A new technique

Whilst revising my notes from last year on Media censorship and regulation, I have discovered a rather useful technique in helping to process information and also getting invovled with the subject on a more personal level which I feel is beneficial for learning. Whilst reading a section where a man claimed that the apparent 'underclass' shouldn't be subjected to violent movies because it could cause a direct influence, I decided to put myself in his shoes and write a speech based on his views despite not actually holding much interest in his beliefs:

'It has come to my attention that we have become a society in which everyone, regardless of their sensitivity, intellect and background are allowed access to and can see things through the same eyes as citizens with higher sensibilities. This is especilaly true of the media where the 'underclass' are being influenced by films they watch, music they listen to and magazines they read in a highly negative manner. How can we expect these young delinquets to understand these media forms that confront serious issues and which portray violence with anyhting less than a literal eye. They are inspired rather than repulsed by the gangsters in the pictures and they inspire to be the gangsters in the pictures they watch.' They do not understand irony or representation or the film as a medium but rather are engrossed merely by the action on the screen. Whilst admittedly great films like Taxi Driver can be seen by citizens of worth who understand that it is an exploration of the loneliness of human beings and isolation from society, the underclass see only guns and death and are excited solely by the visual content of the film. I say that whilst films like Taxi Driver are being shown to people who do not understand its principles, then they should ceize to be shown at all, and then not the run the risk of exciting the labido of the wild.'

I then thought up of a response speech, putting myself in the shoes of someone who was very much against this idea.

'I would like to start by saying that I find the evidence which which you have deemed parts of our society to be an 'underclass' extraordinary. How you know or can be aware of how so-called people from an underclass think or feel about anything is beyond me. Needless to say I have seen little research or evidence to link everyday violence to the media and the research I have seen evidently means very little. An underclass to me it seems is merely a term that has come about from the insecurities of a nation who want to reassure themselves that they are greater than the sum of their parts. It is only they who can appreciate high art and culture, and only they who understand the principles of the media. Well whilst 'they' might think this is so, I would like to remind you all that movies are a medium for the masses and that until concrete evidence is found that provides a profound link between acts of 'underclass' violence and their representation from the media, such accusations should ceize to exist.


I found this task quite liberating because it made me think creatively about the subject matter and increased my interest level through getting to grips with the mind set of each individual and each side of the argument.