Is media corrupting our youth?

VitaminZinc made an interesting journal entry a while back that I would like to elaborate on in a slightly different context with a different culture as an example. The phenomenon is not constrained to one country though and similar problems are likely present in other societies as well.

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I think Japan is being influenced, more so than they are willing to admit, by the media and their degenerate/otaku culture!

It seems that in just almost every anime I see these days there is always some reference to the protagonist having stockpiles of dirty magazines stashed away somewhere in his (or her) room. This itself isn’t the main issue though; I am getting SO SICK of hearing parents or friends say “well… it is normal for someone his age to have these” condoning the behavior and leading the viewer to conclude that this is entirely acceptable behavior. Some even go farther and interject that it would be odd for a child of his or her age not to have these magazines. These are middle school students (occasionally high school) most of the time also — am I the only one that finds this strange?

It is starting to appear that Japanese television is attempting to turn all their males into sex crazed perverts, implying that if they aren’t avidly reading erotic magazines by their middle school years something must be wrong with them. It is almost like the recent trend that went around in the United States (probably the rest of the world as well) making everyone believe they needed to get rid of their virginity as quickly as possible as if it were a disease.

There is also an increasing trend of more and more anime being ecchi each season, a trend which correlates to the increase in production of ecchi manga. As more and more individuals are brought up on this sort of entertainment those are the sorts of stories and themes they will likely write about in their own works and cycle will only continue to perpetuate itself. I don’t think this problem is limited to the anime and manga viewing public either as this phenomenon will likely filter down throughout their entire society over time.

I am a little worried about Japan’s (and the rest of the world’s) future if this continues…

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You're right.

You should probably stop watching anime altogether.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I am a little worry about Japan too, since according survey, Japanese have the least sex as people in the world, and is on the way to population decline due to low birth rates. Mass Media is the least of your concerns.

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Originally Posted by Magi

I am a little worry about Japan too, since according survey, Japanese have the least sex as people in the world, and is on the way to population decline due to low birth rates. Mass Media is the least of your concerns.

Maybe this is why the media is trying to increase all the males libidos. I was of the impression that unprotected sex, teen pregnancies, and abortions were at an all time high though.

Originally Posted by DieSeLFueLeD

If I were a parent I'd have MTV blocked. Not because the material is too adult but because it teaches kids to be spoiled, selfish fucking idiots who cry when their dad doesn't get P Diddy for their Sweet 16 despite their father already spending like over a grand on the whole ordeal. And don't even get me started on shit like Teen Mom.

I probably wouldn't have any televisions in my house, as I am starting to believe the onslaught of reality television (among other programming) is starting to brainwash and ultimately erase individuals' identities.

Sadly, no matter what a parent does though they still have to worry about their children adopting their classmates idiosyncrasies once they start school. I've heard countless stories from others about how spoiled and demanding some children are being forced to become in order to fit in nowadays. I remember one person told me about her younger sister who was in middle school and needed a ~$1,000 Louis Vuitton handbag because everyone else had one and she would be picked on and teased if she didn't.

How ya doing, buddy?

Media should be limited to children of any sort. I would encourage letting children only use one medium of entertainment as much as each other, ie. you can only watch tv this week if you read a book next week, or use the internet, or play a game, etc.

Anyways, population decline, premarital sex, and abortions are characteristic of almsot all developed nations, not just Japan. Head out of ass, please. Our own American population would be shrinking as well if it weren't for Mexicans and Mormons.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I admit I don't know much about what's on television these days, particularly for kids. We haven't had cable in more than a year. We watch PBS when we turn on the tv for the most part, so I can't say whether or not I agree with any "media" for children specifically. All I know is that the television will be "limited use" entertainment for our kids. There are educational shows that I think helped mold a lot of our minds as kids, but most of it, from the limited amount I've seen, is garbage.

I would much rather my kids go outside and play, using their imagination in lieu of having their imagination overridden by some crap television programs. When I was a kid, we were limited to 2 hours of television per day, but we never really used it all. We were always outside playing if it was light out, even in below freezing weather.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by DieSeLFueLeD

If I were a parent I'd have MTV blocked. Not because the material is too adult but because it teaches kids to be spoiled, selfish fucking idiots who cry when their dad doesn't get P Diddy for their Sweet 16 despite their father already spending like over a grand on the whole ordeal. And don't even get me started on shit like Teen Mom.

Television only teaches your kids to be dumb assholes if you yourself are a shitty enough parent not to teach them otherwise.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by DieSeLFueLeD

Oh if only good parenting was the end-all be-all of a kid's development.


On a similar note I saw the trailer for this (look I have shitty comcast cable that plays ads for shows on affiliated networks):


God this awful shit makes me feel prudish and old.

Haha, that show looks prudish and old compared to the UK version of Skins.

I think the damage tv can do to kids is entirely related to parents' ability to mitigate that. Kids tv is pretty crap but then it always has been. Certainly American stuff is slightly worse, if only because it often portrays a lifestyle so completely removed to anything you'd see in the UK, but our kids tv is pretty crappy too. I think if anything though a lot of kids tv suffers from being overly preachy and moralistic, rather than corrupting. Bullies always get their comupance, the kids who smoke and drink are always the losers and everything basically turns out ok in the end. Bring back the glory days of Grange Hill where kids got bullied to death and took acid at school, at least it was vaguely like real life.

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Originally Posted by DieSeLFueLeD

Oh if only good parenting was the end-all be-all of a kid's development.

I don't think anyone here is claiming that, and I might just be reading your comment wrong, but to downplay the importance of good parents in a child's upbringing is alarming. Having good parents can be the difference between watching Snooki for laughs or watching Snooki for tips on social interaction.

And for the record, I don't think media alone corrupts youth. Exposure to shitty media can certainly amplify corruption that's already taken place, but I don't think that shitty media alone can really do much compared to other factors, namely a child's parents, peers, and home life. This isn't the rule of course, there are always exceptions.

How ya doing, buddy?