Films Such as "The Ad and the

¶ … films such as "The Ad and the Ego" that the media contributes much towards mind-control in 21st century America. Indeed, many of the things feared by Americans are shown to be exaggerated images the media creates on a daily basis. Glassner for example shows crime to be one of these ungrounded fears, and obscure illness as another. Crime is a problem, and illness is a pervasive phenomenon, but the point is that these are do not display the unmitigated growth suggested by the media.

It is possible that gun-violence and the problem of illegal gun possession fall in the same category. On the other hand however, it cannot be denied that gun violence does play a devastating role in society, if not as prominent a role as suggested by the media. Films such as "Bowling for Columbia" for example addresses the American psyche and its apparent need for violence and mayhem. The need for guns may indeed be directly related to a disproportionate fear of violence.

This fear is exacerbated by media reports of violence not only in the United States, but also around the world. The public concept and related fear of crime becomes disproportionate to the actual occurrence of crime (Glassner). And this in turn creates the perception that the public needs to be armed in order to protect people against the many unapprehended criminals. This of course leads to unnecessary violence such as accidents, or unforeseen violence such as children having access to parents' weapons in the home.

The problem thus lies in the perception of crime rather than the phenomenon itself. This perception launches a dark cycle: perceived crime leads to increased gun possession, which in turn leads to increased gun-related violence. This often involves otherwise law-abiding citizens and even children. It is thus clear that the problem needs to be addressed in order to prevent yet another social problem. In order to decrease gun violence, I believe a good idea would be to examine the ways in which the phenomenon comes about.

The cycle mentioned above could for example be used to devise ways of reversing the problem. The main culprit in the public perception of crime is also shown to be the media. The power of the media lies in the fact that people absorb the news, films, and especially advertisements subliminally (Parenti). The most powerful way to reverse this effect would then be by the same means with a different message. The government could also help to effect the change necessary in the media.

Legislation can be passed to force the media to not only show a more balanced view of crime and other issues, but also to actively pursue a better public mentality. Furthermore the public needs to be educated to make decisions such as buying a gun with the conscious mind, rather than the subconscious influence by the media. The public needs to be educated therefore, to exercise the faculty of conscious thought. The media has been shown to be a great influence on public thought.

The problem of indirectly media-induced gun violence can therefore be remedied by the media as well. The difficulty with this is however that violence and crime are often more sensational than other, more wholesome phenomena of society. The fact that violence is disproportionately represented in the media makes matters worse. This is where the law and government can make a significant difference. Violence can and should be exposed, but so should successful community projects.

Ironically, gun violence often starts with the family that bought a gun in order to protect themselves against this very violence. The greatest tragedy is that children are often either the victims or the unknowing perpetrators of this. Of course the media plays a large part here as well. Children are exposed to violence on television, and parents are not always able to supervise what these children see or what they are encouraged to see by school friends.

In terms of the family, the government could then also form a team with the media to target children with programs that promote healthy family and social relationships rather than public paranoia and weapons. Parents can also be educated through the media to avoid letting their weapons fall into the hands of their children, or even to teach children the correct way of handling a gun. In conclusion, I do believe that it is possible to curb the problem of gun violence in the United States.

But the problem should be examined and.