The media is corrupting our society. Do You agree?


We as a modern society have developed a basic reasoning pattern: when something happens it is never our fault, therefore it must be blamed on someone else. We try to find a 'scapegoat' that we can blame all of our problems on, so that we no longer have to take responsibilty for them. In the modern society, the media has become this 'scapegoat' especially when the topic is youth violence and youth issues.

Critics may argue that advertisement has drastic impact on youths. This is evident from the rate females teens are consuming pills inorder to look as close as their idols. Such specific illustrations are a handful to rebutt any claims that media is not responsible for corrupting society.

However, a question the critics should ponder over, ' Are you implying that humans are simpleton that could be manipulated easily, just like you?'


Well, the fact that some dont get influenced or corrupted by media is a clear indication that the possibilty of being rational exists. and highlight that those who are susceptible to media are mentally wrong, and not push the blame to media.

How much trust do you place in modern media? do you find it reliable?



frankly speaking, media has never extract any form of trust from me. this is largely due to my own cynical thinking and the constant perception the media is negative. this is mainly to the 'black sheeps' of modern media such as tabloids.



however, my opinion has changed since the introduction of global magazines such as Times and Newsweek etc. though i am not an avid fan of these magazines, their constant commendation and based from my personal reading, they deserve to be rely on.


generally, public's trust on modern media exists as the reports are factual however, the degree of reliability remains uncertain for many.

The media is corrupting our society. do you agree?


Is anyone else as tired as I am about hearing how the media is corrupting our youth in so many ways? I think I've heard every complaint from the media pushing unhealthy images and causes anorexia to the media pushes violent behavior and causes kids to kill other kids to skewing information and lying.
Do people really believe that other humans are just so weak-willed that they will do anything they see on television or in the movies?

I think that the media is not entirely responsible, but you must admit that they do hold a lot of power in getting people to believe what they want. Sure, it is up to parents and other local role models to affect children and what they believe. It is not video games and violent media that causes the recent virginia tech shooting, but the accessibility to the materials that causes school shootings. If the media is making a big deal about terror tactics, well it is going to be a lot easier to scare people to get them to do what you want to do. The media can be silenced and limited, restricted and filtered, but you must admit, especially in the age of MTV when teenagers just want to fit in and be accepted, that the media posseses a lot of power in swaying public opinion.

Now I'm not saying everything I saw was rainbows and sunshine. Watching movies such as SAW 3 it didn't make me violent just because I was watching violence; they were movies.
Media could have focused on one of the most violent bloody months in Iraq, but that was stemmed and covered up with britney spears shaving bald. Make a choice and when the media is posting something that is so stupid, change the channel. Ruin their airtime and stop watching. Stop listening to the media. Make your own choice.



Media puts out "what sells" in order to control what people think, thus controlling future sells. Obviously, the Barbie company isn't going to put out the punky make-your-own-decision Barbie doll when it could put out the do-what-every-other-girl-is-doing Barbie doll. The next time Barbie puts out another doll who is more likely to buy the doll? Someone who has been influenced to make their own decisions or follow a crowd?

hence, my point is that media plays a small extent in corrupting people's mind set. the final call still depends largely on human's central neuro system. In this case, how can we consider media corrupting the public when actually the final decision is up to us. lets stop finding excuses at this very moments and strengthen our mental ability

are online games to be blamed for the bloodshed in virginia tech?


I am sure many of you have heard about the shooting on the virginia tech (va tech) campus. the shooter, a va tech student, has been identified as a 23 year old asian male, south korean to be exact. he shot and killed two people in the dorms before going across campus and killing another 30 in classrooms before killing himself. total death count is at 33. 32 victims and the shooter. 17 others were injured as well. it was reported he shot each person 3 times. motive is unknown or not yet released. two pistols were used, a 9mm and a .22.

the inevitable fallout from this tragic incident probably will be guns and gun control laws, campus security scrutiny and I have even heard violent video games like counter-strike from the news media people.what are your opinions on gun control laws, campus security levels, and how entertainment media in general and video games specifically impact violence in our society?US gives its citizens the right to bear arms or have guns. I believe people should have that right. the question is should we, the citizens, be allowed to own automatic assault rifles and such?I also feel that US gun control laws are not adequate enough or they do not work well enough given that anybody and their cousin who is a felon can get a gun.campuses are generally huge open areas. how do you protect 2,600 acres as is the case of va tech?

