Media responsible, or is it public's fault?

Under the law, if i told someone that i want them to kill someone, and i'll give them something, like money, i am held responsible...

if a clothing company sublty implies that looking like a drug user, ie "heroin sheik", is cool, and a young girl decides to do drugs to get the look, turns into a loser addict, and dies of an o/d, will that company be responsible?

How responsible should we be for the results of our expressions? The company didnt force that girl to do what she did, but it did plant the seed for the idea.


Is a single person making a statement with words or pictures different than a large corporation making statements in either way to sell their stuff?

should fat people be able to sue mcdonalds?
should anorexics be able to sue fashion and clothing companies for portraying thinness as a popular thing?
should smokers be able to sue tobacco companies?

where can we draw the line?

should media be held responsible for actions taken after viewing their ads or products? Or is it the persons fault for taking the step?

should a single person be held responsible for there words which lead to another person's actions?

It all comes down to common sense. If a person isn't naturally instilled with common sense (most people), then it comes down to the parents to teach common sense to their children. Unfortunately, most paren't themselves don't have common sense. It really is the person's own fault in the end.

Fat people shouldn't be able to sue a company because their food supposedly "made them fat." Its common sense - you are what you eat.

Smokers should not be able to sue tobacco companies (they have sued and won before though), again, common sense - too much of one thing can't be good for you; or, if it is costing you an "arm and a leg" to support your habit, isn't it time to do something about it?

Anorexics should not be able to sue a fashion/clothing company. Common sense says that the the thinness that is portrayed is not a healthy thinness. A person who is healthy and is thin has muscle tone and strength to do things - which take work. Lack of better judgement says that you can get thin by just not eating, or you can puke up what you have eaten (bolemia).

Most everything is common sense. Parents should also be there to explain reality to the children they might have that believe in the unreality. Also, just about everyone wants to point the blaim at anything other then themselves. I think I should be able to sue people for not having any common sense or that they choose not to have it.

Everyone should be held accountable for their own actions. Unless of course someone is holding a gun to their head, then I'd probably hold the person pointing the gun responsible for the others person actions, but, the person being told what to do still has the option to fight back or do something against the gun holder... a dilemna.

[Edited on 4-11-2004 by EmbryonicEssence]

Originally posted by EmbryonicEssence
Most everything is common sense. Parents should also be there to explain reality to the children they might have that believe in the unreality.
[Edited on 4-11-2004 by EmbryonicEssence]

I think this is the key to it all right here.
REALITY.
My SO's son for example. Him and his friends, are constantly using dialogue from movies they see, to express themselves in real life.
It's almost like we no longer wish to have original thoughts, only repeat what we see and hear.

But the comercials thing, has been going on for a long time , Gillette used to have a commercial of a hand holding a razor, by the edges, and applying pressure until it broke in the middle thus forming the first "double razor" A LOT of idiots ended up in ER's with sliced fingers, trying to imitate the commercial, but you never heard of them getting sued, maybe we have just gotten more greedy over the years....
Monkey see...monkey do....

It all comes down to common sense. If a person isn't naturally instilled with common sense (most people), then it comes down to the parents to teach common sense to their children. Unfortunately, most paren't themselves don't have common sense. It really is the person's own fault in the end.

I am a advocate of Darwinism. If they harm themselves because they were stupid enough to do it then the world would be better off without them.

I knew a girl with bolemia. Now, she was extremily smart. Top of our class. Why did she force herself to vomit up her food? She thought she was fat, because we are constantly inundated with advertising depicting unnaturally thin people. It must be said that her perents were less then perfect (far less then perfect), but I think that, in that case, the media does have somthing to answer for.

Also, there was an incident on Australian Idol where a contestent wore a dress that showed off her hips. She was bombarded by criticism. What message are girls going to get from that? They will get the message that having large hips is unnatural and undesirable. In this world, where we shape our opinions based on the news and fashion is drummed into us with advertising, the media plays a big part in determining the values of society.

Obviously, there can be no doubt that being fat is unhealthy, and it is taught in schools in here. Thus, people sueing fast food outlets have no excuse. However, personal appearence is far removed from this, and the media push thin a lot more then fat.

Also, there was an incident on Australian Idol where a contestent wore a dress that showed off her hips. She was bombarded by criticism. What message are girls going to get from that? They will get the message that having large hips is unnatural and undesirable.

Sorry man, but that is human nature at its best. Nobody ever says they want to be dating the ugliest people in the world. I know myself I am attracted to good looking woman. And I don't beleive that it is the media that drives me to think the way I do.

Originally posted by Saleb
I knew a girl with bolemia. Now, she was extremily smart. Top of our class. Why did she force herself to vomit up her food? She thought she was fat, because we are constantly inundated with advertising depicting unnaturally thin people. It must be said that her perents were less then perfect (far less then perfect), but I think that, in that case, the media does have somthing to answer for.

Also, there was an incident on Australian Idol where a contestent wore a dress that showed off her hips. She was bombarded by criticism. What message are girls going to get from that? They will get the message that having large hips is unnatural and undesirable. In this world, where we shape our opinions based on the news and fashion is drummed into us with advertising, the media plays a big part in determining the values of society.

Obviously, there can be no doubt that being fat is unhealthy, and it is taught in schools in here. Thus, people sueing fast food outlets have no excuse. However, personal appearence is far removed from this, and the media push thin a lot more then fat.

You can be smart and have no common sense. Common sense isn't for everyone.

[Edited on 4-11-2004 by EmbryonicEssence]

I believe the story about the tree of Knowledge of good and evil is really about information and what a person does with it.

Once adam and eve's eyes were "opened" to the fact that any info could be used for good or evil....it became THEIR responsibility to make that determination....I.E. they are now accountable for the choices they make WITH that information.

This is why i feel censorship is wrong....
certantly some information is definatly more inclined to being used for ill purposes (improvised bomb making for example), but what if someone is using one against you, and you couldnt get the info needed to safely diffuse it?

Knowing something, and taking action (or inaction) with the information is TWO SEPERATE things.

Its not the "what is known"
its the "what was done with that info" that counts.