In an article for The Telegraph, Richard Alleyne, science correspondent, writes, "Superheroes promote violence and revenge." You can read the article here: Superheroes Send Out Wrong Messages to Boys
On the other side, the writers at Popular Mechanics express admiration for superheroes. They write, "adversity and moral lessons go with the awesome visual effects." You can read the article here:Are Modern Superheroes Bad Role Models?
What do you think?
Remember, as always, your response should be two full paragraphs. You should use textual evidence from either article to help support your perspective, and you should respond appropriately to your classmates' points of view.
Superheroes are good role models for young boys. Even if both articles say they are bad. They teach kids to fight for whats right. The reason comic books are less violent is because they can't show every part of the fight. No one wants to watch a movie that only lets them see a picture of a fight, they want to see a interesting battle of good and evil. Another thing is that these are characters that can't be real, except for iron man who could be real if the technology was created, and everyone likes because he is awesome.
ReplyDeleteComic books are outdated. We don't always go to the comic book store to see if a new edition of superman is out. That doesn't happen anymore even though I know where there is a comic book store is. We go watch an exciting movie at the movie theater because it just came out and looks amazing. Superheroes today are just entertainment ,but should still be good role models for fighting in what they believe.
The second article supports your perspective. You should always use textual evidence to help support your argument.
DeleteI think comic book heroes are bad role models. They might show kids bravery but they solve problems with violence like the article said. So it is like how violent video games influence kids. And now instead of comics they make movies with detailed bloody effects and more violence. And some kids can't get that the point of any movie is just to entertain. Not to influence your life. Besides violence, heroes like superman have a bad taste of fashion. Who wants to see a kid run around in red underwear over his pants?
ReplyDeleteWhile Pierce may have a good point that heroes teach kids to fight for what they believe in, the villains fight for something they believe in as well. And still...they solve it with a battle of punching, kicking, and blasting. Oh, and get this: people make TOYS for kids to act just as violent as the hero. I mean, WHY?! Some guy must have just been sitting in a chair then said "let's make giant fists for kids to wear and smash stuff!". And somehow that guy got rich and many parents were mad because the kids broke the pots.
I agree with Oscar. Which means I disagree with Pierce. Anywho, super heroes teach kids that violence is okay and that that is the way to handle situations. Violence should be the last thing you do. First just start with reason. If that doesn't work, then have that person give you 3 reasons why they believe what they believe. To conclude, super heroes are bad influences to kids.
DeleteI think that super heroes in comic books are bad influences on young kids. It shows them that they should get payback on people they don't like. "Modern movie superheroes are bad role models for boys as they promote violence and revenge as a way of life, claim psychologists." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7941690/Superheroes-send-out-wrong-message-to-boys.html . I agree with this statement. I remember my little brother had this stuffed Spiderman toy and he used to throw it into wall and punch it relentlessly because the movies he watched. They show that bad guys deserve to be thrown into a wall, when in fact violence isn't the answer. Like Pierce said, they show kids to fight what they believe in. However, fighting in what they believe in always draws back to violence.
ReplyDeleteNot only does it draw back to violence, it makes kids believe in the villains in the movies. Some kids are sensitive and get frightened when they see a costume of the villain. They start believing in it and have bad dreams and whatnot. The toys that toy companies make also allow violence. For example, ninja turtles. Did the creative minds at the toy companies think that the nunchucks from the ninja turtles weren't going to be used as an attack weapon for 5 year olds?
I personally think that super heroes are a good influence on kids. Then again, I never read comic books as a kid. I agree with Pierce; super heroes fight for whats right. They do not go around punching civilians in the face. Instead, they go and punch people who punch civilians. Sure they show off a lot of revenge, but they don't go around plotting revenge all the time, they plot what to do if the villains try to get their revenge.
ReplyDelete"Lamb and her colleagues surveyed 674 boys between the ages of 4 and 18 and analyzed marketing trends for things like action figures and movies. From their findings, they concluded that violence, emotional aloofness and general hyper-masculinity are the prevailing messages marketers of these products promote to young boys." This tells me that children are not influenced to commit violent revenge plots... and stuff. INstead they may look at superheroes in a good way, like superheroes always win. This can make children feel like they can get past any obstacle that gets in their way. This doesn't really apply to people older than 16 or 17, because most of those people don't like to watch things like superman and flash.
-Asha A.
I think that superheroes are a good influence on kids. I would also like to say that there hasn't been a case of pot smashing, that happens in the Legend of Zelda games. Anyways, superheroes are like a role model to kids, such as I want to be just like Batman, etc. They really only look at their best qualities, like that they fight crime, or that they always win, things like that.