I heard that there were no security cameras, but is it necessary? given that the shooter was a student, how do you guard against a student that lived on campus?I have mixed feelings about violent movies, games, etc. I am not sure how much of an impact these movies, shows and games have on violence in society, but given the columbine incident and others in the US, a similar incident at a canadian university and I think there was one in germany as well, where the shooters "trained" on games like doom and counter-strike according to news reports, we probably need to look into this.I understand that given the billions of people that watch violent movies and the millions that play these games worldwide, the number of these shooting incidents are small in comparison, but when it does happen, the impact is far-reaching. thus, individual should exercise control over reality and not live in a virtual world.

'Nowadays, the mass media do not report the news; they make the news'. Discuss this with references to recent events. In order to discuss this motion, lets define mass media. Mass media is a term used to denote, as a class, that section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. through the purpose of mass media, we can infer the mass media was orginally intended to educate masses and provide first hand informations. Mass media include print media (newspapers, magazines); broadcast media (radio stations, television stations, television networks). due to technological advancement, there is increasingly usage of Internet-based media (World Wide Web pages, weblogs and online forums).


i disagree to the motion that mass media create news not report news. Media do report news however, whether it is in an ethical manner that left much to dispute about. Arent daily printed materials such as newspaper contradiction to the fact that mass media dont report news? isnt too fast to jump to conclusion that mass media are solely unethical by generating news to capture their reader's attention? i believe well-establish news agency like CNN, BCC and reuters will first jump up and oppose this claim. these companies have been man's trustworthy aid in understanding global and gain insight for many contemporary issues. thus, their best flattery would be the high rate of subscription and commonly cited by teachers as guide to good english grades. since these companies received world-wide recognition, do you think they would tarnish their reputation by creating untruthful truths? my point is that printed materials such as economists, times and newsweeks are responsible publishers that account for their statements, therefore, they should be classified as plainly generating news to entertain readers. In my opinion, printed materials, except for magazines and tabloids tend to provide factual reports supported by credible evidence.


on the other hand, its the internet-based culture that is the black sheep of mass media. the freedom of expression through blogs and forums allow blunt comments. the lack of internet watchdogs allow people to generate news at their own pace. to worsen the situation, everyone has access to the comments or 'facts' that one typed recklessly. let me use an example to illustrate my point, recently there was a big woo-hoo on britney spears who shave her head bald. shaving bald for a man is normal, for a woman is slightly more unusual, however, its not too the extent that headlines are all about her and limelight cast upon the rumours behind her shaved head. isnt the issue exaggerated? rumours are examples of creation of news, they share the same characteristics, untrue and overly-emphasised. critics may argue, even local newspaper like straits times has entertainment section, they are also responsible for blowing up issues. but i would say, they do it proportionately and rationally.

to a small extent, mass media create news, it would be really unfair to claim that mass media dont not report news.

“YouTube has no ethics, it's been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and money.” Do you agree?



Everything has its boon and bane. Youtube just like computer, is a two-edged sword. Youtube may serve as a servant if put to appropriate use. However, if inappropriately used, youtube may be addictive and rule over your mind.

