cmsu.edu/~mjb47400/Invasion_of_Privacy/Invasion.htm

Nichols, Larry. Rights Invaded (New York: McGraw, 1997) 75.

Online privacy fears are real, ed. Bob Sullivan, Oct. 2001, MSNBC, 02 October 2001 http://www.msnbc.com/news/491587.asp?cp1=1.

Reitman, Alan. The Price of Liberty (New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1968) 14-132.

Severn, William. The Right of Privacy (New York: Ives Washburn, Inc, 1999) 76-135.

Legalization of Prostitution
Should Prostitution Be Legalized?

Every argument has two sides, including prostitution. Someone can take the side that prostitution exploits people and that it is morally wrong. Others would like to see prostitution legalized. Although it is hard to argue for prostitution it is going to be done no matter what. Legalizing it would make it a lot safer for the prostitute and the customer.

There are numerous reasons why some say prostitution is wrong, they see it as exploiting a person's body. Exploitation occurs when a person is sold for sex. By legalizing prostitution the government would determine rules and regulations required when purchasing another human being for sexual purposes. This would infringe upon one's rights and the government would in turn have some control of the prostitute's bodies. Legalizing prostitution would possibly encourage the practice.

There seems to be many reasons why the government should not legalize prostitution but there are pluses in having it legalized. By seeking licensure in prostitution one would be ensured weekly drug and sexually transmitted disease screenings. This would decrease the number of diseases that are transmitted in prostitution. To obtain a license one would have to be of age, citizens of the United States, uninfected by sexually transmitted diseases, and not consume drugs. Another advantage to legalizing prostitution is getting prostitutes off the streets and into brothels, where they will be protected from physical abuse from their pimps.

In conclusion, it is evident there are strong reasons for both sides and legalizing prostitution will be an on going moral debate. The screenings set up if prostitution was legalized would increase the likelihood of healthy sexual relations. There are negative and positives of to each side of the prostitution argument.

Questions

• What is your first impression of legalized prostitution?
• What reasons do you have to support your opinions?
• Where do people form there opinions of prostitution?
• What effect do you think legalizing prostitution would have on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases?
• Would numbers of people in the field of prostitution change if prostitution were legalized?
• If prostitution were legalized would it be seen as a professional career or considered a taboo?
• How many prostitutes would go and get their licenses if prostitution was legalized?
• Do you think legalizing prostitution would have any effect on the economy?
• How do you think the pimp/prostitution relationship would change with legalization?
• How do you think legalizing prostitution will affect marital affairs?

Bibliography

Ann Landers in favor of legalizing Prostitution. Online. http://www.sexwork.com/subcontents/annlanders.html. Internet. 2 Oct. 2001.

Barrett, Christine. Why the Oldest Profession Should Not Receive a Business License. Online. http://www.cs-journal.org/II3opinion1.html. Internet. 2 Oct. 2001.

Frequently Asked Questions. Yahoo! Health-Ask the Doctor. Online. http://health.yahoo.com/health/expert/drdean/5/10.html. Internet. 2 Oct. 2001.

Levy, Brett. Legalize Prostitution? Online. http://www.princeton.edu/~progrev/99-00/n1_b1.html. Internet. 2 Oct. 2001.

Wright, Wendy. Trafficking of Women and Children. Online. http://www.cwfa.org/library/nation/2001-06-12_un-trafficking.shtml. Internet. 2 Oct. 2001.

Wyllie, Andrew. Should prostitution be legalized? Online. http://www.thefence.com/article.asp?forumid=115. Internet. 2 Oct. 2001.

Stereotypes/Social Norms of Drag Queens

Bibliography

Bonnes, Anne Marie. The Journal. 26 Sept. 2001. 23 Oct. 2001. http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/gallary/student/j20fall00/beam/abonness/drag4-0.html.

Conway, Lynn. "Basic Information on Transgenderism, Transsexualism and Intersexualism." 20 Oct. 2001. 23 Oct. 2001. http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/TS.html.

"NMSU Social Scientist Studies How Dress Helps Define Identity." 26 Sept. 2001. 23 Oct. 2001. http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/news/1998/021398_NMSU.html.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Jim Sharman. Tim Curry. Twentieth Century Fox, 1975.

"Transvestism: Health Topics: UI Health Care." 20 Oct. 2001. 23 Oct. 2001. http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/mentalemotionalhealth/ment3174.html.

Yarborough, Melanie. "Cross dressers and Queens." 20 Oct. 2001. 23 Oct. 2001. http://village.fortunecity.com/carnival/383/tv-queen.htm.

Censorship of Violence in the Media
According to Webster's Dictionary, to "censor" means "to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable." The word "censor" originated in ancient Rome, where the government appointed officials to take the census and to supervise public morals. Censorship happens whenever some people succeed in imposing their political or moral values on others by suppressing words, images, or ideas that they find offensive. Censorship dates back as far as Socrates when he preferred to sacrifice his own life rather than accept censorship of his teachings.

