What's So Funny About a Poke in the Eye? The Prevalence of Violence in Comedy Films and Its Relation to Social and Economic Threat in the United States, 1951-2000

McIntosh, William D.; Murray, John D.; Murray, Rebecca; Manian, Sunita

doi:10.1207/s15327825mcs0604_1

Cited by 17 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Although the looks of male actors are consistent across changing social and economic conditions (Pettijohn & Tesser, 2003), actresses have more mature facial features during good social and economic times (Pettijohn & Tesser, 1999). However, during threatening social and economic conditions, less attractive and younger male performers (McIntosh, Murray, Murray, & Manian, 2006) become popular as audiences also gravitate toward comedies (Pettijohn, 2003) and comedies with more slapstick humor (McIntosh, Murray, Murray, & Manian, 2003). Movies might show the opposite effects in threatening social and economic times than those shown by other media because, unlike other forms of popular culture, most blockbuster films are not targeted to particular demographics and are often used for escapism rather than complimenting emotive moods.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Good times and endless love: Billboard R&B/Hip Hop songs of the year across social and economic conditions.

Eastman

Pettijohn²

2019

Psychology of Popular Media Culture

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Previous research shows songs on the Billboard charts and the artists who create them vary according to social and economic conditions. However, only country and pop charts have been analyzed thus far. In the current study, we assess the music and lyrics along with the sex and age of the artists who recorded 65 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop songs of the year between 1946 and 2010. Mirroring both country and pop artists, after the introduction of MTV in 1981, audiences gravitated toward more mature and therefore more comforting artists when the economy is sour and social problems are more prevalent. However, unlike pop stars but like country artists, female R&B/Hip-Hop artists are more likely to place songs atop the Billboard charts in difficult social and economic times. Still, like songs atop the Billboard Pop charts (but unlike country Billboard hits), when social and economic times become difficult, R&B/Hip-Hop songs are less likely to have lyrics about leisure or fun, and they are more likely to be longer, slower, and therefore sadder sounding. We hypothesize trends in the R&B/Hip-Hop charts are closely aligned to the pop charts because “black music” is, and always has been, more influential on pop than the more folk-oriented country music.

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confidence: 99%

Good times and endless love: Billboard R&B/Hip Hop songs of the year across social and economic conditions.

Eastman

Pettijohn²

2019

Psychology of Popular Media Culture

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“…Like Kunkel, Cope, and Biely (1999), any behavior that did not convey a sense of probable or possible sexual intimacy was not coded (e.g. McIntosh et al, 2003McIntosh et al, , 2006. Since the MPAA states specific guidelines regarding language and sexual content, talk about sex was included in our coding of sexual content, as were visual jokes of a sexual nature.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

MPAA Ratings Creep

Leone¹,

Barowski²

2011

Journal of Children and Media

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The term "ratings creep" refers to the belief that various types of adult content escalate in films with the same rating over time. The purpose of this study was to test the ratings creep hypothesis through a quantitative analysis of films from 1988, 1997, and 2006 in the PG-13 rating category used by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). A quantitative content analysis of 45 films was conducted, and significant increases in violent content in the PG-13 rating category from Time 1 (1988) to Times 2 (1997) and 3 (2006) were found. However, similar increases in other types of adult content in the PG-13 rating category were not found. Results suggest a leniency toward violent content by the MPAA ratings board that parallels America's parents' greater comfort with children being exposed to violence than other types of adult content-sex, for example-in the unrestricted PG-13 rating category.

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“…Violence is very common in top-grossing movies, and has steadily increased during the last 40 years (Bleakley, Jamieson, & Romer, 2012;Monk-Turner et al, 2004). Moreover, the perpetrators in violent movies are commonly displayed as more attractive and more intelligent than average (McIntosh, Murray, Murray, & Manian, 2003).…”

Section: Violence In the Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Violent Media Content and Effects

Busching¹,

Allen²,

Anderson³

2016

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication

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In our modern age, electronic media usage is prevalent in almost every part of the world. People are more connected than ever before with easy access to highly portable devices (e.g., laptops, smartphones, and tablets) that allow for media consumption at any time of day. Unfortunately, the presence of violence in electronic media content is almost as prevalent as the media itself. Violence can be found in music, television shows, video games, and even YouTube videos. Content analyses have shown that nearly all media contain violence, irrespective of age rating (Linder & Gentile, 2009; Thompson & Haninger, 2001; Thompson, Tepichin, & Haninger, 2006; Yokota & Thompson, 2000). It is therefore important to ask: What are the consequences of pervasive exposure to screen violence? One consequence of media violence exposure, hotly debated by some in the general public, is increased aggressive behavior. This relationship was investigated in many studies using experimental, longitudinal, or cross-sectional design. These studies are summarized in meta-analyses, which support the notion that media violence increase the likelihood of acting aggressively. This link can be explained by an increase in aggressive thoughts, a more hostile perception of the environment, and less empathic reaction to victims of aggressive behavior. However, the often debated notion that media violence allows one to vent off steam, leading to a reduced likelihood of aggressive behavior, has failed to receive empirical support. The effect of media violence is not limited to aggressive behavior; as a consequence of violent media usage attentional problems arise and prosocial behavior decreases.

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What's So Funny About a Poke in the Eye? The Prevalence of Violence in Comedy Films and Its Relation to Social and Economic Threat in the United States, 1951-2000

Cited by 17 publications

References 28 publications

Good times and endless love: Billboard R&B/Hip Hop songs of the year across social and economic conditions.

Good times and endless love: Billboard R&B/Hip Hop songs of the year across social and economic conditions.

MPAA Ratings Creep

Violent Media Content and Effects

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