1993_04 Insight April 1993

              April 21,1993
Page 7
Television violence skyrockets,
may impact childrens' behavior
♦ Increased mean
streak on TV draws
questions about its
impact on society.
By Andrea Purl	
Staff Writer
Increased mean streak in TV
"I hate you!" screams Darlcnc of the
CBS television show "Roscanne."
"Good," said her mother, "My work
on Earth is done."
Gone arc the days of "Leave it to
Beaver" and "The Andy Griffith
Show" where family conflicts and
violence went as far as Wally staying
outpastcurfew and Opic accidentally
killing a bird with his slingshot.
Today, television depicting dysfunctional family situations such as "The
Simpsons,""Married With Children,"
and "Roscanne" have become commonplace. This, paired with increased
violence in television and movies directed towards young people, has
a'armed those concerned with the influence TV may wield in society.
According to a report published by
the American Psychological Association, by the time an American child
has left elementary school, he has
watched 8,000 murders on television.
This same task force concluded that
TV violence can encourage aggressive behavior.
Psychology ProfcssorCriss Wilhile,
who has noi had a television in her
home since 1977, said that shows arc
not just limited to increased violence.
A sense of a lack of consequences for
offensive behavior is also portrayed.
"Irresponsible driving is just one
case," she cited, "The chase scenes
where 35 cars arc wrecked often have
iiu injuries. Sexual contact is the same
thing."
Violenceis not limited to primetime
television. Movies aimed at a young
audience, such as Home Alone 2 and
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, also
are criticized by some as being too
violent. Home Alone 2 grossed S33
million in its first week. The sequel
contains scenes such as an electrocution and an exploding head, and at-
Several teachers agreed. "Many students are aggressively rude," said Don
Hall, a seventh grade instructor.
Child and Family Studies Professor
Vivian Kunimitsu said that all children are affected by violence and cruelty to others, but the danger is when
a child is particularly susceptible to
influence.
traded five million viewers in its*
first week in the theaters.
A 1991 study of 100 children's cartoon programs by the National Coalition on Television Violence found
that half the cartoons involved violence, and showed three times as many
acts of violence as prime-time tclcvi-
Wilhitc said that although she
doesn't have a TV in her home, she
has seen the programs "Married With
Children" and "Roscanne." "In the
1950s, shows displayed no conflicts
between family members," she said.
"At first, these new type of programs
was refreshing. It was kind of fun to
sec how life actually is." But she did
agree that this disrespectful behavior
is becoming more popular with teenagers.
"The child may be lacking in ego
strength, and good parenting. Some
parents just aren't doing a good job."
The childmayalsobc influenced by
other factors, such as violence in the
home.
Several groups have united to expand children's programming. Ac-
lion for Children's Television has
convinced Congress to pass the
Children's Television Act of 1990.
The act stipulates that broadcasters
have to serve the "educational and
information needs" of children or face
the risk of losing their broadcast licenses.
A review by consumer groups of 58
stations in August revealed that none
of the stations had produced new programs designed for children. The sta
tions had just re-labelled the existing programming, such as cartoons,
as "educational."
Although the act has not provided the anticipated result,
Kunimitsu said the she has observed an improvement in the situation.
"I do sec good programs, such as
the afierschool programs. These
programs are aimed at school-age
children."
Kunimitsu said that parents can
help their children by being aware
of what programs children are
watching. This starts early and
takes a lot of time, but can start
when children arc pre-schoolers.
"Parents should teach children to
settle arguments without violence."
she said. "And try to get children to
recognize violence, try to put it
into perspective."
Wilhitc agreed. "You either have
two choices," she said, "you can
cither not expose them to the shows,
or just monitor what they watch."
"I can't believe the violence and
the plain rudeness of television,"
said Susan Graham, mother of two
children ages 5 and 7. "There is no
way to judge what will come on
next. I can't let my children watch
anything without worrying about
the influence."
Kunimitsu said that forbidding
children to watch a violent program, or play with violent toys
often leads to the opposite effect.
"This begins as an obsession,"
she said, "if you forbid your child
to play with toy guns, as soon as
they arc at a friends house, they go
straight for the toy guns."
"A good way to help children,"
she said, "is to monitor the shows.
But unfortunately, most parents
don't monitor iL"
Fen ando Tejada/ Insight
Artist excels despite disability
♦ Musician hopes to
inspire others with
hope of possibilities.
By Cristina Medina
Staff Writer
The curtain at the Wamor Theatre is
raised, from the dim smoky light appears a solo artist sitting uncomfortably in a folding chair. With a guitar
at his feet and a microphone perched
in front of him, Tony Melendez is
ready to perform.
Although a birth defect left Melendez
without arms, it has not limited his
success in becoming an accomplished
guitarist. After playing for Pope John
Paul II during his visit to Los Angeles
in 1987, Melendez's career soared.
"Playing for the Pope was the highest honor anyone could give me." said
Melendez, a devout Catholic. "He
came off the stage and kissed me and
since then my life hasn't been the
same."
Melendez tours 15-20 days out of
the month playing arenas, universities and making television appearances. He has maintained his commitment to God through his music.