ReplyDeleteSome people think it's violent, but we get 7 year old squeakers on Call of Duty, swearing left and right, did that come from heroes, no they didn't. There hasn't been any real violence influenced by super heroes, so no real harm done, and the heroes are doing what's right, so punching someone isn.t right, so it won't happen.Superheroes are fine, but until they get bloody, we have no real problem.
- Julian M.
I honestly think that super heroes aren't bad influences because they are fictional characters from comic books. Take Tony Stark for example, he make a suit out of iron and has blasters on his hands. It's impossible to have that much of advanced technology especially in 2014 because all we have are IPhone 6's. It'll be impossible for a child to build a battle suit and to be that rich AND, "get all the ladies."
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pierce and Julien because children aren't getting bad influences from super heroes because they are teaching them to fight for something's that are right. Wow these end rhymes are so tight, now I'm going to take flight. Now that I'm in the sky, I am high as a kite. Anyways, children get the bad influences from something else like Call of Duty or GTA. These games are rated For teens that are 18+ or older because of the violence or the bad language or the use alcohol. Most of the bad influencing comes from other people on Xbox Live or on Multiplayer games. The heroes don't even say any swear words in any of the movies and maybe the comics. All the heroes do is huts fight crime and save peoples lives. THIS influences kids to help others and what Pierce said, fight for what's right.
I think superheroes are a good influence on kids. They fight for what's right and don't hurt civilians, except for when superman touches red kryptonite but that's a different topic. Superheroes show courage which could probably make a kid stand up to a bully. They also always save the day which I don't see a problem with.
ReplyDeleteNow you might say that they use violence but they do it to the villains and not the innocent villians. What else are they supposed to do, hug the villain? Also Spider-Man doesn't always use violence, he uses his webs to catch people and leave them to the cops. On the other hand batman puches everybody in the face which is actually cool when you see it but then you realize it's violent and very body is hurt.
Personally, I think that superheroes can be a bad influence on younger children. Some of these movies make it seem okay that you can tell terrorists your home address. Also these movies can influence some kid to jump off a roof with rope attached like Spiderman. In the text, it said, " Unlike the comic heroes from the past who often held normal jobs and believed in social justice, the new breed of Hollywood superheroes are aggressive, sarcastic and rarely speak about the virtue of doing good for humanity." This proves that superheroes can negatively influence younger children.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you are about 10+, then you would be mature enough to know not to do these dangerous things. For slightly older children, they would know that people don't actually have powers and seriously hurt themselves. Like some said, not all heroes use violence like Spiderman or the Flash. Then again, other heroes use detonators to carve their symbol into a building. I think that whether heroes are a bad influence or not, it depends on how old the child is.
-Isaac E.
I believe that superheroes are bad influences on children because they express the wrong morals. Superheroes now-a-days are all about getting the girls, money, looking cool and defeating the bad guys. "When not in superhero costume, these men, like Ironman, exploit women, flaunt bling and convey their manhood with high-powered guns.'' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7941690/Superheroes-send-out-wrong-message-to-boys.html) Though men and women of an older age may not fall for this message, younger and more receptive minds might look up to these so called superheroes. But these are the more modern superheroes. Original ones like Superman, are normal business men who aren't all rich and perfect.
ReplyDeleteAlso these superheroes are quite violent when it comes to defeating the bad guys. People argue that superheroes are good because they fight in what they believe in, but so are the villains. I agree with Oscar when he says that though the superheroes are fighting in what they believe is right, the villains are also fighting for what they believe is right. The villains think they deserve revenge and the superheroes think that they don't need revenge. Like Mailee said, fighting in what you believe in draws back to violence. Now I believe that showing superheroes on the big screens are bad for young minds and are very irrelevant to our society.
i really think supeheroes have bad influences on chldren, just like Eva said they express the wrong morals. Most superheroes now-a-days want to defeat all the bad superheroes. In order to defeat the bad heroes the superheroes must use all kinds of different violence. Like Hulk, he grabs people and smashes them into the ground repeatedly. Iron man, he flies in the air and shoots you with some laser thing on his hand. All kinds of crazy things! Just like Mailee said, "Fighting in what you believe draws back to violence." it also depends on the age of the child in order to have an impact on kids. Overall i think superheroes have bad influence on kids just because of their violence. - Carlvesi L.
ReplyDeleteI believe that superheroes are bad influences. They show young boys that you have to be immortal or they have to be a super human or use violence to help the world. This tells boys that the only way to solve a problem is through violence. We are actually supposed to teach children that violence is never the answer. But superheroes actually support violence, when they kill the villains through violence, the citizens praise them. That is telling young boys that if you use violence to resolve conflicts you will get praise. That is not a very good idea in my perspective.
