Popular Culture is what gives America its identity. But a question has come to my attention and it is this: Do we have a national identity that we can be proud of and if not, what do we need to do to change it? I don't believe that America has a healthy, family oriented popular culture because of emerging studies, reports, and what I've seen the media producing. Since America doesn't have a healthy pop culture, changes need to be made that bring us to a place where the importance of the family is number one and children are encouraged to become productive memebers of society. I'll begin by showing you what the problem in the media truly is.
According to Kidshealth.org, the average American child will witness two hundred thousand acts of violence on TV by the time they are eighteen (http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html). Even though cigarette commercials have been banned on TV, the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) has determined that kids who watch five hours or more of television with tobacco references are far more likely to begin smoking that kids who watch two hours or less of the same content (http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html). As a final note on some of the negative messages that are appearing in the media, the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) reported that youth exposure to alcohol ads had increased by thirty percent from 2001 to 2006 (http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html). Now if there is any doubt that these events and exposures would truly affect children or for that matter, teens and adults, you would only need to look at the effects of the popular series and movies of Jack Ass. I will admit that I have seen both of the Jack Ass movies and watched many of the series' episodes and foumd them very entertaining and funny. I even went as far as to imitate some of the lesser activities performed by the actors. This revelation isn't so funny when you see that kids and adults can come to actual harm and have done so in the past (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Q8xtaeBw0).
So, since I'm guilty of imitating the culture and I want to change it I'll explain how I'll personally do my part to improve our culture. I would begin by doing the simples thing first. Just turn it off. I'm not saying don't watch TV but when content that is vehemently opposed to family as number one or shows other questionable content I would simply find something else to do. Second, I wouldn't support the morally bankrupt beast that is Hollywood. They have no inhibitions in what they produce and put their label on. Although there are many ways to support a healthier pop culture I think that for a person to attempt either one of these would be enough to occupy them for quite some time. These two changes alone won't fix our American culture and identity they are a good start for anyone. I believe that if the majority of our society sees the importance of the family and the productiveness of the community as their number one priority, they will do their part to help change our national identity and give our youth a good head start in life.
