TV Makers Use Identifiable Techniques. We can take apart the world that media makers construct by identifying the camera angles, music, special effects and symbols that make scary scenes more scary, tyrants more evil, or advertised products more alluring. Without knowing it, children pick up on these techniques very early. Counting laughtracks in a sitcom or the number of times the music changes in a favourite video are revealing ways to de-mystify TV, enhance appreciation of these techniques and help your child be less susceptible to manipulation. TV Teaches Us that Some People and Ideas Are More Important than Others.
All media carry subtle messages about who and what is important.
Sometimes, like us, media makers use stereotypes carelessly. We should expect them, however, to strive for fairness and balance between various ideas and viewpoints. In the U.S., the First Amendment protects the freedom to express diverse points of view. At the same time, less popular or new ideas can have a hard time getting aired, especially if they challenge long-standing assumptions or commonly accepted beliefs. Answering this question helps us teach our children to think critically about what they see and hear.