Media Portrayal of Drugs and how has it desensitized America Research Paper

Media Portrayal of Drugs and how has it desensitized America - Research Paper Example The media in America can be seen as the supporters of drugs, like alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, inhalants, and cocaine. Both print and visual media show the use of drugs abundantly. The excessive portrayal of drugs and violence in the media has a mighty impact on the teenagers, but the media in America do not take the matter seriously. Therefore, one can find various opinions regarding the presentation of the news of drugs in media. The media picture the use of drugs in different ways. It depicts the public on one side and the drug producers on the other side. The portrayal of drugs in movies and videos has created a desensitized attitude to drugs among the teenagers and the youth. The present article makes out a study on the relationship between media and drugs in the American society, emphasizing how the excessive display of drugs in media has desensitized this matter. Media portray the American youth as affected with sex, drugs, crime, and the illicit substances. The involvement of youth and teenagers with drugs and other substances has made the media think that the use of drug among the children is inseparable from the American way of life. So the media are not at all reluctant in presenting such things, instead, they popularize the use of it. The teenagers are the most likely affected ones by the media. The project Media Portrayal of Teenagers and the Effects by Kiera Gilbert, a student of City Charter High School, focuses on the presentation of teenagers by the media with regard to drugs and other substances. The writer says that in America about 4000 teens at grade 6 smoke tobacco for the first time and half of these teens become addicted to smoking. The media play a crucial role in the enhancement of it among the teens, as the presentation of drugs in media is connected with the glamorizing the habit. The writer makes the points clearer by stating that â€Å"cigarette advertising increases teenagers’ risk of smoking by glamorizing smoking and smokers† (Gilbert, 2010, p.6). The media have played a key role in the increasing alcoholism among the teens in the nation. â€Å"Alcohol drinks are the most common beverages portrayed on TV and 56% of students on grades 5-12 say alcohol advertising encourages them to drink† (Gilbert, 2010, p.6). The use of drugs remains to be a common phenomenon in America. Lloyd D. Johnson et al in their seminal book Drug Use among American High School Seniors, College Students and young Adults, 1975- 1990 point out the fact that the use of alcohol and cigarette start at the school level. He establishes that the use of illicit drugs is initiated by sixth grade among the students. He asserts that 19% of students in sixth grade use cigarette and 11% use alcohol. With regard to the use of the drugs like marijuana and inhalants, the rate is 2.8% among the students at the grade sixth. When the students reach the 9th grade, the rate is increased to a greater level (Johnston et al., 1991, p. 9). Drugs, sex and violence are closely related to the media that focus these elements. A study was carried out by Craig Anderson and Brad Bushman of Iowa University, in which they could analyze the involvement of media and the violence of children. They found out that children and youth who play violent video games are prone to show aggressive behavior towards others. The exposure of