When I was a child I would always try and watch movies with my parents, regardless of the content. They would check out a movie every weekend, and I plead with them to let me watch it. They would always say no because the movies they rented were rated R, but that didn't stop me. I would wait abut ten minutes until they got situated on the bed and sneak back into the room. I would crawl until I got to the foot of their bed, and then I would lay underneath it, face the TV and enjoy the rewards of my deception. I don't really remember most of them, since the plot of grown up movies were boring and hard to follow for a four year old. However, there is one movie that I remember so vividly that it still gives me goosebumps to this day. One night as I crawled into my spot under the bed I noticed the tone of the movie this night was a lot darker. Before I knew it I was watching in the middle of “Salem's Lot”.
I was immobilized with fear as I laid there and prayed for it to end, but unfortunately for me it was a long movie. Later that night I could not sleep. I was too afraid that a vampire would come knocking on my window and ask me to let him in. I threw my blanket around my neck and laid awake hoping my blanket alone would be enough to stop the blood suckers from getting me! Even to this day I still sleep like that. I am not still afraid of vampires, but if I don't cover my neck just so I get those same goosebumps I got when I was four. This irrational fear I had of vampires can be better explained using the cultivation theory.
The cultivation theory explains that people who are overexposed to violent media can develop the unrealistic mind set that “This can happen to me”! While it is true that violence does exist in the real world and innocent people can become victims, it is not likely that they will. Children who watch violent programs on TV will become more paranoid about being exposed to violence themselves. Like if they watch a gang movie in which a character is shot to death, they will believe that this could happen to them as well. In movies like “Final Destination” character's die in common everyday situations, but in over the top and ridiculous ways. Movies like this make people much more paranoid about these every day situations (such as working out at the gym, or going to a tanning salon) thinking that they might die as well. In my case I watched a movie about vampires and became irrationally paranoid of a creature that does not even exist. In reality the chances of me being attacked by a vampire are about as likely as walking outside and being randomly shot to death, or triggering a random chain of events that eventually leads to me getting my head sliced off.
(The link below are a collection of scenes from the Final Destination movies. These are very graphic, so if you have a weak stomach do not watch them. I provided the link to show how ridiculous and unlikely these deaths are, and yet somehow they make you scared to leave your house.)
It is truly amazing that media can have such an effect on us. Even when we grow up and learn that monster's aren't real, there are still other things that television can teach us to be afraid of. How do we change this mind set? Well, I believe if we accept that media for the most part is fictional, then we can accept that we are generally safe from violent crimes and murder. As for me, I cope by covering my neck while I sleep. Yes it might be stupid to you, but when the vampires rise up and take power we will see who has the last laugh.
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