The Cultivation Theory- Violence on TV

According to Griffin, the violence that exists in the world around us so many times is connected to what one views on television. Dramatic violence, as Griffin refers to it, is “ the overt expression of physical force (with or without a weapon, against self or others) compelling action against one’s will on pain of being hurt and/or killed or threatened to be so victimized as part of the plot” (Griffin 350). In terms of this theory, Griffin believes that so many of the primetime shows that we watch on a regular basis contain violence, with such examples as Lost or CSI, and that these dramas include an average of five traumatic incidents per hour (Griffin 350-51). By the time one graduates from high school, they on average have observed about 13,000 violent deaths on television (Griffin 351).

In regards to what groups are most displayed in these violent acts, whites account for around 50 percent of the center of these violent acts, and women are outnumbered to men in a 3 to 1 ratio (Griffin 351). In one of my favorite primetime dramas, One Tree Hill, I witness at least five traumatic incidents per hour episode, and many times it is the abuse, or even worse, the death of a character. With such messages being displayed in what is supposed to be a show meant for teenage-aged individuals, it is no wonder such immense amount of violence occurs in our society.

I agree with Griffin that much of the time these violent acts are experienced by female members of the casts of these shows. In the video clip that I chose, one of the main characters, Brooke Davis, is recalling her prior attack by a male individual who previously attacked her, and is now fighting back against him in defense of herself and her foster daughter Sam. Although the message of the episode is in some ways a hopeful one, teaching young women the act of self-defense and standing up for oneself, at the same time the violent acts are still being displayed. So I have to ask, is it better to display these types of acts with a hopeful and inspiring message attached to them, or to not display such acts at all? I think many times these shows and networks feel that their ratings would go down or be non-existent without such action and suspense, but for the sake of preventing such acts from occurring in real life, I almost feel myself that it would be better to approach the issues from a different, less violent, angle.

Aristotle's Rhetoric

Even though Aristotle lived in the time of Ancient Greece and over 2,300 years ago his ideas and theories on rhetoric are still relevant today. Aristotle developed a theory that the "available means of persuasion are based on three kinds of proof: logical (known as logos), ethical (known as ethos), and emotional (known as pathos)" (Griffin pg. 280).

This is an audio clip from the movie Legally Blonde proving that even with a small speech that over 2,000 years later Aristotle's views on rhetoric are still prevalent.



Logos is proof of a logical nature that comes from the argument found within a speech and is persuasion based on deductible reasoning. Elle Woods, in the movie Legally Blonde, uses logos in her Harvard graduation speech by first quoting Aristotle and then proving him incorrect by offering her logic from her experience at Harvard.

Ethos is "ethical proof, which comes from the speaker's intelligence, character, and goodwill toward the audience, as these personal characteristics are revealed through the message" (Griffin pg. 283). In the Legally Blonde speech Elle uses ethos because as Professor Stormwell mentions at the beginning of the clip Elle is the graduation class' elected speaker and the professor also mentions that Elle has been invited to be a part of one of Boston's most renowned law firms. The audience of Elle's speech are her peers and it's made obvious that they see the characteristics in Elle that are the same characteristics that build ethos because they choose her to speak and if anyone was weary of her qualifications their doubts should be dismissed because of her job offer.

Pathos is, "emotional proof, which comes from the feelings that speech draw out of those who hear it." If you've seen the entirety of the movie, Legally Blonde, you know that at the beginning when Elle first went to Harvard she was not widely accepted by her classmates based on first impressions. In her speech to her peers she offers advice to them: that first impressions are not always correct, to always have faith in people, and always have faith in yourself. What you cannot hear in the audio clip but can visually see in the movie are the emotions from her classmates that show how far they've come from from first meeting Elle and a deep appreciation for what she has just taught them and the conclusion of her speech is met with a roaring applause.

Bret's First Post

Hello, my name is Bret Schlein and I am a Broadcasting, Telecommunications, + Mass Media (BTMM) student. The BTMM major seems to fit my life well, since my biggest passion in life is music. Ever since I was young, music has naturally been a part of every thing I do. I have even started my own blog, which I mostly use to spotlight different songs and artists. A music video, which I recently posted on my blog, that I greatly enjoy is "Day 'n' Nite (Crookers Remix)" by Kid Cudi.


I interned for the radio station Wired 96.5 last semester. It was great. I learned a great deal of experience in the radio industry and enjoyed every moment of it.

My current goal is to get a job in the promotions department of the radio station, when a position becomes available. Mass communication is an important part my life, because I want to get a job at Wired 96.5. Besides listening to a good deal of music, I also watch plenty of television and try to go to the movie theater whenever possible. From this class, I want to gain knowedge about the BTMM field that will help me for my future career. Since I have had the opportunity to intern at a major radio station, I offer some knowledge in the radio field. I know a little about how the radio affects the public. I also have knowledge in some of the methods that radio stations use to reach the public and to keep their audience listening.

Matt's First Post

Hey everyone, My name is Matt Murphy and I am a Senior Political Science Major. I chose this major, because I like talking about world events and international relations, not so much the local politics of our nation. I love to Snowboard! If I'm not in class or at work I'm probably on the mountain hitting the park. Sometimes I'll go up to New Hampshire or Vermont and board on those mountains. My goal for next year is to get out west and experience the Rocky mountains and some Pow. I am also learning how to ride motorcycles, here is a photo of me on one of my friends R1.














