Violence and Television essays

Violence and Television essays Boink! Boom! Crack! The sounds of the fight scene rage on. Many have fallen in this particularly bloody battle. The good guys have taken their losses but struggle on to what is seemingly a victory. Their aggression is fierce and helps them. Fires consume the background; men and women lie on the ground in pain. Even if it werent for the bombs, missiles, bullets, etc. that are flying around, hand-to-hand combat would have got the better of them. It was a classic battle scene when looking back at it, a true testament of blood, hell, and gore. This may sound like a heroic made-for-TV movie shown only on primetime in the hopes of recruiting a mature audience. But it is not. In fact, it is just another Saturday-morning special of GI Joe, The Real American Hero, that I watched with my brother and cousins. We were religious followers of the show, tuning in every week to see how Sergeant Slaughter, Duke and the rest of the gang would handle the likes of King Cobra and his cronies. GI Joes early morning time slot encouraged kids, like us, to tune in every weekend. While eating our CheeriosTM and Frosted FlakesTM we got a dose of some real fightin action, in excess of fifty violent scenes for the morning: there is more than enough to fill the appetite. The truth is, violence on television is on every single day. It takes its toll on society, especially children. The damage done by violence on television is detrimental and confirmed by statistics, case studies, and personal experiences. Fistfights, shootouts, car crashes, rapes... Take your pick. Violence is everywhere on television, sometimes gory and gruesome, other times clean and remote. It is not just the Saturday morning cartoons; clips from action-adventure series, the nightly news and MTV are interwoven with violence and extremely mature content. Prime-time programs can average eight hostile acts per hour; children's shows four t...

30 Problem Words and Phrases

30 Problem Words and Phrases 30 Problem Words and Phrases 30 Problem Words and Phrases By Mark Nichol Tried-and-true words and phrases are convenient, but they are also truly trying as with clichà ©s, when a writer relies too heavily on stock usage, the resulting prose is tired and uninspired. Watch out for the following deadly usages. 1. After having: â€Å"After looking around, I chose a seat† is fine, and so is â€Å"Having looked around, I chose a seat,† but â€Å"After having looked around, I chose a seat† is redundant. â€Å"Having† means that the action has already been performed, so the context is clear that the writer is writing after the fact. 2. Aged: Identifying the age or age range of a person or a group with this word puts the subject(s) in a category with cheese or wine. Write â€Å"50 years old,† for example, instead of â€Å"aged 50 years,† or â€Å"ages 21–34† rather than â€Å"aged 21–34.† 3. Aggravate: To aggravate is to make something worse, not to bother, annoy, or irritate. 4. And also: And and also are redundant; use one or the other. 5. Anticipate: To anticipate is to foresee (and perhaps act on that foresight), not to expect. 6. Anxious: To be anxious is to feel distressed or worried, not eager. 7. Approximately: How about using about instead? Save three syllables. For scientific or technical references, approximately is fine, but it’s a bit much in most other contexts. 8. As to whether: â€Å"As to† is extraneous; use whether only. 9. At this point in time: Omit this meaningless filler. 10. Basically, essentially, totally: Basically, these words are essentially nonessential, and you can totally dispense with them. 11. Being as/being that: Replace these phrases with because. 12. Considered to be: â€Å"To be† is extraneous; write considered only, or consider deleting it as well. 13. Could care less: No, you couldn’t. You want to convey that it’s not possible for you to care less, so you couldn’t care less. 14. Due to the fact that: Replace this phrase with because. 15. Each and every: Write â€Å"Each item is unique,† or â€Å"Every item is unique,† but not â€Å"Each and every item is unique.† 16. Equally as: As is superfluous; write equally only. 17. Was a factor, is a factor, will be a factor: If your writing includes one of these phrases, its presence is a sign that you’re not done revising yet; rewrite â€Å"The vehicle’s condition is a factor in performance,† for example, to â€Å"The vehicle’s condition affects its performance.† 18. Had ought: Had is redundant; use ought only. 19. Have got: Got is suitable for informal writing only; if you’re referring to necessity, consider must rather than â€Å"have got,† and if the reference is to simple possession, delete got from the phrase â€Å"have got.† 20. In many cases/it has often been the case: Reduce the word count in statements containing these verbose phrases by replacing â€Å"in many cases† with often, for example. 21. In the process of: This extraneous phrasing is acceptable in extemporaneous speaking but unnecessarily verbose in prepared oration and in writing. 22. Is a . . . which/who: If you find yourself writing a phrase like this, step back and determine how to write it more succinctly; â€Å"Smith is a man who knows how to haggle,† for example, can be abbreviated to â€Å"Smith knows how to haggle.† 23. Kind of/sort of: In formal writing, if you must qualify a statement, use a more stately qualifier such as rather, slightly, or somewhat. 24. Lots/lots of: In formal writing, employ many or much in place of one of these colloquialisms. 25. Of a . . . character: If you use character as a synonym for quality, make the reference concise. â€Å"The wine has a musty character† is better rendered â€Å"The wine tasted musty, and â€Å"He was a man with a refined character† can be revised to the more concise statement â€Å"The man was refined,† but better yet, describe how the man is refined. 26. Of a . . . nature: Just as with character, when you use nature as a synonym for quality, pare the phrasing down: Reduce â€Å"She had a philosophical nature,† for example, to â€Å"She was philosophical.† 27. Oftentimes: An outdated, unnecessary complication of often. 28. On account of: Replace this awkward phrase with because. 29. Renown: Renown is the noun (as well as a rarely used verb); renowned is the adjective. Avoid the like of â€Å"the renown statesman.† 30. Thankfully: In formal usage, this word is not considered a synonym for fortunately. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Words for Facial Expressions75 Synonyms for â€Å"Talk†25 Idioms with Clean