In my opinion, to crudely claim youtube has no ethnics makes no sense. this is because as far as i believe the founder of youtube didnt start the programme to raise the insecurity felt by many internet users. Instead, youtube was set up to provide a channel for people with ideas to present and share with the world through simple visual illustrations.

let say the critics argue that it's been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and money, whats wrong with that? doesnt all companies set up in the world work towards a common goal to earn money? What blame does youtube have to shoulder? is that going to mean mediacorps which fall in the same category as youtube, has no ethnics?

thus, its not true to say that youtube has no ethnics because it function for only monetary gains and entertainment values. thats a too rash claim to be made.

‘The teenage years are the best years of one’s life.’ Would you agree with this view? (CAMBRIDGE NOV 1994)

'One man's meat could be another man's poison' highlights that more often than not, there are different views. perspective and opinions when an issue is raised. Some may agree that teenage years are the best period while some may detest that very statement. Before I explore the benefits of being an teenager , let me first define the word. teenagers refers to a particular group of people aged 13-19 years old.

As the widely affirmed epicentre of commercial activities in SEA, life in singapore is undoubtly fast paced. teens in singapore are expected to perform expectionally well in academic as well in sports. society holds little tolerance for slow learners and those who does badly in school. elitism practised in singapore only serve to increase the stress placed upon teens. the contributors of stress are parents, teachers and society. the tools of 'transmitting' this unwelcoming syndrome are uneccessary exams, common tests and stacks of tutorials await to be completed.though co-curriculm activities are encouraged and not made 'compulsory', teens cannot afford to lose the benefits CCAs participations and achievements can do for one. within the short period of 6 formative years, teens have to undergo two major exams- O and A levels. teens are given 6 years to cram in all the knowledge they required in order to at least to enter university, clearly hint the amount of stress singaporean teens undergo. as society places such conventions on teens, they are expected to fulfil each and every criterion of these demanding expectation. Now, who says adult life is more stressful than teens?

beside juggling with CCAs and academic work, teens' largest problem is their emotional, psychological and physical changes. there is no doubt that teens are at higher risk of being involved in gang fights and all kind of atrocities as they pass through an angsty, rebellious phrase. but this doesnt give them the excuse to commit crimes or be led astray. matter turn worse if parents fail to understand and spend quality time with their kids, this will result in teens developing perverse or morbid thoughts. this could be seen by the pervalent 'emo' trend whereby teens wear dark tshirts, listen to glommy music and write doom-laden poetry. this provide evidence that teenage life is hard to live by.

teens reach a point where they question their identity and seek to develop their every own identity. sometimes ironically, copying others. unfortunately,teens often choose to celebrities as role models. Slim, pretty and adorning branded goods seems to be the in trend. however, poverty pervail in any country and not every teens can afford to be quintessence of their so called role models. As hungry leads to anger, jealousy leads to crimes, there have been reports on thiefs as young as 13 14 years old. worse still, teens are found swallowing slimming pills
that are may have adverse effects on them. anexoria and bulimia are no longer restricted to models only.


thats not all, teens are troubled by hormonal changes, thus, they are susceptible to negative influences and tempted to try out boy-girl relationship or even girl-girl relationship. teens might not have the strength and ability to overcome the difficulties posed. well i would say its woman innate character to be totally committed into a relationship and when a relationship fails, they do silly stuff to soothe their depression of being ditch. teens have to ensure they reach a good balance in social life as well as school life. hence, being a teen isnt an easy feat.

on the other hand, the fondest memories who can have before stepping out into the vicious society is during their teenage years. the times spending with classmates studying, with teammates cheering, training and schoolmates forgoing a sense of belonging to the school are unforgettable. if teenage years spent in school are terrible, anyone in the right mind would not form alma mater group. teenage years which are also formative years are the best as this is the time teens can pick up several skills that aid in thier future. teenage years are when true and valuable friendship are forgo and could last a lifetime.


in conclusion, teenage years would be one's best moments if its well nutured. the determinants factors are too many to mention, the main ones are family, school, friends and imptly, the teen's attitude. as for me how can i judge whether my teenage years are the best years of my life when i havent even experience the endeavours that lies in my future.