Robert Bowie

Patricia Sayles
ENGL 1301-704/Online
14 April 2014
Children, Culture, and Television: A Curable Epidemic
When Mom and Dad think of childhood, images of bicycle adventures, baseball games,
and secret clubhouses flicker past like scenes from some classic American movie, right? Parents,
wake up! Children and teenagers now spend more time withmedia (more than seven hours a
day) than they do sleeping (Strasburger 538), with a reported 59% of that time engaged in
watching live television (539). Classic American movie? The kids saw the remake on satellite;
they changed the channel! Now, children immerse themselves in an infectious alternate world of
television, where they see everything from Justin Biebers newest arrest to the newest and most
violent videogames, to how to eat anything and still look like Kate Upton. Mainstream television
programming in American popular culture distorts childrens perceptions of reality by displaying
violence filled content, damaging race/gender stereotypes, and misleading food advertisements;
therefore, stronger federal regulation must be adopted for television intended for children.
To understand childrens susceptibilities to television, a comprehension of how children
translate media into action, is required. Several models exist for how individuals process and
understand media; among the more prominent is the Cultivation Theory. This theory holds that
television viewing significantly assists in creating or cultivating a view of reality that is biased
toward the highly formulaic and stylized narrative content of television (OGuinn and Shrum
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279-80). To elaborate, what this means is that according to the Cultivation Theory, the more
television that a person watches the more consistent their view of reality will be with the reality
displayed, or the real world becomes more like the TV world (OGuinn and Shrum 280).
Additionally, a number of psychologists research finds children between the ages of four
and eleven mimic behavior up to nineteen times an hour (Seehagen and Herbert 113;
Abramovitch and Grusec 64). Consequently, the idea of the Cultivation Theory and childrens
proven compulsion toward mimicking behavior should be cause enough, for an immediate
change in regulations concerning television content intended for children. However, curing this
outbreak of infective television content that has swept the population in modern years requires
a clear illustration of the unsound content.
First, reckless and brutal acts of violence can be seen by children in nearly every episode
of the popular cartoon, Ben 10: Omniverse. In the show, a teenage boy named Ben Tennyson is,
with a device called the Omnitrix, able to morph into one of thirty-one different creatures. Each
creature, with its own specialized attributes, and the help of an alien sidekick named Rook
(Ben 1) deliver a constant barrage of violence on a daily basis. Take, for example, the episode
Charmed, Im Sure. Within the first minute, a magical skeleton creature named Zsskayr, shoots
a beam weapon at Charmcaster, a schizophrenic witch, making her dematerialize. Next, at nine
minutes into the show, a vicious shootout begins with countless bipedal pumpkin-headed
creatures, and thirty of the creatures are shot, burned, or blown up. Then, at thirteen minutes,
Bens group of protagonists has a savage battle with two robots, a large bipedal wolf creature,
and a clone of Ben, entailing repeated punches, kicks, a staff weapon, and both projectile and
beam weapons. All four opposing entities die violently. Next, at fifteen minutes and forty
seconds, Bens group shoots beam weapons and laser arrows at a large group of the bipedal
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pumpkin-headed creatures. Immediately after this, at sixteen minutes thirty seconds,
Charmcaster turns against Bens group and fiercely shoots beam weapons at them, ruthlessly
shooting Rook in the back. Following, at eighteen minutes eighteen seconds, Charmcaster fires a
beam weapon at Ben and a child. Then, she proceeds to open fire on the group as a whole.
Finally, at nineteen minutes forty seconds, Rook and companion Hobble hurl unmarked vials and
beakers of volatile chemicals at Charmcaster, causing her to dematerialize.
Incredibly, all of the graphic violence described, occurred in an episode only twenty-two
minutes and thirty-one seconds long, but showed approximately 130 separate acts of violence
(Shooting, being shot, punching, kicking, and even biting). This averages out to images of
violent acts being displayed once every 10.39 seconds. From this example, one can begin to
imagine the horrible ramifications if a child were to attempt to mimic even a fraction of the
violence displayed in Ben 10: Omniverse. Alone, violence is a highly contagious issue; however,
adding racial and gender role stereotypes makes modern television content hazardously virulent.
