Media Violence Versus Real Life Violence Use these discussion starters to get your Pathfinders thinking about violence in real life and in the media:
Ask the girls to define what violence is. Is emotional violence as harmful as physical violence? Talk about how emotional violence can begin a cycle that leads to physical violence. How do they feel when someone yells at them, calls them names, or threatens them?
Discuss how violence is used in different kinds of media. Is it used gratuitously or is it integral to the plot? Is it used in a humorous way? Is it there to teach a lesson? Is used in a manipulative way?
Discuss the consequences to media violence. Ask the girls to think about the realistic consequences of the violence they see in the media. For example, how would the people involved in the conflict feel in real life? What injuries would have occurred? What property damages would be incurred?
Discuss why there is violence in media and why people attracted to it? Producers create violent media because it sells both at home and abroad -- many people want their entertainment to be action-packed.
Ask if people can become de-sensitized to media violence? Do kids feel that they need to see more graphic violence each time?
Gender Stereotypes and Body Image This three-part activity guide is from the award-winning violence-prevention curriculum Healthy Relationships.
Exposing Gender Stereotypes: Look at the male and female stereotypes that exist in our society and identify the aspects of these stereotypes that are related to violence.
Learning Gender Stereotypes: Help girls recognize the futility, and the harmful effects, of striving to attain stereotypical perfection.
The Impact of Gender Role Stereotypes: Teach girls about the potentially damaging effects of living up to stereotypes and how it can lead to abuse and violence against ourselves and others.
Taking Charge of TV Violence Older level girls will enjoy the "watch dog" aspect to this activity guide, as they talk about the influence of media violence on younger children and explore appropriate ages for viewing different types of violent content.
Perceptions of Youth and Crime This activity guide helps young people become aware of how and why the media sensationalize youth violence and the effect this can have on society's attitudes towards young people. Check out the Media Tool Kit for Youth for ideas on how to access mainstream media in order to counter the negative stereotyping of youth.
