The Media: Quick to Make Famous, Quicker to Destroy

Except for some elderly adults who despise technology, there is hardly anyone with access to the Internet who has not heard of the Kony 2012 movement. The media has made it an overnight sensation with millions of viewers. Quite recently the YouTube hit video has gotten the media stamp of approval—up until now. Today when Kony 2012 is typed into Google over half of the pages that come up are about the creator of the video, Jason Russell, who was arrested for public masturbation just last week. The media is like that two-faced friend that plays both sides and is quick to turn around and stab in the back. Because of Russell’s public display of his “wee-he-woo-who,” the beliefs of a few have spiraled into the beliefs of many thanks to the media. With such a viral video also comes a big crowd of judges. Now when people hear “Kony 2012” they think of Jason Russell’s arrest and believe it is a reflection of Invisible Children. The opinions of some have been mediafied (a misleading blow up of an issue in the media) and convinced others who were once supporters of “Kony 2012” to question its credibility. It is simply amazing how fast the media can make people’s question their views, and even more incredible is how those same views are thought to be justified.

            It is an unrealistic idea to believe everyone is perfect (except Mother Teresa of course), but it is even worse to judge people’s life work on a single incident of bad judgment. There is no reason to go from being a Kony advocate one night to waking up the next morning despising Russell’s cause. Once more, the media has built up an irrational idea. The idea that one man’s personal incident should be reflect a whole group of people. The Invisible Children organization is one that has thousands of employees and millions of supporters all of which are independent of any personal decision members choose to make. A famous “Pirates of the Caribbean” quote says, “One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness.” In the case of Russell, one bad deed should not be enough to condemn a man of a lifetime (or eight years at least) of goodness, but the media does not care about influencing the public’s opinions.

            The capture of Joseph Kony is not any less important because the appointed “leader” of the movement had a mental breakdown. How the public views Russell after his arrest directly relates to how they view the Invisible Children organization now, but that should not be the case. Children are still being abducted, mutilated, and killed for no reason at all. It is understandable to view Jason Russell differently and take any future videos from him completely serious because of his actions (look at girlfriend beater Chris Brown), but it is a radical leap to question the organization solely with this as evidence. The media has a reputation of bring people up to a level of fame with positive attention to destroying them as soon as they screw up. 

Becker, Jacob. "Lights Shined Too Bright On Russell." Pipe Dream. 20 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
Lights Shined too Bright on Russell 

As a writer for the Binghamton University's newspaper Pipe Dream, the author tries to explain how the pressure of the media can influence even the strongest people to break down. He uses Russell as the perfect example of how the media made him famous over night and also destroyed him in the same amount of time. The author also admits that although it is natural to not take Russel as seriously as before, it is wrong to judge the organization he represents based on his actions that night. His article talks about the way the media is now contributing to people having unjust opinions of Invisible Children. The media is using their power to keep ideas of unwarranted doubt spreading among the people and continuing to add pressure to Russell and others lives who made once bad mistake.

Because Every Viewer Wants to be Pregnant too, Right?

                        Does society really want to live out the shows they see on television or is it merely a fictitious idea brought on by media hype? MTV’s reality show “16 and Pregnant” has not only the viewers of the show talking about it, but also non-viewers. The theory behind the media madness is if young viewers watch the show, they will want to be teen parents too because the show “glamourizes” teen pregnancy. The media’s extremist views are persuading others to see things that way as well. I was never informed that fighting with a boyfriend and having no money is considered the good life now according to the media’s idea. Last time I checked I was not running around trying to get pregnant after watching a “16 and Pregnant” episode nor did I see any of my friends doing it either. Since the beginning of the first season, individual reports of how the shows “corrupt teen girls” has quickly spread to concerned parents. “I want to get pregnant, be on ‘16 and Pregnant,’ and make millions from MTV just like Kailyn and Janelle are.” This is the kind of statement parents fear their children will make, but then there is no evidence to prove this is what is happening. The only reason parents are having this idea in their heads is because it is being feed to them by the media. Being on a popular television network like MTV might have people thinking they are millionaires (Pauly D reportedly brings in thousands of dollars per episode of “Jersey Shore”—or was it each time he says "OH YEAH!"), but that is far from the honest truth.

            While it is true that in the girls’ final thoughts at the end of the show tell how their babies have given them a new joy in life, the media has used this as an example to tell parents it is encouraging their children to do what they see on television. But apparently the media has missed the second part of the statement when the teen moms say, “It has been very hard, and I wish I would have waited until after high school and college!” In one episode of “16 and Pregnant” people have received well beyond their recommended daily intake of vitamin stress and folic tears. The cast members constantly have to fight with their boyfriends for either not having a job, partying too much, or not helping out with the baby. In addition, they show the girls barely getting sleep and not being able to go to the parties they want to because they have to take care of a baby. So why has this show become so popular with teenagers? Like any reality television show, people like watching people’s sucky lives because it makes them feel better about their own. It is a way to be involved in drama without actually having to fight or cry. Teenagers would say that if anything the show makes them want to put off having children until they are financially and emotionally stable. Unlike the adults buying into the media hype, they do not agree with what it suggests.

