Mayhem : violence as public entertainment
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Mayhem : violence as public entertainment
（A Merloyd Lawrence book）
Addison-Wesley ; Perseus Books, c1998
- : Perseus
Available at 3 libraries
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-181) and index
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
ISBN 9780201489798
Description
In Mayhem, Sissela Bok, our most brilliant moral philosopher, reframes the entire debate over violence in the media.. What is the effect of long-term exposure to media violence on our national character? While almost everyone has a strong opinion on this question, it is usually seen as a hopeless standoff between the threat of censorship and the threat of disintegrating public morality. In Mayhem, Sissela Bok brilliantly reframes the issue, showing that we need not feel so helpless. As in Lying and Secrets, she puts the question in clarifying perspective, and reveals how our ways of dealing with it not only express, but can shape our character and lives. }What is the effect of long-term media violence on our national character? Do we want four-year-olds watching slasher films? Who should decide?While almost everyone has a strong opinion about the profusion of violence-in film, TV, video games, and on line-paralysis sets in when it comes to action. The issue is seen as a hopeless standoff between free speech and preserving public morality. In Mayhem, Sissela Bok reframes the issue. She shows us that we have created a false dilemma and that we need not feel so helpless.Mayhem lays out the arguments and weighs the evidence on each side: the desensitization, fear, and addiction that concern psychologists, pediatricians, and religious groups on the one hand, and, on the other, the threat of censorship invoked by journalists, civil libertarians, and the entertainment industry.
The book gives a vivid historical overview of the debate: from Rome, to nineteenth-century attempts to ban all theater, to censorship of the Internet in Singapore and China, and contrasting views of figures as diverse as Martin Scorsese, Bill Moyers, and Judge Bork.As in Lying and Secrets, she puts this thorny question in clarifying perspective, and shows how our ways of dealing with it not only express, but can shape our character and lives. Finally, she takes up specific and imaginative ways to resolve the dilemma, from private measures for individuals and families to large-scale collective efforts. }
Table of Contents
- The Paradox Of Entertainment Violence
- Feasts of Violence
- Recoil and Recognition
- The Thrill of the Kill
- But Movies Are Not Real
- Transforming Violence
- The Impact Of Media Violence
- Double Takes
- Sizing Up the Effects
- Fear
- Desensitization
- Appetite for More Violence
- Agression
- Censorship
- A Perceived Dilemma
- The Will to Ban and Censor
- Geneva and the Banning of Spectacles
- Singapore, Asian Values, and the Internet
- Journalists and Media Violence
- Adult Rights, Childrens Needs, and the Law
- Opportunities
- Openings for Change
- Caveat Emptor
- Media Literacy
- Collective Action
- National Initiatives.
- Volume
-
: Perseus ISBN 9780738201450
Description
What is the effect of long-term media violence on our national character? Do we want four-year-olds watching slasher films? Who should decide?While almost everyone has a strong opinion about the profusion of violence-in film, TV, video games, and on line-paralysis sets in when it comes to action. The issue is seen as a hopeless standoff between free speech and preserving public morality. In Mayhem, Sissela Bok reframes the issue. She shows us that we have created a false dilemma and that we need not feel so helpless.Mayhem lays out the arguments and weighs the evidence on each side: the desensitization, fear, and addiction that concern psychologists, pediatricians, and religious groups on the one hand, and, on the other, the threat of censorship invoked by journalists, civil libertarians, and the entertainment industry. The book gives a vivid historical overview of the debate: from Rome, to nineteenth-century attempts to ban all theatre, to censorship of the Internet in Singapore and China, and contrasting views of figures as diverse as Martin Scorsese, Bill Moyers, and Judge Bork.As in Lying and Secrets, she puts this thorny question in clarifying perspective, and shows how our ways of dealing with it not only express, but can shape our character and lives. Finally, she takes up specific and imaginative ways to resolve the dilemma, from private measures for individuals and families to large-scale collective efforts.
Table of Contents
The Paradox Of Entertainment Violence * Feasts of Violence * Recoil and Recognition * The Thrill of the Kill * But Movies Are Not Real * Transforming Violence The Impact Of Media Violence * Double Takes * Sizing Up the Effects * Fear * Desensitization * Appetite for More Violence * Agression Censorship * A Perceived Dilemma * The Will to Ban and Censor * Geneva and the Banning of Spectacles * Singapore, Asian Values, and the Internet * Journalists and Media Violence * Adult Rights, Childrens Needs, and the Law Opportunities * Openings for Change * Caveat Emptor * Media Literacy * Collective Action * National Initiatives
by "Nielsen BookData"