Sunday, November 2, 2014

Morals in Media

Whats more american than going to see a movie right? For years it has been an american tradition to go to films, whether they were silent, drive in, or at a local cinema. This past weekend I also took part in this american tradition, and seeing the film Nightcrawler, featuring Jake Gyllenhaal. I would like to devote this sentance to the following, reading anyfurther than the end of this sentance may contain spoilers of the movie Nightcrawler, if you would like to avoid them stop reading now. Now to continue, the movie was about a driven man looking for work, doing things like theivery to get by when he chances on a horrendous car crash. He witness the first responders doing what they can, but its clear that it isn't going to be enough. He then witness a free lance camera crew film the entire thing. The two have an exchange and Gyllenhaal's charecter shows interest in working as a free lance camera man. The story then goes to show Jake's transformation as he delves into the underground world that is urban LA at night. Armed with a police scanner, camera, a camero, and absolutely no boundries, he embarks on a journey that often leads to waiting by the police scanner until hehears something   that he thinks is "news worthy". As the movie progresses the main theme becomes apparent, morals. Jake's charecter is often one of the first responders, and instead of offering to help he instead is soley focused on getting the perfect shot, often getting in the way of first responders and law officals in the process. He even goes so far as to drag a dying man out from under a car so he can get better footage. The movie poses the question "how far will you go to achieve your goals?", and it does so in a very chilling, but realistic way. I think we can all relate to moments in life where there is moral crossroads and the right decision isn't always clear. "Nightcrawler" also asks us a question about preferential media. Charecters can be qouted saying things like "if it bleeds it leads" and "viewers want bad, mostly violent events in good neighborhoods with white victims". The Media Educational Foundation says that "By the time the average child is eighteen, they would have witnessed 200,00 acts of violence and 16,000 murders
". T.V. airs things by viewership, so this a result of trends and not just a random occurance. Is that a healthy trend? While crime rates are reportedly going down across North America the viewership for violent media is only going up. And it's no longer limited to the ten 'o clock new either. Violence in cartoons is also at a high, and over twenty five percent of TV's top shows by rating are violent. Is it healthy to be exposed to so much violence? Is it ok that we seem to enjoy it as a entertainment?

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