            In the United States, teen pregnancies have been decreasing for several years now, and after watching the show a few times it is hard not to memorize the sponsored website itsyoursexlife.org. The website, started by MTV, encourages the use of contraceptive methods as well as explains the various types, and advice to teens on how to take control of their life so they do not ruin it by having a baby too early. Both MTV’s show “16 and Pregnant” and itsyoursexlife.org are supposed to go hand-in-hand to advocate the importance of using birth control and most importantly staying baby-free until after being stable. Such positive approaches on as a way to deter teen pregnancy has been met with negative media attention (like Amber’s domestic violence arrest and Janelle’s drug use) and are brainwashing the public. Because one critic thought the show promotes sex by bringing the subject up with young viewers, others have mindlessly hopped on the wagon. The media’s views have distorted the real motives behind the show. They have gathered a herd of freaked out parents that worry if their child watches the show they will want to go get knocked up. Although it is nothing but a flawed theory, the media has hyped it up as factual.

Abbott, Francie. “MTV’s 16 and Pregnant – The Controversy.” Suite 101. 3 Mar. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.

MTV's 16 and Pregnant - The Controversy

Focusing on creative writing and with a bachelors in English, the author discusses the common idea of how MTV is glamorizing teen pregnancy and how it relates to the public's views. In the article, she makes it a point to illustrate all the bad things that happen to cast members during the show. She uses this as a way to disprove the ideas many believe that the show is bad for teens. The article provides a list of many controversial questions asked about the show in the news and uses the cast’s lives as a way to discredit them. Her ideas help shine a light on the other side of the media’s view of teen corruption by “16 and Pregnant” and gives a better outlook on what teens actually watching the show feel about it.

The Autism Shot, Fact or Fiction?

            When baby Jessica is born in the United States, her parents will chose to vaccinate her believing that it will protect her against future harmful pathogens. But although her parents think she is safe, the reality is she may not be. Because other parents are refusing to vaccinate their children, preventable diseases can more easily come in contact will young infants and cancer patients unable to be vaccinated. Unbeknownst to many new parents, the decade long debate over the possible link of vaccines and autism (even though the U.S. Court of Federal Claims has ruled none exist) has inspired numerous enthusiasts to not vaccinate their children. As media attention continues to instill doubt and mistrust of vaccines in the minds of the public, more people are against the use of vaccines. This selfish decision puts not only their own child at risk, but also evidently the lives of many others. In a time of medical breakthroughs, cutting edge technology and in a developed country, there is no reason children should not be vaccinated for fear of “catching” autism.

            Since newborns cannot receive all their recommended shots at once, older children or adults who could have been but were not vaccinated can pass deadly diseases (even though they were once preventable diseases thanks to vaccines) to the newborns and cause them serious harm. For parents to take a chance on their own child’s life is bad enough, but it is a completely different matter when they are responsible for the death of a child that should not have happened in the twenty-first century United States. These countless parents of autistic children are quick to jump on the “Vaccines Gave My Child Autism” train without acknowledging the various studies that prove otherwise. In fact, it is thanks to the media that the flawed and fraudulent research linking vaccines to autism has continued to be believed and used as proof. Parents are banning together to post blogs and get the word out that their child has autism because of a shot they received at three months. Did they ever stop to think that their child had autism before being vaccinated and just showed no symptoms? Probably not. Researchers have found that autism is more than likely due to genetics rather than the environment, but that does not stop the media from continually publishing the perceived negative side effects like autism. Because of the vast difference in the severity of autism, it is not always possible to diagnose infants in autism since they have not begun doing math, speak, or even lift their heads up.

            But then there is also the set of extremists they say, “How else can the rise in autistic children be explained?” I am here to admit that although it is entirely possible that autism is becoming more frequent by something humans control (like vaccines), it is extremely more probable to recognize that new medical advances has allowed for better detection of autism (which would result in a higher percentage of the population being diagnosed). Just because breast cancer has been diagnosed more over the years does not mean there were fewer cases forty years ago. It is all thanks to new screenings and tests available, so why should autism be seen any differently? In fact, many scientists question if there is even a rise in the “autism epidemic” at all because throughout the years there has been increased attention to the condition resulting in an improved autism spectrum that mixes many different conditions together. Parents are always going to worry about their children (I would only hope that’s natural), but the media explosion of the “effects of vaccines and autistic children” need to end. They are purposely causing fear and panic by continuing to tell stories about children being diagnosed with autism after having vaccinations. Instead of exposing the stories of parents who already had autistic children before vaccinating them and making it a mission to unveil the truth behind the initial falsified research, they will not stop suggesting there is a link. Although there have been no direct links of vaccines to autism, and it is time to keep vaccine-preventable diseases away from children that could fall prey to them.

Mooney, Chris. “Why does the Vaccine/Autism Controversy Live On?.” Discover Magazine. 6 May 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2012.
Why Does Vaccine Autism Controversy Live On

As an a New York Times bestselling author of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future and Yale graduate, the author discusses how countless medical studies have failed to provide evidence that vaccines cause autism. Throughout the article Mooney uses science to explain the possible causes of autism that include them being largely due to genetics rather than environmental. He blames the media for hyping up the nonexistent link between the two for people thinking autism is on the rise solely because of vaccines. The article helps to counteract the influenced opinions of many parents and helps them question what they were once told.