ReplyDeleteSuperheroes are truly bad influences because they tell kids the only way to be helpful to the world is through superpowers. If boys think they are only powerful if they have super strength or super flying powers to save the world. But that isn't true, you can have much intelligence and save the world. Superheroes are imaginary super humans that boys will wish to be but will never be. Giving kids the thought that only superheroes can save the world and yet kids can't be like them to help is cruel. Its like waving a giant cookie over a toddler's head and never giving it to him. So, overall, I think that superheroes are a bad influence on kids because they teach kids to help the world is through violence.
-Eliza A.
I personally think that comic book superheroes are bad role models. I think this because they teach little boys how to solve things with violence. These type of movies like Spider Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, etc. influence kids to kill their enemies. Like Oscar said, some kids can't get the point that these movies are just to entertain.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Mailee that some kids are very sensitive and get frightened when they see a costume of a villain. These type of movies can also make kids become bullies. If they don't like a certain kid they can possibly try to punch them or hurt them, just like in comic strips. If kids want to become like a certain character they will want to make the same choices as them.
I think superheroes are both bad and good. They are bad because they are to violent, and boys believe now they can do that too. Popular Mechanics says,” From their findings, they concluded that violence, emotional aloofness and general hyper-masculinity are the prevailing messages marketers of these products promote to young boys.” This shows that boys of any age are turning and being to violent and hurting others. All that boys are doing is watching men beat up villains and thats why boys are getting the message that violence is the answer.
ReplyDeleteAlso, superheroes are also telling boys to do the right thing. I say this because superheroes are protecting many thousands of people and saving their lives. If we didn’t have superheroes in movies it would just be villains harming people. This sends the message that boys can be good citizens and be vigilantes. Superheroes can send a good and a bad message to people but you shouldn’t be violent to others anyway.
I think superheroes are bad influences. They teach kids that it is okay to use violence."The new breed of Hollywood superheroes are aggressive, sarcastic and rarely speak about the virtue of doing good for humanity"(http://www.telegraph.co.uk). Since kids look up to superheroes, they grow up being aggressive. They learn that violence is the way to solve problems.
ReplyDeleteAlso, kids might follow how superheroes are like when they're not fighting villains.
"They can either be a 'player' or a 'slacker'"(http://www.telegraph.co.uk). Slackers are people kids should grow up to be. "Slackers don't like school and they shirk responsibility"(http://www.telegraph.co.uk). I think superheroes are bad role models.
I'd agree with Paulina, in the opinion of 'Superheros are bad role models'. Superheros nowadays are teaming up, basically becoming gangs that fight. They have superpowers that are destructive, and almost always destroy parts of the city as well as the scary villains. Superhero movies are PG-13 - not the type of movie you'd be showing to a 7 year old.
ReplyDeleteIn Hollywood, the outfit of a superhero is all that matters. "When not in superhero costume, these men, like Ironman, exploit women, flaunt bling and convey their manhood with high-powered guns." (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healt hnews/7941690/Superheroes-send-out-wrong-message-to-boys.html) The 'bling' is the big idea. It represents the hero, and boys love wearing these costumes. But these costumes portray that some traits are better than others. Hulk is really muscular, showing that brawn is best. Many costumes have paddings in them, in an attempt to make it muscular. Even Spiderman costumes have this.
Like Eliza stated, violence is the only option in their lives. The fights have become much more personal, with revenge being the motive. Telegraph even reports,"But the new breed of superheroes only thought about themselves" (http://www .telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7941690/Superheroes-send-out-wrong-message-to-boys.html). Why should I kill the villain? Oh, because it killed my girlfriend. The citizen part even looks like an act.
Superhero movies are PG-13. Let's face it, a parent doesn't want to let a kid go to some movie like that. Even though there aren't many people running to comic stores, there's no option to see a movie. Ratings are there for a reason, and the critics know what they are talking about. Often, superheros swear and fight with each other, ruining the 'good guy' image. Plus, they get into romantic affairs. Soon, we'll have little boys running around looking to exploiting girls. It's repulsive, really, to find boys who, since they were little, thought that girls were for the taking. Even though it's a debate for another time, no one ever tells boys, "Don't rape," they tell girls, "Be careful of rapists."
Superheros aren't like humans, and that should be understood. They are usually from different planets, so why should little boys try to act like aliens? Dr. Lamb tells Telegraph,"they were real people with real problems and many vulnerabilities" (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7941690/Superh eroes-send-out-wrong-message-to-boys.html). The problems are gone, except when Iron Man, say, gets into a fight with his girlfriend.
