[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 146 (Saturday, October 8, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       ESSAY CONTEST PARTICIPANTS

                                 ______


                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 7, 1994

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, every year I sponsor a competition to help 
several young men and women to experience, firsthand, the legislative 
branch of our Nation's Government by interning in my office in the 
summer. These are college-aged students and teachers with a keen 
interest in social studies or government.
  I would like to take this opportunity to read excerpts from papers 
submitted this year by students from Ohio's Ninth District in response 
to the topic: ``Discuss MTV, Rap Music, Television and Movies: What's 
Popular with America's Youth and What Does That Say About America?'' I 
think my colleagues will agree that these participants demonstrate an 
excellent knowledge of the topic and they help us to better understand 
how the media is affecting our Nation's youth, and what role we can 
expect it to play in our future.


                      Sachin Jhunjhunwala, Winner

       Today, most children don't have time to enjoy childhood, 
     and have many pressures to become more responsible. Also, 
     sexual behavior is implemented as a form of rebellion. 
     Instead of having sex because they want to have sex, or 
     because they love their sexual partner, children have sex to 
     prove that they don't have to listen to their parents. In the 
     past most television programming stayed away from such 
     controversial issues; however, today, most situation comedies 
     freely deal with subjects rendered untouchable in the past. 
     Many feel that the promiscuous behavior of American children 
     creates sociological problems. However, the problem lies 
     within the society, not the children. By forcing adolescent 
     to mature quickly, children must face issues such as sex 
     before they are psychologically ready. The rapidity of 
     children's education through experiences forces children to 
     make quick, immature decisions on issues such as sex and 
     violence. Often times, these small decisions magnify and 
     create sociological problems such as gang warfare and teen 
     pregnancy. Through the media, an adolescent can view the 
     dangers of sex and violence without personal involvement. By 
     providing indirect experiences of sex and violence to 
     children, an overall knowledge of the positive and negative 
     aspects gained; this leads to an educated decision. In order 
     to enrich American children, the power of the media should be 
     harnessed to enlighten young Americans.


                          Gina LaCava, Winner

       An entire adolescent culture has emerged, consisting of 
     many genres, that combines music, television, movies and 
     clothing to express the sentiments of a generation. Young 
     people have always turned to music for recreation, for its 
     cathartic powers, and as a means to voice their frustration. 
     Adults feared that music had the power to inspire anarchy and 
     would lead to moral and social decay. In recent years, this 
     parental fear has manifested itself in efforts to censor 
     records through labeling and attempts to outright ban 
     offensive materials. Generation-Xers have actually been 
     depicted negatively by most conventional media sources. From 
     the 12 year olds to the twentysomethings, today's generation 
     has been labeled as a breed of apathetic slackers, with short 
     attention spans and full of angst. They have been told they 
     are the first generation to have little hope of doing better 
     than their parents. Many are from broken homes and have been 
     raised in unstable families. This is the generation that 
     suffered the fiscal excesses of the Reagan 80's, that spent 
     their entire sexual prime in fear of AIDS, and endured the 
     repressive cultural climate in the Reagan/Bush years. It is 
     really not surprising that young people turn to the 
     outrageous when their reality seems so bleak. Regardless of 
     the forces that are working against today's youth, this 
     generation is a hopeful one. There are many positive, 
     constructive efforts coming out of this generation, which 
     work towards such goals as racial harmony, a sustainable 
     environment and increasing young voting power.


                           Aaron Hull, Winner

       There has been much controversy in recent years concerning 
     the lyrics of rap music. Many rap artists have responded to 
     such criticisms, however, by stating that their music is not 
     intended to advocate such violent or gang-related behavior, 
     but rather is simply expressing these events as a part of 
     life for the young, African-Americans. Thus they claim that 
     their music is descriptive of the plight of impoverished, 
     inner-city, African-Americans rather than prescriptive of a 
     course of action or a set of behaviors which they are accused 
     of advocating. I would assert that much of the now racially 
     diversified rap music audience looks to the artists as a 
     voice of concern with social issues as have popular music 
     audiences since the 1960's. During the 1960's many of the 
     political messages of music had to do with war and peace, the 
     salient political issues of the day. In the 1990's the most 
     popular political issues include gang violence, drug abuse, 
     inner-city poverty, and racism.


                         Ramzi Sulayman, Winner

       MTV is a mirror of young society. However, it also creates 
     that society through the perpetuation of messages that it can 
     sell to its audience. An example of this phenomenon can be 
     found in the way that MTV addresses issues of great societal 
     importance, including women's issues, racism, and respect for 
     other members of society, i.e. the social order. MTV has 
     ventured into politics, and has been surprisingly 
     subjective in its presentation of ``MTV News.'' MTV's 
     values system is committed * * * to promoting a lot of 
     values and attitudes that are far from conservative, 
     politically or culturally. MTV has profoundly impacted the 
     way in which movies and TV series are constructed. Praise 
     for such blatantly violent and racist themes and 
     statements send mixed signals to the legions of youth who 
     are inundated with the message of militant and gansta rap 
     groups on a daily basis.


                        Rhonda Hall, Participant

       I believe we as Americans have shifted away from 
     traditional family values and have basically left the youth 
     to discover the world for themselves. I feel the best way to 
     deal with the increasing interest in entertainment is through 
     parental guidance. It's time for parents to stop using the 
     television as a baby-sitter for children and become actively 
     involved in their children's lives. Parents need to take the 
     responsibility of teaching their children what is reality and 
     what is fiction. They need to return to the tradition of 
     teaching children about values, beliefs and morals. They need 
     to intervene in the lives of children to show them or teach 
     them the difference between right and wrong. The more 
     actively involved a parent is in a child's life, the more 
     likely it would be for them to detect problems or concerns.