Here's a video of me and some of my friends in Vermont: (Vid soon to come)



Mass communication serves a purpose in my life. I do watch some television shows, I text people, I always listen to the radio. So i have some exposure to mass communications. In terms of snowboarding I do get magazines about snowboarding and I watch movies about it. The reason I took this class is to graduate, but I hope to learn about the various theories surrounding the field of communication so that I am able to think a little deeper while i'm viewing a movie or some sort of message. As for what i can offer the group...I can try to offer my ideas about the subject that come from the readings, but I think I am going to learn a lot more from my group mates than they are of me.

First Post

Hey Guys!
My name is Catherine Cannon and I'm a sophomore BTMM major at Temple. My sophomore year so far has been really awesome. The Phillie's won the world series and I was able to run down to city hall, Obama was elected into office and the Steelers are going to the Superbowl! I was born and raised and Pittsburgh which makes me a die-hard Steelers fan and I cannot wait until Sunday, February 1 for the game!

To the right is a photo and below is a video that combines two of the most incredible parts of my year so far.




When I was first deciding what to major in when I was applying to colleges the only thing that made any sense to me was the field of communications. Communication and especially mass communication is such an important part of my life and honestly it's almost sad to say that I'm not sure how I could survive without the internet, television, newspapers, etc. I am a very type A, energetic person and having media and so many forms of communication at my fingertips is just so exciting to me. I like to know all the information and right when it happens and the different forms of mass communication make that easy for me. However even with all the positives that mass communication gives to me I would have to agree with Sarah that there are flaws with the day by day development of mass communication. Life seems to have become more and more interpersonal which is something that worries me. In the United States we are all already in a mindset of each man for his own and mass communication seems to have impacted the interpersonal relationships even more strongly in a negative sense where we see less and less physical human interaction. But I have hope for us.

I'm really excited to be taking this class this semester and getting to know everyone. So far in my experiences at Temple my favorite classes each semester are those that are contributing to my major so I hope this is a similar experience. I also hope to gain an even greater understanding of the field of communication so I can walk away with a great education (as I'm sure everyone does in whatever the pursue). But yes, enough rambling. See you in class!

A little about me!

Hello Everyone! My name is Asa James Carr and I am a junior Communications major at Temple University. I believe it is safe to say my daily schedule, and routine are openly embedded with multiple facets of mass communication. As far as my own individual experiences with it, there are many. To start I get my day going by watching the morning news, or Sportscenter, then its sports radio again on the way to work or school. Then throughout the day, I am either texting on my phone, checking sports updates, emailing etc. Therefore, as you can see mass communication is a huge part of my life. Aside from that, it also affects me in my plans. I have an A.A in journalism, and fully intended on becoming a sports writer. Growing up my favorite thing to do was reading the paper. However, with the dawning of the technological boom that industry has all but dried up. Soon, only a few select papers will remain, and the internet will control most of the news. Which in reality does not bother me, but more than anything just brings about a sense of sadness. I already feel that as a country we have gotten away from core values, and ways of life that once uniquely defined us. Moreover, the dependency on technology and the separation it causes to the everyday interactions goes hand and hand with the shift in lifestyle. However, for me to sit here and label technology the devil would be irresponsible, and hypocritical. I feel once a system is in place to regulate content on the web, it can become an even more beneficial entity.

Wow! I know I sound like a confused, pessimistic individual; however, that is the complete opposite. And, that is why I am particularly stoked about taking this class. It will allot me the opportunity to filter out the misconceptions, and help develop, and legitimize my opinions regarding mass communication, and technology in particular. I feel that I have many important experiences to bring to the table. Outside of being an avid user of technology in my leisure time, I also have experience using it for work. You see I worked as a sports writer for a long while and also blog about sports as well. I thoroughly enjoy writing, and it is safe to say I am a tad obsessed with sports (Baseball leads the packs). In summation, I look forward to a semester with everybody, and hope we have a fun, eventful, worthwhile experience.

Asa

First Post About Myself

Hi All! My name is Sarah Sibel and I am a senior Communications Major at Temple Ambler. I'll start off with a little bit about myself. I enjoy singing, acting, skiing, and golfing. I also love music, movies, spending time with my family and friends, watching and going to sporting events, going to the beach, playing poker, and basically just having a good time. I have one older sister and no pets, but I love dogs. The video that I decided to include is a music video by an up and coming artist named Kate Voegele. I chose this because I love her music and I love to sing myself, and I think she is amazing live in concert, but I think it is a cool video of one of my favorite songs by her. Enjoy!



I believe mass communication to be important to my life, because without it, life would be that much more difficult, but like everything else, it has its pros and cons. In terms of identity and relationships, I believe that many times people rely too much on technology and certain forms of mass communication to associate with one another, and this takes away from the closeness and caring factor among people in so many cases. I think that mass communication is obviously a huge factor in helping work to be accomplished more quickly and efficiently, but to rely solely upon technology too just makes society lazy to a certain point. It is my belief that mass communication should help support our lives, but not completely hinder us from living them to the best of our ability outside of the technological world.

In terms of this class, I would like to gain a better understanding of why people communciate the way they do nowadays, and why technology has to completely take over our lives, rather than just supplement them. I think that I will be able to contribute my own personal experiences with the growing technology and how it has affected my life and society in general today, as well as my own understanding of how some of this technology works. I look forward to how this class will pan out and how the different perspectives of people will bring together the different concepts behind mass communication.