Contents:
Instructions to This Assignment
Example 10: World's Greatest Crashes
After watching for drivers behaving badly (DBB) on television for the past few weeks, I am quite amazed at the number of episodes I came across. I have done papers in the past on the effects violence on T.V. has on young children. It has always been the case that young children, in some way are influenced by the graphic displays they see on the tube. I understand now that such "negative" scenes on T.V. should and does include aggressive and bad driving behaviors as well. People are sometimes unwilling to admit that TV has any effect on the way they think or act. My argument is that "how can you be sure?" I feel everything effects us in some way, whether it be positive or negative, consciously or subconsciously. As adults, we have some control as to how we are going to display these effects in everyday life, children however, do not. They lack strong decision making skills, and have not yet learned yet that all their actions have consequences.
Children love to model their play after things they see everyday. In the 90's what children see everyday is the television. The television has become a source of education and entertainment. I feel that negative or bad driving behavior viewed on TV by children will have an effect on them. They retain what they see, and reenact it in their play. Without proper parental supervision, how is a young child supposed to differentiate what they see on TV as reality or fiction. Even with supervision, adults are so numbed by the number of DBB on TV that I feel that they will not realize that these scenes have as much effect on children as any bad or negative behavior viewed on TV.
As Dr. James states, one way of combating this problem, is by supplying a DBB rating at the start of every show. The following report will take you through the thoughts of prior generations and my present day thoughts on television behavior on TV and DBB ratings.
G5's Kristy Kato's Report 1 Through Kristy Kato's report one, we become aware of the immense amount of bad driving behavior that is shown on television. She does an excellent job of finding examples in a number of different film media sources. From cartoons to music videos, Kristy shows us that almost all, if not all, programming on TV displays characters involved in inadequate and bad driving behaviors. Some examples she provides are:
cartoons showing a character on a bike riding down the side of a building.
commercials showing a baby driving a car.
music videos showing a sleepy cab driver behind the wheel.
movie scenes depicting a police officer committing traffic violations.
What was most disturbing to me was that she found these examples and numerous more in the span of only two days. Kristy's report clearly demonstrates to me how saturated television programming is with displays of bad driving behavior.
G5's Jenifer Kaneshiro's Report 1
An interesting point that Jenifer makes is that teachers and parents need to become more aware of what children are watching, and make it point to talk with them about what they see. She states that it is the parents and teachers responsibility to point out the falseness on TV, and to teach kids what the difference is between reality and fiction.One of her examples that caught my attention was the one from the Simpsons. The scene she chose showed the children in the cartoon watching a cartoon. In the cartoon they were watching a cat gets run over with a car. The Simpson children then proceed to laugh histerically. For children watching the Simpsons this scene makes it even more appropriate and acceptable for them to laugh at violence and to view it as acceptable. This makes me realize that although fictitious cartoon characters are role models. Cartoonists should realize this and think a little bit more before they make their cartoons perform unacceptable behavior.
Jenifer also points out how portrayals of driving on TV make driving look easy and not dangerous. This is a very destructive misconception, especially with adolescent viewers. She also feels that future generations should use on-line information on road rage, such as traffic psychology reports, and incorporate this info in programs like CARR(children against road rage.)
G5's Kathy Subia's Report 2 Kathy is concerned with the fact that often times parents become obsessed with what their children watch, but rarely stop to examine the content of the shows they themselves watch. Adults appear to have a greater ability to judge situations, and have the ability to decipher between fantasy and reality. Yet this heightened awareness one receives in adulthood is not always dependable. How can one state that they are not affected by bad driving behavior on TV. Kathy states that because there is so much violence and negative scenes on TV that adults or rather people in general have "developed a greater tolerance for violence." She also states that because of the numerous amounts of bad driving portrayals on TV, these scenes in turn have less of a "shock value"
Kathy hopes that in the future that the increasing interest to "road rage" on-line will bring more attention to the subject. The Internet allows innumerable amounts of people access to reports on road rage and aggressive driving like Kathy's, and she hopes that in the future people will use this resource to educate others.
The following are a set of ratings that I applied to bad driving behaviors that I viewed on TV It is a system of determining how damaging and/or influential a scene may be to the those who are viewing it. Each of the ten observations below will have individual scores for the following categories:
prominence: how central is this scene to the episode, movie, cartoon.
danger involved: if reenacted by someone other than a stunt man, how dangerous would it be.
realism: is the scene portraying a behavior that appears to be real, and therefore repeatable by the viewer.
Each of these categories will be scored between 1 and 5. Five being an act displaying the highest potential in the category. For example, a score of 5 in the prominence category means that the scene was very central to the main story line, a 1 would mean the it was not.
After a score was reached in each category, I totaled them together (15 being the highest possible, 3 being the lowest. The following are the final ratings titles that coincide with possible scores:
Score of 3-5: DG17 - Driving guidance needed for any one watching under the age 17. Contains scenes that may have a negative influence on driving behavior if no corrective advice available from an experienced driver.