A censor, traditionally, is an official whose job it is to examine literature, movies, or other forms of creative expression and to remove or ban anything she considers unsuitable. In this definition, censorship is something the government does. But censorship can also be accomplished very effectively by private groups.

Not all forms of censorship are illegal. When private individuals agitate to eliminate TV programs they dislike, or threaten to boycott the companies that support those programs with advertising dollars, they are certainly trying to censor artistic expression and interfere with the free speech of others. But their actions are perfectly legal; in fact, their protests are protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

The first amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. " Does censorship then go against the first amendment rights?

Movies and television shows all have ratings on them now. Television ratings include TV-Y which means the program is appropriate for all children and that the program is designed for a young audience, including children from ages two to six. The next rating is TV-Y7 which means the program is directed to older children or ages seven and above. TV-G is designated for General Audiences, even though the program rating isn't specifically designed for children. It may contain little or no violence, no strong language, and little or no sexual dialogue or stimulations. TV-PG stands for Parental Guidance Suggested which means that the material may be unsuitable for younger children. The theme itself may call for parental guidance and the program may contain one or more of the following: moderate violence (V), some sexual situations (S), infrequent coarse language (L), or some suggestive dialogue (D). The TV-14 rating mean that parents are strongly cautioned and that the program contains some material that parents my find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age. The final rating is TV-MA or mature audience only. These programs are designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17.

The movie ratings include, G (general audiences), PG (parental guidance recommended), PG-13 (not suitable for children under the age of 13), R (restricted, under 17 requires accompanying parent or guardian) and NC-17(no child under age of 17 admitted).

Questions

• What do you think about censorship of television, movies, internet, music, books, etc?
• Do you think censorship is needed? Why or why not?
• How do you distinguish between "good" and "bad"?
• Do you think censorship imposes on 1st amendment rights? How?
• Do you think censorship could ever be uniformly regulated?
• How do you think we should go about censoring?
• What are some of your favorite TV shows/movies? Do you know the rating on them? If so, do you agree with the rating?
• The Bible contains language and stories that are inappropriate for children of any age, including tales of incest and murder. There are more than three hundred examples of "obscenities" in the book. What do you think?

Bibliography

"Censorship. " Webster's Dictionary. New Revised Edition. 1997.

Encarta, Censorship, 30 Oct. 2001, http://www.encarta.msn.com/.

Motion Picture Association of America, Movie Ratings and TV Parental Guildlines. 30 Oct. 2001 http://www.mpaa.org/.

National Coalition Against Censorship, 22 Oct. 2001, NCAC On The Issues, 30 Oct. 2001 http://www.ncac.org/.

Censorship of Violence in the Media
Our discussion is aimed at finding out whether or not media influences children in a negative or positive way. Children begin to notice and react to media at a very young age. By the age of three, children will willingly watch a show designed for them 95% of the time and will imitate someone on television just as quickly as they will imitate a live person (Parke and Kavanaugh, 1977). Violence on television has notably increased in the last 25 years, a five year study by the American Psychological Association found that the average child witnesses 8,000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence on television by the seventh grade. About 5 violent acts per hour occur during prime time and 25 violent acts occur during Saturday morning children's programming. Therefore children could be watching about 100 acts of violence on television every week. This must have some effect on the children. Another study, which was done by the AACAP, found that as a result of television violence, children could become immune to the violence and gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems. Many studies have shown that extensive television viewing may be associated with, aggressive behavior, poor academic performance, precocious sexuality, obesity, and the use of drugs or alcohol.Media appears to have a big influence on children's behavior. It is shown in the way children attempt to imitate their favorite music artists by dressing in similar styles. Are television, video games, and music very influential? Or do these violent children learn it from somewhere else? Perhaps the music itself is not such an influential agent, but the artists that the children imitate.

Questions

• Does the media have a negative influence?
• Is it the main influence on children?
• Does violence on T.V teach children?
• Are the school shootings related to violent video games?
• Does music encourage anything?
• Does medias portrayal of the perfect body effect children?
• Is the tobacco industry in the media too much?
• Should parents care what their children see?
• Does the media form views for the children?
• Is the media more educational then hurtful to a child?
• Who do you think should control the violence in video games? Should the parents just not buy the kids the games or should the media stop perpetuating violence? Do the game makers have a moral responsibility to edit the content of their games?
• What do you think causes violence in the schools? Does that mean that violent video games don't have as much influence on children? Do you think this is the same for school shootings?
• Who thinks that violence in the media is a big thing these days?
• What rules or restrictions do you plan to have for your children?
• Do you enjoy the ocassional gorey movie?
• Do you find movies like Scary Movie, Scream, or some other movie funny, sick, or offensive?
• What do you find worse in movies, violence or sexual content? Is there anything that you wish were different about movies these days?

Bibliography

Apa online. http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/violence.html

Children and media violence. http://www.ksu.edu/humec/kulaw.htm

National Institute of media. http://www.mediaandthefamily.com/

Vanir institute of the family. http://www.vifamily.com/