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advertisements affect us (aside from the rare pizza commercial that
immediately makes us crave pizza). This is because ads are generally
presented as entertainment, so that viewers are less likely to notice any
effect or to resist their messages. Research suggests that the more one

participates in this charade, by claiming that advertisements don’t affect
one’s self, the more likely one is to be affected (Greene, 1999). Thus, to
the extent that we expect media effects to be simple and direct, we are

probably failing to notice the strongest and most powerful media
influences.
Myth 2. The effects of media violence are severe.
Each of the events mentioned at the beginning of this chapter is

extreme, and it is certainly true that most people who watch media
violence never seriously injure other people or themselves. Since media
violence does not make them commit the same kinds of violence, many

people draw the inference that it has no effect on them or on most other
people. Potter (1999) described this issue clearly, stating that, “People
know that others are committing violent acts, but they also know that

they personally have never committed any atrocities. The problem with
this reasoning is that people equate [media] effects with atrocities” (p.
122). Watching violent media can have many effects, and we should not

expect that exposure to media violence will cause people to begin killing
each other. For every child who picks up a gun and shoots someone,
thankfully there are millions who do not. Incidents of violent behaviors
in American schools, 1998. Adapted from W. Modzeleski (2002),

United States Secret Service. tally, most seasoned educators will tell you
that schoolchildren have become more disrespectful, more verbally
aggressive, and more likely to push and shove each other over time. In

fact, the largest effect of media violence is probably not illustrated by
individual examples of violent behavior, but by the “culture of
disrespect” it has fostered and nurtured (Walsh, 2001). Interpersonal
violence is just the endpoint on a continuum of disrespectful behavior.

As can be seen in Figure 2.1, for every single example of a school
killing, there were over 7,000 serious injuries, 28,000 thefts, 44,000
physical fights, and 500,000 reports of bullying (W. Modzeleski,

personal communication to the authors, January 9, 2003). Killing
someone is just the most visible tip of the phenomenon—there is a great
deal of aggressive behavior that is not so extreme. While media effects

on aggression are most likely to arouse concerns, violent media affect us
much more broadly. Any time that you have laughed, felt excited,