My Report 1 on:
Portrayals of Driving Behavior on TV -- Good or Bad?
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Speed Racer rockets down the road in his Mach 10 desperately trying to catch Racer X before he reaches the finish line before him. Michael hits the turbo boost launching Kit and himself up and over the oncoming car in order to reach the bomb before it goes off killing hundreds of innocent people. Through daredevil stunts and boyish charm the Bandit manages to stay one step ahead of the sheriff in a nonstop chase across America. Speed Racer, Knight Rider, Smokey and the Bandit, the Dukes of Hazard, the Cannonball Run, CHIPs... these are all examples of shows I've watched while growing up that deal with behavior on the road. Do these shows have any affect of the way I drive and my attitude towards others while driving? Its no wonder I suffer from road rage.
Past Generations
Perhaps you think that cartoons are safe for your children to watch and learn from? Think again. The report by Jennifer Kanashiro has very good examples of children programming that contain examples of maniac driving and hostile intentions on the road. Specifically her observations of the afternoon cartoons such as the Simpsons and Tiny Toons. One of the things that impressed me the most of Kristy Kato report was the many music video examples. These must have been difficult to find as MTV does not follow any set schedule for its music videos. I believe that these are very relevant to our time because sources like MTV are very influential to the younger generation for fashion, attitudes, and beliefs. I think that of all the mediums followed so far this would be the most interesting for a long term study. Kristin Subia brings up an interesting question. Do sports like NASCAR racing reinforce dangerous driving? For example when people watch NASCAR racing on TV it seems OK. Nobody gets hurt (usually), all the cars are sponsored by name brand items, the winner gets showered with money and praise, and it looks like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, that attitude doesn't translate well to the real world. People must keep in mind that the individuals on TV are trained professionals in an controlled environment. The highway is something entirely different.
Observations
In this report I will be taking a look at how driving is portrayed in media today. In order to make good observations I wrote down my opinions on a little notebook that I kept with me when I went out for a movie, while watching TV, renting videos, or just flipping through commercials. Over the course of a few weeks I gathered information on various mediums. I included the day, date, time, channel (if applicable), title, type of medium, characters, what took place, and for how long. I then analyze, include personal observations, then rate appropriately. The scale which I used to rate the different mediums are based on three criteria. Relevance is the amount of emphasis is placed on the scene and driving incident. The danger involved is the level of Riskiness. Realism refers to the likelihood that someone would attempt the action in the real world. Each will be rated on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the minimum and 10 being the most extreme. For example a 2 in the relevance indicates that it is barely applicable to road rage while a 9 in the riskiness category signifies a serious danger while on the road.
Observation
Day: Friday
Date: 10/25
Time: 10:30 PM
Channel/Network: Video (shown previously on NBC)
Name of Program: "World's Most Exciting Police Chases"
Type: TV Special Program
The show doesn't stick to any one character. Rather, it switches from story to story showing the most "exciting" police chases all over the world caught on video. The show is an hour long on which it is filled with the most horrible examples of aggressive driving I've ever seen. I've seen officers almost run over, cars totally demolished by a passing semi-truck, and bank robbers run off the road by the police. Analysis and Evaluation:
Throughout the show the narrator tries to emphasize that the criminals depicted in the show are wrong and that the type of behavior shown should not, under any circumstances, be attempted. Nevertheless, the car chases are being presented as entertainment thus one is more inclined to feel a positive association with dangerous driving. Moreover, the moral and legal ramifications of the actions in the show are not presented so there is less negative association with the consequences. Rating:
Revelance: 5
Riskiness: 5
Realism: 5
Total: 15
Observation
Day: Friday
Date: 10/25
Time: 9:00 PM
Channel/Network: Video
Name of Program: Days of Thunder
Type: Movie
I just couldn't resist this one. An awesome example of the media portraying dangerous driving in a good light. The main character is played by Tom Cruise. The is a reckless, young, inexperienced race car driver who is taken under the wing of an older car mechanic who. Under his tutelage they eventually win the biggest NASCAR race although not without hardships and loss along the way. This includes a debilitating injury to a fellow racer and the fear of crashing himself. Analysis and Evaluation:
Yes, this movies if filled with reinforcements of aggressive driving to the fun and excitement of racing to the babe scoring, good looking, smooth lifestyle of Tom Cruise. But what caught my attention the most was the instance in which Tom Cruise and his rival rent cars separate cars on their way to a mutual meeting. What happens is that they end up racing each other of the roads. They crash into one another, smash into different objects along the road, and just barely miss pedestrians. All this with no consequences except a puzzled look from their valet parker. Rating:
Revelance: 5
Riskiness: 5
Realism: 3
Total: 13
Observation
Day: Wednesday
Date: 10/23
Time: 11:30 PM
Channel/Network: MTV
Name of Program: "Walking on the Sun" by Smash Mouth
Type: Music Video
I like Smash Mouth. I think they are a great band. So when I first saw their video I didn't think much of it. But while on the "road rage lookout" I noticed that they include a race sequence at the end of their video. They line up with another car (still singing of course) and at the wave of a handkerchief they speed off. They end up crashing but seem no worst for wear (still singing of course). Analysis and Evaluation:
What this is really telling the youth who watch this is that smash mouth races is cool so racing is cool too. Well, that may be open to debate but the fact is that they seem to reinforce racing because although they may not win they are unscathed at the end. Also keep in mind that this is MTV and youngsters would be more opened minded to the messages they receive here. Rating:
Revelance: 3
Riskiness: 3
Realism: 2
Total: 8
Observation
Day: Wednesday
Date: 10/24
Time: 1:00 AM
Channel/Network: Not applicable
Name of Program: Grand Tourismo
Type: Playstation Game
All right, I know this is not a type of video, TV program, or commercial and I wasn't going to include it i my report but it is so applicable I couldn't resist. While on the "road rage lookout" at my friends house (I don't have cable) I told him what I was doing (he thought it strange that I was taking notes from the TV). He asked me if I ever say the racing game he had. He showed me a game called Grand Tourismo in which you race a car on the freeways from which you collect money with which you modify your existing car or buy new and better cars. Analysis and Evaluation:
I thought this was relevant because playstation games and the like are now becoming a new type of medium to convey messages across. They already include a sampler disc with certain purchases in which companies promote their newest product. Also, the types of cars and car parts used in the game really exist. Name brands like Honda, Toyota, BMW are all used. What this game does is positively reinforce racing behavior because it makes it seem acceptable when presented in a game format. Rating:
Relevance: 5
Riskiness: 5
Realism: 4
Total: 14
Observation
Day: Wednesday
Date: 10/24
Time: 8:00 PM
Channel/Network: Video
Name of Program: The Chase
Type: Movie
In the movie, "The Chase", Charlie Sheen is an escaped convict wrongly convicted of murder. He meets up with Christie Swanson who plays the daughter of the mayor. Charlie kidnaps Christie and heads for the Mexican border. Just about the whole movie is an elaborate chase scene across the Californian highways. Analysis and Evaluation:
One of the main characters of the movie is an escaped convict being chased by the police. The is a really nice guy and apparently didn't commit the crime but is nevertheless perceived as guilty by the authorities. The message being conveyed to the public is that if you are really innocent of charges against you it is OK to elude the police in a dangerous pursuit. Not to mention the "hero" gets together the Christie Swanson and together get away in the end to live it up on a beach in Mexico. Not what I would call negative reinforces. Rating:
Relevance: 4
Riskiness: 4
Realism: 3
Total: 11
Observation
Day: Tuesday
Date: 10/23
Time: 4:00 AM
Channel/Network: Cartoon Network
Name of Program: Batman and Robin
Type: Cartoon
In this episode of Batman and Robin the Harlequin and Poison Ivy team up for the first time and go on a crime spree across the city. During which they engage in a number of police chases. They elude the police several times by letting lose giant killer plants, gas bombs, or just shooting from their cars. Analysis and Evaluation:
Of course none of this can be interpreted as real but one must keep in mind that the main viewers of these shows are children who are much more open in influences that adults. When they see people running from the police with bags and bags of money in the back seat, shooting backwards while driving with their feet I'm sure it makes them think twice. Rating:
Relevance: 3
Riskiness: 4
Realism: 2
Total: 9
Observation
Day: Sunday
Date: 10/21
Time: 6:30 PM
Channel/Network: NGN
Name of Program: Dragon Ball Z
Type: Cartoon
Dragon Ball Z is a popular cartoon with the children now. It involves a lot of martial art fighting and spectacular displays of magic power. In this particular episode Goku had to go and get his driver's license but he didn't really know how to drive. He went with a companion of his and they ended up racing while they were trying to learn. Then bad guys arrived and they started in on their usual fighting. Analysis and Evaluation:
The point of this one is that this is one of the more popular cartoons out there at the moment and thus the kids watching are more open to influences from it. Like the previous examples the biggest problem with this is the total lack of any consequences due to their actions. Goku and his friend end up racing down past pedestrians endangering others, the driving instructors, and themselves. The kind of message sent to children watching this is that it is OK for them engage in such activities. Rating:
Relevance: 3
Riskiness: 3
Realism: 1
Total: 7
Observation
Day: Sunday
Date: 10/21
Time: 12:00 PM
Channel/Network: HBO
Name of Program: "Who am I?"