Score of 6-8: BD - Contains scenes with bad driving. Scenes displayed will have some negative influence on both adults and children.
Score of 9-12: BBD - Bad bad driving behavior. Scenes of driving contain a number of illegal maneuvers, and are significant to the story line. Should not be viewed by children.
Score of 13-15: BBBD - Bad,bad,bad driving behavior. This is the XXX of driving ratings. Extremely graphic scenes of violent and disturbing car maneuvers. Should not be viewed by children or unstable adults!
day: Monday
date: September 22, 1997
time: 8:00pm
channel/network: 40/HBO
name of program: Terminator
type: scene in a movie
John, the young kid that is being chased a cyborg, cuts off a 18-wheeler when he comes speeding out of a parking garage. Not only is he speeding (on a motorcycle) but the 18 wheeler is as well. Neither vehicle appears to slow down, but the truck does honk its' horn at the boy.
This scene encourages the following:
(a) Being that the main character in this scene is a youth, it encourages young individuals to drive haphazardly.
(b) It promotes speeding and lessens our inhibitions to it.
(c) Disregards any education a child might have received about traffic safety, such as looking both ways before entering or crossing a road.
day: Monday
date: September 22, 1997
time: 7:35pm
channel/network: ?/CBS
name of program: American Graffiti
type: scene in a movie
The main actor Harrison Ford is seen driving down the left side of the road next to a car driving in the right lane. .
This scene encourages the following:
(a) The "if and adult is doing it why can't I mom?" question. This scene shows a "mature" adult committing a serious driving offense without any punishment. This promotes the idea to children that you can commit such offenses and get a way with it.
(b)The idea that one doesn't really need to concentrate on the road at all times, that being distracted or letting your attention fall onto to something other than the road ahead of you will not be dangerous.
day: Monday
date: September 22, 1997
time: 8:03pm
channel/network: 40/HBO
name of program: Terminator
type: scene in a movie
This scene from Terminator shows the main character Arnold Schwarzeneggar, the Terminator, and the young boy John riding side by side, on a motorcycle and dirt bike respectfully. The Terminator grabs the young boy by the back of his shirt, lifts him off his bike and seats the boy in front of him. After he does this the two go riding off.
This scene encourages the following:
(a) Maneuvers on both motor bikes as well as basic bicycles. Young and teenage viewers would see this scene as possible inspiration for repeating the same act themselves. Being that the two actors pulled off the stunt without harm, children would see little danger in trying it themselves.
(b) Being that there is an adult present, it also promotes the idea of safety. If an adult is "driving badly" then it can't be that harmful.
day: Saturday date: October 11, 1997
time: 8:42pm
channel/network: ?/ABC
name of program: Early Edition
type: scene in T.V. show
The co-star on the show and guest star were shown driving down an expressway of a major city. Neither of the characters are wearing a seat belt. .
This scene encourages the following:
(a) Both adults and children to avoid the use of seat belts. It shows that both the characters are neither harmed or reprimanded for not wearing their seat belts.
(b) Being that the scene is one that can be found in every day life, people are more likely to relate it to their own lives, and possibly use it as a means to justify themselves not wearing a belt.
day: Saturday
date: October 11, 1997
time: 6:09pm
channel/network: 3/FOX
name of program: Simpsons
type: cartoon for kids/adults
The Bus driver who seems to appear on the show quite often is the spokesperson for bad driving. In this episode he is seen "popping -a-wheeley" with a school bus full of children. Know I have my doubts as to whether or not this possible, but the kids on the bus seemed to have loved it.
This scene encourages the following:
(a)Young children to be impressed with drivers behaving badly. It amuses them that the bus driver can "pop-a-wheeley". Although the Simpsons is said to be geared toward adults as well as parents, I have a feeling the adolescent audience is quite large. With such a large audience, the impact of the show can be quite overwhelming. By having the driver who is behaving badly be a cartoon, it lessons the seriousness of the act and it makes it amusing rather than dangerous.
(b)Children to believe driving is a "fun" act and that it is not a responsibility to be taken seriously.
day: Friday
date: October 3, 1997
time: 6:42pm
channel/network: 39/HBO
name of program: Clueless
type: scene in movie
In this scene we see three of the main characters, Cher, Dion and Dion's boyfriend, traveling down a city street. Somehow, Dion manages to take the on ramp to highway. AAAAAAAAGH! Screaming ensues, and mass chaos becomes the new theme of the scene. Trucks are honking, old ladies are passing by in other cars and giving the finger. Dion panics and with luck manages to make it to an off ramp.
There are a numerous amounts of Drivers Behaving Badly (DBBs)displayed in this scene. First off, Dion is not paying attention to the road or where she is driving, and therefore ends up on the highway. Secondly when she gets on the highway, all three passengers in the car proceed to panic and scream.(Not a good idea!) Not only do the main characters represent DBB, other extras also display it. The old lady displays road rage as shakes her finger at Dion. The eighteen wheel driver also tailgates Dion's car when she slows down in panic. In any case it is a bad idea for an eighteen wheeler to tailgate anyone!