Overall, superheros are bossy, selfless aliens that represent so many problems in the modern world. They might be okay for adults - even then, I hate that they exploit women. Mature people might be okay with it, but superheros are no longer for children.
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Cheers,
Sriha S. =^.^=
I think that superheroes are bad role models. Superheroes like Iron Man, or Tony Stark, are great examples of bad role models. Tony is always seeking out revenge. Even when he does what he is supposed to do which is save people, he always has to brag. Telegraph.com says, “Watching superheroes beat up villains may not be the best image for boys to see if society wants to promote kinder, less stereotypical male behaviours, they claim.’ Superheroes like Iron Man are doing the exact opposite of what society thinks is morally right. Tony Stark cares more about his self image than actually doing his job to keep his city safe. Boys should't just care about what they look like.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, superheroes teach boys that you can only be one thing,tough Boys receive the message that they have to be strong, good-looking and rich to be successful, when all you really need is a good education. Then, when they can’t fulfill these set requirements that’s when they can become slackers. Slackers are the students that are constantly disrupting, constantly off task, and never doing there work. They also feel like they failed because they couldnt be like there role model. For someone we call superheroes, they are not what you would expect to be super.
I believe superhero's are actually good in a way. Yes many superhero's are violent but they usually find out that they must take heed with what ever powers they have, and use them when ever they must, not just for any time they feel, for it can hurt others. I believe this teaches kids to not always try to fight fight's that you can, but at the same time, stand up for what you believe is right. Now, it might seem that kids get wild after watching these kinds of movies, but they are playing in such a way that they are fighting their own imaginary evil. Like their own fears.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of fears, these kid of movies teach kids, that it is ok to be afraid sometimes. If we were never afraid, we would walk into any kind of danger blind, not caring what would happen. But, it doesn't, tell you to be afraid of everything. The story does usually compose a story of bravery. This shows that you should be brave, but do it wisely.
I think that superheros are great role models because they tell kids to take action and defend whatever is right.For instance, "Peter Parker shows his sensitive side in this scene, where he decides to devote himself to the life of an evil-defeating superhero, instead of living happily ever after with Mary Jane" (http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/digital/fact-vs-fiction/superheroes-and-role-models). He would rather live a life of killing enemies rather than taking the easy way out and just live in guilt. He would rather save lives than watch them die. In a way this influences kids to help each other out rather than watch the destruction happen. It is also a better influence than most of the other things that kids watch or play nowadays. For example, "The Avengers" was action packed and filled with suspense and excitement where the superheroes Avengers were busy fighting and defeating their enemies. Now if you were to take a movie like "22 Jump Street" that movie is a bad influence; filled with cursing, drug references, and inappropriate scenes. Additionally, superhero movies influence better and safer actions rather than other movies.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Sriha because there must be a tiny bit of destruction in order to fix something. In movies, they attack the bad guys but might destroy a building or two. It's like Batman walking up to a building and destroying it for no reason. It is also like two people having a sword fight and every time someone bleeds they stop ans wipe it up because they don't want any destruction. Yes they may form "gangs," but they must band together to destroy the villains. It may seem a little crazy what these superheroes are doing, but the are really doing something good at the end.
-Adrian J.
Super heroes teach kids that violence is always the answer. Also that you should go after the "bad guy". It isn't being chicken if you are scared of the bad people. Or you don't want them to hurt or torture you. That is perfectly fine. This is why we have armies. So we don't have to fight these battles.
ReplyDeleteMy other paragraph is in the reply section under Oscar's.
DeleteI believe that superheroes are bad role models. A lot of them use violence as an outlet for their anger, and cause a lot of emotional damage to the people around them, as well as physical damage to their surroundings.
ReplyDeleteMany superhero films are described as "action-packed", which is a way of saying "violence-packed". The article states: "Today's superhero is too much like an action hero who participates in non-stop violence; he's aggressive" and that superheroes: "convey their manhood with high-powered guns." Most superheroes cannot solve one simple problem, without resorting to violence. While fighting their enemies, superheroes damage their surroundings, which can involve entire cities. Not only do superheroes inflict a superfluous amount of damage to their surroundings and enemies; they also receive serious injuries, and recover quite quickly. If every little boy on the planet thought that pain was that easy to handle, we would have injured kids, everywhere.