Type: Movie
This movie starts Jackie Chan and, like all his movies, is action packed and exciting. The significance of this movie is that a good portion of this movie is devoted to a car chase scene. In it Jackie Chan is pressing the gas and brake while his reporter friend is steering and shifting. This is because they are both handcuffed and neither can drive alone. They drive on sidewalks, plow through stands, break down sign posts, and continue to barely miss pedestrians. When they do finally crash their race car driver friend takes over and begins to drive. She does some amazing things such as backwards spinning, sideways driving, and flipping back over once they had crashed. Analysis and Evaluation:
I'll admit even I was amazed at the things they were doing with that car. Not to say that I'll go out and try those things but it made me rethink my stance on certain types of people (specifically people really into cars). They ended up getting away without a scratch having a good time in the process. It provides a positive reinforcement for aggressive driving because of the amazing things they accomplish, lack of repercussions, and the fact that the girl driver is really cute (that's a reinforcement just for me) Rating:
Relevance: 4
Riskiness: 5
Realism: 3
Total: 12
Observation
Day: Sunday
Date: 10/21
Time: 10:00 AM
Channel/Network: NBC
Name of Program: Subaru Outback
Type: Commercial
While flipping through channels on Sunday I came across a typical commercial dealing with the new Subaru Outback sport utility vehicle. In it they had the man from, "Crocodile Dundee" driving his new car around talking to his passenger about its wonderful features compared to other similar cars by other manufactures. In the process he was leaping over water hole, plowing through the underbrush, and whipping by back dirt roads in an attempt to lose the "evil" car behind them. Analysis and Evaluation:
Yeah, it was kinda cool to see Crocodile Dundee talking about a sport utility vehicle but it did carry undertones of aggressive driving. He didn't give the road his entire attention while talking to his passenger displaying a form of passive aggressive driving. Not to mention the blatant aggressive driving in the form of crazy jumps and turns. Both of these were positively reinforced by the reaction from the woman, the seemingly demeanor of the main character, and the entertainment value of the entire commercial. Rating:
Relevance: 3
Riskiness: 4
Realism: 3
Total: 10
Observation
Day: Friday
Date: 10/19
Time: 11:00 PM
Channel/Network: HBO
Name of Program: The Rock
Type: Movie
In this movie there is a spectacular char chase in which Sean Connery escapes from the FBI in order to meet his daughter but is chased by Nicholas Cage. Sean Connery grabs a Humvee (a military type truck) and Nicholas Cage grabs a lotus (a extreme sports car) and they go whipping down the roads. Examples of their activities include driving through buildings, ramming other cars, knocking over parking meters, driving on sidewalks, and chasing pedestrians away. Analysis and Evaluation:
Due to the extreme nature of this film one would first think that it people wouldn't take it too seriously but because of the tremedous entertainment value it does influence. Not to mention the high popularity of the actors included (hey, they're cool man). People see that kind of behavior on the road and they may be or apt, subconsciously, to think that aggressive driving is ok (obviously not like on the show but perhaps toned down a bit). Rating:
Relevance: 5
Riskiness: 5
Realism: 3
Total: 13
How has it affected me?
Although these examples are relatively recent there have been previous examples that have influenced even the way that I drive. As I've said before I grew up watching shows like Knight Rider and Dukes of Hazard. When I saw heroes on the road driving fast and doing stunts it effected my affective mental process. I felt that they were cool because of the positive reinforcement they received on the show such as getting the girls or saving the day. This effected my cognitive domain. I thought the people on the TV were cool so I thought that if I do what they do I would be cool as well. Thus I started driving like I thought they did reflecting a change in my sensory motor process. Now, mainly due to experience, I don't feel, think, or act in such a way but this provides a good example of how media can affect thought processes.
What can we do?
Aggressive driving reactions due to media influences are commonplace. It seems that behavior such as mine is the norm rather than the exception. If we, as an on-line community, continue to educate the public on the dangers of road rage we may be able to increase the quality of driving on the road. There doesn't seem to be enough knowledge about the problem of aggressive driving with the general public relative to the seriousness of the problem. Unfortunately, web pages alone are not sufficient to teach everyone. The awareness about road rage needs to grow until different media mediums are conveying the needed messages.
Epilogue
Although I never really suffered from severe road rage this report has keyed me into the changes TV, videos, and the like can have on your behavior. By learning about the consequences of such actions my attitude has changed my toward aggressive driving. Rather than viewing fast or reckless driving as cool I am appalled by such behavior. My affective domain was transformed. I then began thinking that aggressive driving was wrong and one should take every means to avoid it. I cognitive process was changed. Now, the last thing you will find me doing is driving recklessly because of my resulting change in my sensorimotor domain.
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