This scene encourages the following:
(a) People, especially pre-license adolescents, to view driving as a scary experience.
(b) Teenagers to see driving like a nightmare, rather than a "dream" or pleasurable experience. Once people view driving as a negative thing, it increases their aggression toward it and others while they are doing it.
day: Friday
date: October 3, 1997
time: 7:37pm
channel/network: 39/HBO
name of program: Clueless
type: scene in movie
The main character in this scene is Cher, the lead actress of the movie. The other character is a Driver's Ed teacher. Cher is in the midst of taking her driver's test. Her mind is on other things and therefore her concentration is elsewhere and not on the road.
This scene encourages the following:
(a) People, teenagers, to view the driver's license test as a joke. That you would have to hit a car like Cher not to pass it.
(b) Not being prepared for driver's tests. Throughout the whole movie teenagers are shown driving without their licenses, and not practicing to pass the test.
day: Wednesday
date: October 8, 1997
time: 5:30pm
channel/network: 3/FOX
name of program: Simpsons
type: cartoon for young kids/adults
At the start of the Simpsons there is always a short clip of someone in the family driving into the garage.
This scene encourages the following:
(a) Seeing humor in driving over someone. That may be extreme, but this scene makes driving the car and driving it at people appear to be like a game.
(b) Driving without being aware of the road ahead of you. So many people, including myself drive on auto pilot. they drive the same routes to and from work everyday, that the travel becomes automatic. They pay less attention, and are less aware of what they are doing.
day: N/A
date: N/A
time: N/A
channel/network: N/A
name of program: Grosspoint Blank
type: rented video
The main character Martin, is seen driving down the road peering at the pedestrians and stores on the roadside.
Martin manages to drive his car in a straight path as he glares out the window for more than 8 seconds. This is a pretty amazing feat. He shows no concern for other cars on the road, and or obstacles that may enter his path like a pedestrian.
This scene encourages the following:
(a) That driving does not require to much concentration.
(b) That it is possible to do more than one thing at a time while driving. This is a dangerous misconception. Even if it is merely looking out the window for a few seconds, anything that takes your concentration away from the road in front of you, is potentially a hazard.
day: Thursday
date: November, date?
time: 8:00p
channel/network: ?
name of program: World's Greatest Crashes
type: TV Serial
I think the name alone shouts out that the program is going to contain some driver's committing some pretty bad driving behaviors. The show contain clips, from police surveillance cameras,, that caught people crashing their vehicles.
This show encourages the following:
(a) People to view crashes and accidents as something exciting.
(b) People viewing crashes less dangerous and fatal than they really are. An accident or crash is always bad, yet when they refer to it as great it teaches people, especially kids, that it is something to be celebrated. Also that the bigger and more sorted the crash the better. This is a very dangerous concept to put out for children to pick up.
Before this project I never really noticed the amount of "drivers behaving badly" were portrayed on TV. Being that this is the case, it is hard to say how these portrayals have influenced my driving. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware, and quite positive that these negative driving scenes have affected my attitude about driving and the way I drive, I am just not certain as to how much. The degree in which it has influenced is questionable and I have no doubt that it will still be questionable in times to come. I will admit that I could relate some of the bad driving behaviors that I saw on TV to maneuvers I have committed on the road. Yet I also know that I cannot entirely blame TV for my "inadequate" driving skills, but at least now I can say that it may have played a part!
As Road Rage and aggressive driving more prevalent, interest in their roots will also become more abundant. Projects like the one you have just read, will help the online public in their search for answers. Future generations, by continuing to do such reports will help promote the interest and bring needed attention to the topic of Road Rage. By recording incidents on TV that portray drivers behaving badly, future generations will be building library of information that may help the online public see that the media is helping to promote aggressive and destructive driving. In a sense, such reports and reports from the "future" will serve as evidence for the existence of driver's behaving badly on TV.
As I began this report I had a lot of doubtful feelings. I doubted that I could find enough examples of drivers behaving badly to do this report. I was unenthusiastic , and when I sat in front of the TV I was negative and disinterested. What is the point I thought, "I'm not going to find anything to write about, I've never noticed bad driving before!" My negative feelings, caused me to think negatively. Then, although reluctantly at first, I sat in front of the tube and simply flipped throughout the channels. While I did this I told myself to have an open-mind. Amazing, channel after channel I began seeing numerous examples that I could use for my report. My disinterest turned into enthusiasm. When my feelings turned from negative to positive, so did my thoughts. Rather than thinking that I was wasting time, I suddenly thinking that I was actually going to learn something. I realized that I had never noticed any bad driving portrayals on TV because I wasn't looking for them. So the chain continued...my positive feelings turned my thoughts positive, and therefore created positive productive actions. I began looking for more and more examples.
Rather than being unobservant, my eyes would catch glimpses of cars and drivers that I normally would have missed. I realized that I do not work well when my initial attitude is negative. I am sure this is true for most people. I also realized that although a difficult task, once I turned my feelings from negative to positive I became very productive. Give it a shot, hey it worked for me!
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