"God is the most important person
in my life. I try to spread the message
of self worth and tell people how great
it is to be alive," said Melendez, who
has released two Christian albums
and recorded an album for children.
Having toured the United States,
Europe and South America, Melendez
says people have come to regard him
as an advocate for the handicapped.
"People are always amazed when
they sec what I can do. Visually, it is
a good thing for people to experience," said Melendez. 31, "In some
countries the handicapped arc locked
away in their houses and viewed as a
menace to society. When they see mc
play, they may have second thoughts
about their abilities."
Touring is a family affair.
Melendez's brother works as a sound
engineer and at performances his wife
promotes albums and his best-selling
autobiography, A Gift of Hope.
"Having them around makes my
work a little easier," said Melendez.
"Family has always been important to
mc, they are my foundation."
Musical influences come from a
striking variety of performers.
Melendez says he likes the music of
Amy Grant, The Beatles and Little
Joe and the Familia.
"If I could have the talents of three
people, they would have to be Michael
McDonald. Dan Fogelberg, and John
Denver. 1 really envy John Denver's
respect for nature." said Melendez, a
native of Nicaragua.
Me lendcz does noi plan to gain fame
and fortune from his talents, but instead is looking to gain acceptance.
"I can do without the fame, I'd like
lo be respected as a musician and
contribute what I can to music. I hope
people can say 'that's good music,'
instead of 'ihat good music from a
handicapped guy.'"
When fans walk away from a concert, Melendez hopes ihcy are restored
with a sense of hope and possibility.
"I want to inspire people. I want
them to get to thinking that if they can
see what I can do with 10 toes, imagine what ihey can do with 10 fingers."
By Chris Hiatt
Dinosaur Jr.
Where have you been?
Atop a clouded mountain, a lone
figure descends. Through the mist
we see that it is a man with long
flowing hair. Coming into view
now is a guitar. He is playing that
guitar.
But not just playing it. he is working it; he iscreating beautiful noise
from the heavens all by himself.
This man is J Mascis and he is a
guitar demi-god delivered to us
through divine intervention. Thank
you.
Listen to"I ain't sayin" on Dinosaur Jr.'s latest record, and you'll
know what I'm talking about
Mascis shows off his guitar gift
through the opening which can
only be described as majestic, if
you've never heard it before. (But,
of course, after reading this review, you'll rush right out to buy
it and hear for yourself. Do it!).
This is Dinosaur Jr.'s fifth album, and second on a major label.
Personally, I think that it ranks
right up there with their best record
Bug.
By Chris Hiatt
Special to Insight
Firehose
Mr. Machinery Operator
Trying to capture Firehose's
music in a review is a little like
trying to capture a greased pig.
It's hard to do.
Even listening to Firehose on
their new album Mr. Machinery
Operator, one doesn't quite get an
accurate impression of the band.
Firehose is a live-playing band.
They earned ihcir reputation for
working hard on the road, playing
live, and rocking and rolling night
after night
Firehose records are merely a
souvenir of the live shows. If you
get a chance to see them on their
"48 state 'cuda bake'" tour, I suggest you don't pass it up.
The band consists of the following members: Mike Watt, bass
demi-god, George Hurley on
drums and Ed Crawford on guitar.
Describing Firehose is difficult
They are a rock band with a lot of
jazzy-type bass-lines and drum
fills. The songs move, if that makes
sense, they flow. I don't know
how else to put it
The lyrics are cryptic and make
for interesting reading. To this
Even though the band is made
upoftwoother members, Masics
runs the show. The first thing we
see as we open the CD is "written and produced by J Mascis."
From the ominous opencr"Out
There" to the majestic "I ain't
sayin," Where You Been 7 the
music will thoroughly please and
delight
Mascis manages to recycle every guitar cliche and rework it
into something that sounds familiar and new at the same time.
The first single, "Start
Choppin" starts off with a nice
sou them-rock sound, then goes
straight into an uneasy groove.
"What else is new" goes from a
giant sound to gentle acoustic at
Ihe end,
Mascis takes the best elements
of '70s guitar-cheeziness, to
hard-core, to folk, io noise, and
works them all into a monumental new album.
Might as well put Mascis up
there on the same shelf with
Johnson, Hendrix, Page,
um...Clapton?,...
Townsend?...how 'bout Curt
Kirlcwood?
date, I still don't
know what half of Firehose songs
are about
The album opens with "Formal
Introduction" which acts as a
statement from Watt as to who
and what he is. The song bubbles
its way to the middle, where it
stops and Watt says "the way I
like to screw: "Screw loose!".
"Blaze" is the first single and
it's a good rock song featuring J
Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. on wah-
wah bass sola.
Masics produced this Firehose
record and it has a belter overall
sound than some of their previous records. The benefits of recording in a nice studio with
some major funds behind them
definitely helps.
You'll have these songs stuck
in your head all day. For instance, the phrase "Rocket
sled...fuel tank" is still haunting
me. Go out and buy this now!
Then when they come back to
town, sec them live. Then become one of their disciples—fly
the flannel proudly.
Tony Melendez
trie Paul Zamora/ Special lo Insicht
up before show at Wamors Star Palace.