                       Benjamin Rule, Participant

       Likewise, MTV provides a ``lifestyle'' as well as a mode 
     for fantasies * * * the most important development in recent 
     rap music is that it has become more political, and serious 
     intelligent messages about life in urban black neighborhoods 
     have replaced the emphasis on nonsensical party-type lyrics. 
     Just like MTV, Rap music has given an identity (a lifestyle) 
     and a dialogue of slang for a generation of youth and created 
     an outlet for political frustration and alienation as well. 
     Its messages, in some of Rap's harsher forms, are shocking to 
     adults. Games are a sort of artificial paradise like 
     Disneyland, or some Utopian vision by which we interpret and 
     complete the meaning of our daily lives. In games, we devise 
     means of nonspecialized participation in the larger drama of 
     our time. Again, we notice a parallel to the popularity of 
     MTV and Rap music as a means for identification and as 
     fulfillment for teen fantasies. More important is the feeling 
     of participation in the significance of our time. In the 
     world of video games, teens can become an ace fighter pilot 
     fighting for the allied forces in Iraq or a vigilante out to 
     bring justice to a lawless community. These games * * * are 
     serving as personal fantasy worlds that teens actively 
     participate in so they can feel a measure of significance in 
     their little micro-chip world. Isolation of this sort 
     has serious ramifications if young people actually feel 
     that this is all they can do to feel significant in their 
     lives.


                     thomas torkelson, participant

       Rap music often chronicles what life for black youths is 
     like in the ghetto. Gangsta rap is popular because these 
     youths can identify with it in one of two ways: either they 
     are leading a gangsta life-style or they know someone who is. 
     Rappers such as Ice-T contend that inner city youths must 
     either work long hours for minimum wage or become drug 
     dealers, the latter of which is more financially lucrative 
     than the former. Because most youths feel alienated from the 
     adult work at some point, and since much of gangsta rap is 
     about the alienation of the black community from middle-class 
     whites, youths feel as though the rap community understands 
     and empathizes with them. Again, just as Madonna's popularity 
     was due in part to her role model in a time when few other 
     feminist role models appealed to teenagers, rap's popularity 
     stems from the ability of rappers to say in essence, ``We 
     know how you feel, we also feel unaccepted by America.'' [In 
     the movie Reality Bites, we examine a character's 
     personality] * * * yet he is unsuccessful when measured by 
     society's standards because he is out of work and has 
     difficulties keeping a job for any sustained period of time. 
     This film not only addresses the lack of direction that 
     characterizes members of Generation-X, it also criticizes 
     America for its hypocrisy.


                     ms. carissa abke, participant

       The other day I sat my grandmother down and tried to get 
     her to use E-Mail. She had a very hard time gripping the 
     concept (this is the woman who is afraid to use her VCR). She 
     finally gave up and picked up the telephone, determined to 
     communicate the ``old fashioned way.'' My family is like many 
     other people in the United States who just can't keep up. 
     With everything changing so quickly there is no time for 
     establishment.


                    dorothy karayannis, participant

       What they're (the youth) really saying is that they feel 
     lost. It's a spiritual loss, and it keeps them in an ever-
     widening circle of confusion. They are wondering why their 
     time on this earth is important. They don't even understand 
     why their lives are special. Regardless of a fear to label 
     the youth, it's clear that the restructuring must begin both 
     in the home and in the classroom. The youth must be 
     encouraged to relate with someone who will listen to their 
     concerns and act compassionately. Sadly, that is what they're 
     looking for in their Walkman. The media and society feed off 
     each other. Neither one nor the other can be held completely 
     responsible. * * * The reporter who bangs out the highest 
     death toll receives the most praise in the newsroom and on 
     the street. It doesn't benefit the journalist to be 
     humane, or human. People become numbers, death a mere 
     fatality. As a result, those in the news room and the 
     family room have become jaded simultaneously. Program 
     concepts are plentiful, but answers to the problems of our 
     youth are constantly being ignored. Their voice is 
     becoming muffled under grand programs and adult ideals. 
     More leaders must also speak out on behalf of America's 
     youth and integrate these teens into the political 
     process. Unless someone re-directs the heat, society's 
     youth may melt into oblivion. Parents, grandparents, big 
     brothers and sisters must support the young adults in 
     their lives. The grass and the house can wait-our youth 
     cannot.


                        peter marik, participant

       Television is a teacher and children today learn their 
     values and behaviors from what they see on the programs. The 
     term ``Entertainment'' has come to mean that television 
     teaches youths that violence is legitimate, justified, 
     rewarded, effective and clean. It is portrayed as being 
     heroic and even enjoyable. Young people are susceptible to 
     television portrays life and how irrelevant the things they 
     see on programs are to their own lives. [The youths that side 
     with victims on TV]. They become filled with fear, mistrust 
     and are so insecure and protective of themselves that they 
     feel the need to carry a gun * * * We live in a society where 
     television violence is shown on a greater scale than in other 
     countries and our country's crime has risen to great lengths, 
     perhaps influenced a great deal by what people see on 
     television * * * (ex. John Hinckley, Jr--``Taxi Driver'' and 
     ``Rebel Without a Cause'' and chicken races in 1950's) * * * 
     Films not only show how cool it is to carry a gun and kill 
     your enemy, but they also show the major mistreatment of 
     women in easy lifestyles in our country. These scenes can 
     undoubtedly influence certain youths who believe that fantasy 
     is reality and as a result, we have various types of crimes 
     affecting our country.

  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to share with my colleagues a glimpse of 
what young people in my community are thinking about America's ever-
changing culture. I know you join me in congratulating these young 
people for their excellent entries in the competition.

                          ____________________