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)

Narrative Features: Actors

Euphemism/Dysphemism

euphemism: description of actor with valorizing or positive adjective instead of neutral or negative terms (describing drunkenly destroying property as "had a little too much fun")

dysphemism: description of actor with negative or pejorative adjective instead of neutral or positive terms (calling someone a "butcher" rather than they "committed homicide"")

"Erected by his countrymen in honor of the military genius of Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest"

Narrative Features: Actors

Authorization

authorization: depiction of actor as being a figure of or having authority to act.

Authorization

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio:

described as "tireless champion of strong borders and the rule of law"

after being convicted of racial profiling to round up suspected illegal immigrants

Narrative Features: Actors

Moral Evaluation

blameworthy: portrayals that imply victims of violence as somehow deserving what happened to them (e.g. emphasizing that person shot by police had criminal charges)

praiseworthy: portrayals that imply perpetrators of violence will be or ought to be praised for their actions

Summary

Encourage/justify violence:

Victims

Repudiate, expurgate, dysphemism, blame

Perpetrators (sometimes others)

Rationalize, include, euphemism, authorize

Lynching of Sam Hose

Exercise

Read article with group

Identify examples of:

  1. rationaliation/repudiation
  2. expurgation/inclusion
  3. euphemism/dysphemism
  4. authorization
  5. blameworth/praiseworthy