Next, in the seemingly innocuous childrens show Phineas and Ferb, alarming racial and
gender role stereotypes are presented and reinforced to children. The animated show centers on
two step-brothers, Phineas and Ferb, who solve problems with whimsical schemes and
inventions. To illustrate the negative stereotypes exhibited, take, for example, the episode The
Bully Code/Finding Mary McGruffin. Immediately, a gender role stereotype for adolescent girls
is evident in Candace Fletcher (Phineas and Ferbs sister). She exists as a self absorbed and
whining girl obsessed with the color pink, sibling rivalry, and a teenage boy named Jeremy.
Throughout the show, shrill demands and erratic behavior indoctrinate young girls with this
disturbing stereotype. Mixed with the gender role stereotype for girls is an underlying body
image stereotype that all women and girls are thin; as evidenced by near complete lack of
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overweight female characters. Another troubling gender role stereotype propagated by this
show is that boys solve problems while girls create them. Phineas and Ferb always have
solutions and explanations for problems, with clever engineering and for the most part, sound
logic. While, on the other hand, Candace is always creating embarrassing situations, and
hopelessly trying to get out of them.
Equally, many troubling racial stereotypes are present, as well. For instance, Baljeet
Tjinder, Phineas and Ferbs Indian friend, is repeatedly portrayed as nerdy and having a very
heavy accent, effectively instilling a belief among children that all Indians are this way. In
addition, another racial stereotype seen is that Asian characters are always logical and have
solutions, as evidenced by Stacey Hirano, Candaces friend. Stacy, clearly of Asian descent, is
displayed as the voice of reason when Candace makes one of her blunders, and while submissive
to Candace usually helps in some way. However, the most disturbing racial stereotype found, is a
vast difference in Caucasian characters versus other ethnicities. Out of the 222 characters ever
shown on the show, only 2.7% are African American; 1.35% are of Latin descent, and all other
races comprise of only 4.5%, leaving a disturbing 91.45% Caucasian American majority
portrayed as normal (Disney 1-28). These negative stereotypes in American cartoons [with]
unconscious female discrimination and innocent racism (Burguera 65), combined with
displays of violence are clearly a damaging disease. However, modern food advertising is the
contagion that turns this viral television into a true epidemic.
Finally, and arguably, the most important, modern television content contains misleading
and unhealthy food advertisements, directed squarely at children, which lead to obesity. A clear
example forms through examination of the Mc Donalds commercial, Adventure Time at Mc
Donalds. With Seussian narration, animated characters created by Mc Donalds Corporation,
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collectively called Ferris Funky Farm, all run into a barn. Next, an arm wrestle ensues between
an ant and an octopus (Note that apple wedges are near center, in focus; while French-fries and
Chicken Mc Nuggets are far right, out of focus). A celebration ensues, as the narrator proclaims
that the ant wins apples and milk, and there is a view of the victorious ant lifting a bottle of milk
over its head. At nineteen seconds, the first non-animated video of Mc Donalds Happy Meal
food is shown, while the narrator distractingly introduces Adventure Time (a popular childrens
cartoon) characters, Finn and Jake. The two climb onto the table where the food is, and begin
dancing on the table, while a mother and two children dance around. Then, as the commercial
ends a view of the set of Adventure Time toys is shown along with a full Happy Meal.