Superheroes also inflict emotional damage to a lot of the people around them. The article states: "When not in superhero costume, these men, like Ironman, exploit women". Many superheroes display an unrealistic sense of masculinity, including how men should treat women. They are just not very good examples of gentlemen: "marketing managers take advantage of boys' need to forge their identity in adolescence and sell them a narrow version of masculinity." Apparently, the physical damage to the villains is not enough for the superheroes, because they feel that they need to deliver sarcastic, hurtful comments: ""Today's superhero is too much like an action hero who participates in non-stop violence; he's aggressive, sarcastic".
In conclusion, I do not think that superheroes have the most redeeming qualities. While they do make good entertainment, in the eyes of some people, superheroes are not very good role models.
I personally believe that superheroes are great role models for those around them. The reason that I say this is because they teach kids to stand up for what is, stand up for those around them, and to take charge when necessary. For example, Superheroes such as Superman and Batman teach kids that they should fight for what they believe is right. In addition, they teach kids how to stand up for themselves and those around them. They do what is needed to get the job done and then help the others around them. However, unlike modern day superheroes, the heroes in comic books were more connected to society. "They were more connected to humanity," she says (http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/digital/fact-vs-fiction/superheroes-and-role-models).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Adrian that Superheroes teach boys to take charge instead of watching something unfold right in front of them. In addition, I agree that they teach young boys how they should defend themselves. However, I disagree with Sriha because there will always be a little bit of destruction needed to get the job done. In conclusion, I believe that Superheroes are good role models for others around them and at home. –Jackson T.
I believe that superheroes do not send off bad images to young boys. Superheroes send off good images to young boys. They show that you shouldn't be a villain and be a good guy. It also gives young boys entertainment watching the superheroes beating up the bad guys. Young buys want to be a superhero and save millions of people like they do in the show.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, I believe that superheroes send off good not bad images to young boys. They show young boys that you can also be a superhero and don't be a bad guy. Children love the entertainment of good guys saving the world and I think it sets a great example.
I believe that super heroes are a bad role model for boys. It leaves them with the wrong message. The boys could think that they could survive whatever they are getting themselves into. When boys get into fights someone always gets hurt. The superheroes make them think they'll never get hurt, which gives them confidence. Confidence is a good thing, but if a boy gains too much of it, then they would end up in a really bad position in a fight or something.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with Paulina, another reason superheroes are a bad influence on boys is that it shows them to solve their problems with violence. Violence is NEVER the answer. However, because of superheroes, some boys think that violence is the answer. They shouldn't think that. If those boys never knew about superheroes, then they would most likely not be violent. To conclude, I believe superheroes are a bad influence on boys.
I think superheroes are bad influences. They jump off buildings on a daily basis. Also, they go off in allys and fight people. Kids should not learn to do this. Kids tend to do whatever is on tv so you will see kids jumping off buildings and fighting people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katelyn because confidence is good but if you gain too much of it someone gets hurt. Also kids could pretend to fight their friends and someone will really get hurt. Violence is never the answer but seeing these superheroes fight someone will get knocked out and really hurt. Kids will also think in order to be a superhero you have to save the world like these superheroes do. If kids did this we would have a lot of injured kids on a daily basis from jumping off buildings.
I think super heroes are bad influences. Super heroes tell kids to get into dangerous stuff to attempt to "save the world". They also can change the child's mindset because the muscular body may make kids want a muscular body and he kid may be bullied because of this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kylie p. because superheroes do jump off buildings, punch people, etc. This shows that children should jump off very tall buildings. It also shows that children should get in fights. overall, superheroes, in my opinion, are bad influences.
I think superheroes are bad role models. The reason I say this is because the way they act. All of the fighting may cause young children to think violence is a good solution to problems. Also, many kids will get the wrong message. The shows are supposed to display helping others, but kids still get the message of violence.
ReplyDeleteSome kids may notice almost all heros have some sort of power or something. While the thought of it gives them an imagination, I think this could lead to a negative effect. Children may think they need powers like these to be a hero. Really, they just need to help others. These movies and shows about heros say otherwise, however.
(Oops! Almost forgot to do the blog)
I believe super heros are not the best role models out there. In comics, the super heros save the day using a special ability. However it does not require super powers to do great things. In reality there is no one who actually has a real super power. There had been many people who had helped our world and did have or require a special ability. Also, the super heroes do such dangerous stunts in most comics.
ReplyDeleteChildren may attempt to reenact such things I could inflict physical harm to themselves. Super heros hump from building to building and even fly! Imagine a young child trying to reenact such stunts, this could not only lead to possible harm, but even death. Also, when there is danger, a super hero comes to save the day. If a child sees a man with a gun, he could possibly try to save someone. Overall, I believe that super heros are not the best influences to young children in my personal opinion.
- Ian B.