The simpsons/Family Guy/South Park

On television there are A LOT of shows that influence people and their actions. The Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park being the most popular and biggest ones to influence society.

Let's start off with The Simpsons, in this show we have a family of 5, the dad is completely dumb and abusive, the older boy is disrespectful and a delinquent, the middle girl is smarter, one baby, and the mom who tries to live a normal life. "65% [of parents] say that shows like The Simpsons and Married... With Children encourage kids to disrespect parents." (Parents television council, Facts and TV statistics) There has been a survey and 65% of parents say that they have realized that their children have been more disrespectful than before they watched the Simpsons. That or they saw the message from the Simpsons. This show also shows that the children are smarter than the parents because in this show the two kids are smarter than their dad. The Simpsons show a huge lack of respect to elders and give wrong messages out to real kids.

Family guy is usually for an older audience than the Simpsons, yet still a relatively young audience. This show sends mostly sexual and vanity messages. The Dad usually has a lot of sexual references and the entire family is fixated on what they look like and what others think of them. For example, Stewie has a fit when people don't see him as evil, the teenage girl cries when she doesn't get the attention she wants, the dad has liposuction to be in a special group at one point. This show makes a lot of emphasis into vanity and they "social status" as if it's all that matters in the world.

Finally South Park, the most vulgar of all three. This show is EXTREMELY violent and gory, and again it's for a relatively young/teenage age. This is a show where one of the five main character, Kenny, dies nearly every episode. There are knives, guns and killings all over the board in this show. It sends out the message that violence solves EVERY problem you have in the world, when it actually only creates more problems. There is also another part in this show, lying, ever show they lie and get away with it, showing that lying makes what you did wrong better, even though it never does. This show is extremely violent and vulgar and a lot of young people watch it, they may not know it, but it does influence them.

These are only three of the thousands of shows out there that influence society. Even if you watch it and say: "Wow that dumb, I'll never do THAT" media influences everyone subconsciously, there's no way to get around it. Well there's one, get cut from the media, but that's hardly ever going to happen now is it.

18, age, and a U.S. youth will. "Sex, Violence, and Profanity in the Media Fact Sheet, TV Statistics - Parents Television Council." Parents Television Council - Because Our Children Are Watching. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. <http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/facts/mediafacts.asp>.