Incidentally, this commercial lasted thirty seconds, while displaying only seven seconds
of actual images of food, and the narrator never mentions any food other than apples and milk or
nutritional information. Mc Donalds cleverly fills the commercial with fast animation, while
placating parents with the key line apples and milk repeatedly, all the while hooking children
with popular cartoon-themed toys. These damaging commercials play on children
susceptibilities to advertising by presenting a reward, toys, for going to Mc Donalds. While
parents justify knowing unhealthy food with the logic that Happy Meals come with apples and
milk. A statistically proven connection with the consumption of fast food and obesity in
children exists, and is evidenced in the California Healthy Kids Survey, in 2009 (McDonald
103), wherein, results prove that children that went to school within five-hundred yards of a Mc
Donalds were more prone to obesity. Additionally, it had been shown that increased television
viewing promotes sedentary behavior, and has been directly linked to childhood obesity, as well
(Montoye et al. 395). These misleading commercials have a myriad of negative effects, which all
end with children eating unhealthy food and becoming obese. Therefore, together with violence
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and negative stereotypes, misleading advertising in popular television content is distorting
childrens perceptions of reality. Even so, there are those who oppose stronger regulation for
television.
Critics to stronger federal regulation for television, such as media corporations, artists,
and teenage audiences (Wilson) lean on the United States First Amendment (freedom of speech
and press) and a grand idea of self-censorship, to assert that firmer regulation for television is
unconstitutional and unneeded. Opponents cite the 1996 Supreme Courts ruling in Denver Area
Educational Telecommunications Consortium, Inc. vs. The Federal Communications
Commission; wherein, the Court upheld service providers right to broadcast explicit content on
television (within certain guidelines), because federal regulations were too broad, infringing on
childrens First Amendment rights (DiGiose 469-72). Critics fail to see, that, while the decision
fell on the side of lesser content regulations, the Courts prior rulings on protecting childrens
interests were very pro-regulation; also, the Court noted that this ruling was due to lack of
evidence (Digose 471-2), rather than critics professed support of the Constitution.
Also, the opposition holds that television content choices ultimately reside with the
viewer; hence, the idea of self-censorship. The mind-set is that if one is disturbed by television
content, simply change the channel. A poignant example illustrating this championing of the idea
of self-censorship is a letter written to the editor of the Washington Post, in which a woman
opposed to television censoring states, it takes very little strength to turn the [TV] off or switch
to another channel (Brown A10; Kenna 40). To refute critics self-censorship claims, one need
only look to studies [that] have foundheavy television viewing correlates with higher
estimates of crime and violence (OGuinn and Shrum 280), propagation and reinforcement of
negative stereotypes (Burguera 74), and misleading advertising that leads to obesity (Montoye et
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al. 395). In simple terms, the opposition overlooks that children may not yet possess critics
high-minded patriotism, or the sharpened cognitive skills needed, in order to simply change the
channel.
Presently, concerned parents and citizens alike are urged to take note of dangerous
television content, write their local representatives, and start petitions, all demanding stronger
federal regulation of television content. Federal Law stipulates that the Congress may
specifically require a rule or the initiation of the rulemaking process (Rulemaking). In other
words, Congress can force the Federal Communications Commission to change its television
regulations for childrens content, but this can only succeed if citizens demand their
representatives act. Lastly, Federal Law also stipulates the Federal Communications
Commission must respond to public petitions asking to issue, modify, or rescind a rule
(Rulemaking). However, petitions cannot guarantee action, as a declaration from Congress can.
The danger is realtherefore, concerned citizens must take a stand, and write their local
representative, in order to adopt stronger federal regulations.
In conclusion, it has been shown that modern television content is distorting childrens
perceptions of reality and is a clear danger. Combined with the stated effects of the Cultivation
Theory, childrens compulsion to mimic behavior explains childrens susceptibilities to
television content. Next, the clear illustration of violence filled content, damaging race/gender
stereotypes, and misleading food advertisements were all made. Finally, a purposed course of
action was outlined, including identifying damaging content, writing local representatives, and
starting petitions. In closing, simply put, if concerned parents and citizens do nothing to cure this
epidemic of poisonous television content for children, then who will?
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Development 49.1 (1978): 60-5. JSTOR. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
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