Kid Stuff: Marketing Sex and Violence to America's Children [Hardcover]

Diane Ravitch (Editor), Joseph P. Viteritti (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2003

American children spend a substantial part of their lives watching television and movies, playing video games, and listening to music containing explicit sex and violence. From Doom and Grand Theft Auto III to Eminem and Marilyn Manson, a strain of the popular culture has become increasingly toxic. One of the most pressing—and controversial—issues facing parents and educators in America today is understanding how exposure to these media affects the social and psychological development and behavior of children and teenagers.

In Kid Stuff, Diane Ravitch and Joseph P. Viteritti bring together experts in media studies, child psychology, and public health to assess the dangers posed by "tox pop" to American society. Drawing on thirty years of research, the contributors find convincing evidence that such "entertainment" can harm children and teenagers, despite the self-serving denials of the media industry. Balancing their concerns for the welfare of children with respect for the First Amendment, Kid Stuff furthers the ongoing dialogue about how a democratic society can protect its children from the pernicious extremes of popular media.

Contributors: Craig A. Anderson, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Peter G. Christenson, Edward Donnerstein, Jeanne B. Funk, Todd Gitlin, Kay S. Hymowitz, Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, Nell Minow, Newton Minow, Thomas N. Robinson, Stacy L. Smith

Editorial Reviews

Review

Parents and educators too often feel that protecting children against the corrupting influences of the popular culture is futile. This incisive collection of essays offers a helpful understanding of the toxic nature of today's media and some real solutions for providing children with needed guidance. The book is the rarest, and most valuable, form of critique: it exposes an alarming condition that we have come to accept as inevitable and then shows how we can fight our way to a healthier future.

(William Damon, Director, Stanford Center on Adolescence, Stanford University 2003)

The expert authors of various chapters in this collection offer evidence of how damaging this stuff can be: from Todd Gitlin's explanation of how the pace of pop culture makes it almost impossible for kids to sit still for traditional classroom lessons to Peter G. Christenson's assertion that teens use song lyrics to frame their identities.

(Susan Reimer Baltimore Sun )

Mrs. Ravitch and Mr. Viteritti, who are both affiliated with New York University, have assembled an interesting group of scholars to discuss the effects that violent media have on children... The authors remind us that caring parents are the best early warning system against teenage crime.

(Martin Morse Wooster Washington Times )

About the Author

Diane Ravitch is a research professor in the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University and holds the Brown Chair in Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. She served as Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education from 1991 to 1993. Her most recent book is The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn. Joseph P. Viteritti is a research professor of public policy in the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. His most recent book is Choosing Equality: School Choice, the Constitution and Civil Society. Together, Ravitch and Viteritti co-chair New York University's Program on Education and Civil Society and have edited three books, including City Schools: Lessons from New York, also available from Johns Hopkins.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1 edition (April 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801873274
• ISBN-13: 978-0801873270
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even-handed, powerful essays on violence, obscenity in US, January 16, 2004

By 

Stephen Armstrong (Hadley, Ma USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Kid Stuff: Marketing Sex and Violence to America's Children (Hardcover)

The editors, Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti, have gathered together a number of scholars from the humanities and social sciences to consider the question, "Is our popular culture toxic?" Also, "Is it toxic merely to children or adolescents?" These scholars are even-handed in their answers to these questions; critics will not be able to dismiss them with the kind of labels heard on Fox News. Each has assembled existing data and impressions, and has answered questions such as, "What is it like to teach amid the torrent of popular culture?" and "How can one socialize children in a culture of obscenity?" "How much exposure to violence, sex, drugs, and alcohol constitutes a problem?" "What are the lasting effects of controversial music?"

I am a great fan of Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti, based on their previous books, and their edited books. This one is my favorite.

The writers are fluent with their data, so the academic part is easy to read. More important, however, is that the writers describe "what it is like" (the "phenomenology" in academic language) to swim in this sea of obscene popular culture. This makes me think that they have touched the lives of children, and have examined their own experiences in our culture. Finally, even though their findings are largely that the culture has changed for the worse, they are not hysterical. Their recommendations reflect an appropriate course (or set of courses) to take, for lawmakers, educators, parents, guardians, and, yes, even the purveyors of this media blitz of violence and sex. Since nobody has their hands clean, it is good to read these writers.

One part I loved was the author who asked makers of pornography whether they would want their children exposed to it. Their answers reflect a moral compartmentalization, because they make their living from what is so popular and desensitizing, and yet are very ambivalent about having their children see pornography--it is the way the world "is," but not the way they might like their children "see" it.

Great book. This will help frame public dialogue about porn, violence, drugs, and the pond we all have to swim in--the degraded public discourse in our common lives.