Media producers justify violent content by claiming viewers crave it

Evidence

Some writers and producers divest viewers of human sensibilities or invest them with base qualities that justify serving them gory offerings: “Man’s mind is connected to his stomach, his groin, and his fists. It doesn’t float five feet above his body. Violence, therefore, cannot be eradicated” (Baldwin & Lewis, 1972). Viewers allegedly hanker for brutality: “If he doesn’t beat the hell out of him, I want my money back.” This presumption is based on the belief that people find violence inherently gratifying. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 928

Categorization

• DEFINE: Illustrates dehumanization of audiences as a moral disengagement mechanism that justifies violent production.
• XREF: connects to: Mass media openly admit being business to justify their production