Viacom is on the warpath. They got your MTV, and Blockbuster, and even Paramount pictures. Forrest Gump is on the payroll. Any rock band or rap artist who wants to be anything is too. They own your music and your movies and a lot of the television you watch, and pretty soon they’ll probably own all the books you read. They don’t just supply the movies or music, either. First they tell you what you’re going to like- -they lifted Forrest Gump all the way to an Oscar–and then they give it to you. And, if they’re marketing is as good as it usually is, you’re probably going to like it. They rule your tastes. They rule your culture. Viacom is everywhere. Viacom sucks.
Viacom, with billions of dollars in their infantry, is conquering culture. They’re not the only corporate general, though, leading the charge. Time/Warner has a formidable platoon, buying up magazines and chain stores and TV stations. Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, all with so much money they can’t even spend it, just formed a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate called DreamWorks SKG. They want movies and music and TV and computers and anything else that entertains us. They want it all, and IBM and Microsoft and MCA records, among others rounding out the all-star corporate squad, are looking to get in on the deal. The war for cultural dominance is on, with billions and even trillions of dollars on the line. Everyone stand aside. The big guys are here to fight, and fight hard.
Culture is a multi-billion dollar industry. Movies, computers, books, CD’s, theme parks–they’re what Americans spend their money on. Everyone has seen Jurassic Park. Everyone has heard Michael Jackson. Entertainment, and the culture it defines, is something we all share, something that unifies the American, and even world, experience. Little else can or does. Movies, music, TV especially have become the cultural staples of our time. A number one song can make you a millionaire, and some movies become so popular that literally everyone has seen them. Entertainment defines the American scene. It is our culture. It is, then, inevitably a part of everyone’s life, if not only through your pocketbook.
This, then, is what drives the battle to conquer culture–your money. American culture–what America reads, listens to, and watches–grows larger and larger every year, expanding like the Blob(a cultural icon) not only across the country but also across the world.
The Effect of Family Violence on Youth Violence
The Effect of Family Violence on Youth Violence
Everyday, a child witnesses an act of violence. Not on television but in their own home. “Family and home are not havens in which a child finds nurturing and safety, but rather a battleground where fear, anxiety, confusion, anger, and disruption are significant threads in the tapestry of home life,” Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing. Children of family violence are often abusers or victims of abuse themselves. Family violence is a cycle that is very hard to stop. A home is supposed to be a safe place where children learn how to love and relate to others. If they are constantly seeing violence in their parent’s relationship, then they assume that a normal relationship is also filled with violence. Often, children do not understand why the violence occurs and may be afraid to share their emotions because of fear. They may associate love and pain together, because this is witnessed in their home. This could lead to psychological problems and confusion about relationships. Children who witness family violence tend to have behavioral, interpersonal, and emotional problems.
Some of the behavioral problems children of family violence suffer from are aggression, withdrawal, and frustration. Children of family violence are often more violent than other children (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing). Some stress management techniques that children learn are bursts of anger. Violence is learned as an efficient way to solve problems. They often model their parent’s conflict resolution techniques. These children are often withdrawn and internalize their emotions. Most of these children are isolated from their peers. Frequent change of residence could be a cause of children’s isolation from peers (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing). Children of family violence are often frustrated because they can not deal with their problems. Often, their education is disrupted by family violence and they start having problems concentrating at school and with truancy. Most are underachievers as a result of low self-esteem which leads to low participation in class or other school activities (Children’s Services Plan).
Children of family violence also have many interpersonal problems. They usually assume the victim role. Weak and unhealthy relationships are frequent in adults that grew up in violent homes. Children of family violence have trouble forming intimate relationships and have problems understanding others emotions. (Berry 105). “Each year, millions of children witness their mothers being emotionally abused, physically battered, even sexually assaulted by their fathers or other men in the home” (Berry 104).