November 7, 2018
Media and Violence
Today
1) Narratives
2) Exercise
Narrative Features
Narrative Features
Actors
How are …
- Perpetrators
- Victims
- Bystanders
… described or portrayed
Narrative Features
Actions
How are the
- events leading up to
- the violence itself
described or narrated
Narrative Features: Actors
Rationalization/Repudiation
rationalization: portrayal of actor as being rational, sensible, or logical
repudation: portrayal of actor as being irrational, illogical, or erratic
Narrative Features: Actors
Rationalization
Narrative Features: Actors
Inclusion/Expurgation
inclusion: language and symbols that connects actor with wider community and encourages audience identification with the actor (e.g. humanizing actor, having desirable attributes)
expurgation: symbols/language that make actors into scapegoat or otherwise evil, strange, or not part of the community shared by the audience (e.g. dehumanizing language, emphasis on undesirable traits)