Ethics of Entertainment and Their Violations

The entertainment law is the entire legal service to the entertainment industry. The ethics of entertainment covers legislation regulating media of all types such as television, film, music, publishing, advertising, Internet and the news. It regulates the content and controls the operation of the media. The entertainment ethics are a form of professional ethics that analyzes ethical principles and moral theories that arises in entertainment industries. The entertainment industry provides its consumers with numerous compelling diversions. The major issues in the ethics of entertainment media are the depiction of sex and violence, product placement and the stereotypes.

The portrayal of sex and violence in entertainment has been among the most controversial issue. Sexuality and violence have garnered wide range of attention from the audience in media. Many researchers have studied the effects of sex and violence in media on the society. The persistent uses of sexuality and violence have been criticized by the researchers and the society alike. There is growing concerns towards the widespread sexual and violent content in the entertainment media. Frequently, women are regarded as sexual objects to satisfy the sexual desire of men. Women serve as the marketing tool for entertainment industries.

The ways in which women are portrayed in media have been the focal point for many media researchers. Byerly and Ross (2016) observed in media, the representation of women as sex objects was largely found in the Western nations where as in Africa, Asia and Latin America, women were underrepresented. According to Mason (1971) dissemination of obscene matters for sale and distribution is rapidly spreading. American critics expresses pornography disguise as art. Movies such as, Last Tango in Paris, were also banned for being obscenely provocative. The movie was marked for extreme obscenity for it went against the Production Code.

The implement of violence is media is popular. The viewers love watching explicitly violent contents. A study in the use of violence in media has revealed that it affects the individuals and society particularly, the children. (Murray, 2008). The movie, Zero Dark Thirty, with the storyline of tracking and killing of Osama Bin Laden, which was nominated for several Oscars, was found to be unambiguously violent. The film glorifies the use of torture by the US Intelligence Agencies (IAs). The violence in media increases the probability of aggressive and violent behaviors. The assumptions about the use of sexuality are dominant than the use of violence. Considering the use of sexuality and violence as a marketing implement, the media personals market themselves and their products at the expense of ignoring entertainment ethics.

The exposure to sexuality and violence has considerable effects on children. The sexual exposure leads to the development of improper and bad sexual inclinations and habits where as the exposure to violence leads to the growth of aggressive and violent behaviors. (Anderson, p.81-110, 2003). According to Aristotelian Approach, an action is ethical or not based on the compatibility of action with innate human capacities (Donaldson and Werhane 1999, p.10). Hence, the use of sexuality and violence in media is unethical. Despite all the critiques and concerns, sexuality and violence are still the most persistent contents of the media.

The media personals must abide by the code of ethics and employ them. It is the responsibility of entertainment industry to be ethical. The ethics does not only revolve around the code of ethics of respective media houses but also depends on the ethics of individuals. Elaine Hendrix as an animal rights activist declined to act in any projects that entailed her to wear fur as it was an ethical issue for her. Other times, actors are reluctant to perform sex scenes and nudity resulting in the lost of contract.

Secondly, product placement or embedded advertising is an act of advertising where branded goods and services are featured in a video production. The technique is popularized with digital video recorders. As the entertainment media grabs the attention of the viewers, product placement gives rise to many ethical issues. Product placement distorts a line between the promotion and content. This way, the viewers are manipulated into viewing a commercial. Embedded advertising slants the creative power and compromises the editorial integrity of television programming. The food industries uses product placement to target the children usually in prime time programs. Children are prone to become victims of product placement rising public health concerns.

Increasingly, films are shot with special product placed within the scene. Rishi (2015) claims, Indian film industry are one of the successful in product placements. Indian consumers are inclined to follow celebrities and the trends set by them. Product placement is becoming prominent as media seeks funding from the marketers and in turn marketers are seeking to endorse their brand and products in films. Rishi (2015) also asserts that product placement is the fusion of advertising and publicity. The Cable Television Networks Regulation Act of 1995 intended to restrain the cultural invasions and regulate the programs telecasted. The Indian Cinematograph Act which deals with examination and certification of films suitable for the public fails to regulate despite the enactment of such rules. The blockbuster movie, Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, displayed the Canned Stroh for 15 sec, where Stroh is believed to have paid Rs 15 lacs to the producers.

Product placements have become one of the extensively used methods for brand endorsement in diverse media. Due to the placement of products in any entertainment media, most of the viewers are not aware of this manipulative technique resulting in ethical dilemma.

In addition, entertainment media have a significant role in shaping the perception of its consumers. Pop culture provides the platform to explore and learn about new cultures however, many of the representations are based on the cultural stereotypes. The media acts as a prevailing agent in creating and disseminating the negative cultural stereotypes habitually in regards to racial and ethnic groups. Chong (2014) points out in the past, people of color were not able to perform but Caucasian actors would wear make up to play black characters or tape their eyes to play Asian characters in movies. For decades, the American culture has been stereotyping the Black Americans. In many of the films, black people are particularly associated with crimes and poverty wherein the white people are represented as the victims of the crime or wealthy. The media often amplifies that crimes are predominant of black on white crimes and such misrepresentations are embedded in the society.

Out of 56 million people in US, 20 percent have the disability yet, it’s infrequent to see disabled characters being portrayed in films. According to Ruderman Family Foundations, approximately 95 percent of characters with disabilities are performed by non-disabled actors. The film, Shape of Water, stars a non-disabled female lead to portray as nonverbal woman who falls in love with an amphibious creature. Likewise Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby, featured as a female boxer who became paralyzed and decides to end her life. The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund were of the view that the movie had unpleasant message that death is more preferable than a life with disability (Powell, 2018). Robert David Hall, an actor and musician, who was disabled after an accident was cut out of his career. In one of the seminars, he quoted, “I was treated differently when I wheeled my chair with prosthetics and hobbled around.” The movie, Me Before You, wherein a paralyzed man commits suicide was also criticized and stimulated people with disabilities to protest in movie theatres.

Stereotypes can be minimized by increasing diversity of the writers behind the story. Stereotypes present the consumers with limited and distorted views of others. Entertainment media plays an important role in changing how people with disabilities are being treated. Movies have the capability to influence the perception of its consumer and normalize disability. The illustration of people as weak, incompetent and sympathetic, violates the quality of humanity in media ethics. The entertainment media should reflect the diversity and establish social justice.

To conclude, the ethics of entertainment is constantly violated in media. Televisions have become the most powerful entertainment media. The purpose of entertainment has been delusional from their service and shifted to profit making. Commercialization of entertainment media has altered the contents to draw the attentions of the viewers. Media which is considered as the fourth pillar of a nation based on truth, objectivity and service to others is diverted in many entertainment media. The practice of media ethics in entertainment is very important for the substantiality and credibility of any entertainment media. The role of entertainment is very important in ones live as it transforms our daily life and life style. Therefore, it is crucial for the entertainment industry to be ethical and abide by the media code of ethics for the welfare of the each individuals and society.