The movie, 12 Angry Men was a great example of the term, “Groupthink” and how it can play out.  At first, the jurors were quick to base their vote of guilty on faulty ways of thinking.  Several already had preconceived notions and prejudices against the person in question.  Many had their own motives outside of justice for wanting to vote guilty.  They had shown complete disregard for a man’s life for their own selfish reasons. A couple of the men would rather get it over with so they can get back to their lives.  They did not view the accused as a person that was equal and deserved to have their case thoroughly examined or even entertained. Their inability and refusal to think of all of the possibilities in the case could have cost an innocent man his life.

Some of the jurors felt indifferent and had lazy reasons for their verdicts.  They had what is called herd mentality, influenced by their peers and just going along with what everyone else thinks.  They had to be coaxed to even think for themselves.  When the group is slowly starts to see that they do not have proper evidence to convict the man, they end up voting not guilty.  The final juror takes a little convincing and it seems that he is the hardest one due to prejudice and pre-conceived notions involving the upbringing of the accused.  This movie to me is about ethics and conveys that sometimes you have to go against others to get to the root of an issue and do what is right.  If the juror had not had the courage to go against the group, they could have sent an innocent man to the electric chair!

Looking back over the semester, I am thankful for the opportunity to blog.  I think it is an excellent way to analyze the readings and materials that we were assigned and it helped to provide a safe space in which to get creative and explore different ways of writing.  I also enjoyed having several different ways in which to learn, ie. Readings, watching you-tube clips, movies, listening to podcasts, websites, etc.  I was able to see just how many various forms of media are woven into our everyday lives.  Being an older student, it was nice to take a look back a little and see where we are and how far we have come.  This was a great class because it introduced us to the many different types of media and gave us some of the background and history on various forms of media.  I really enjoyed working on my essay and diving a little deeper into early Hollywood.  I think that was one of my favorite chapters.  I also found Gerbner’s theories interesting about how violence in the media shapes our thoughts and perceptions over time. I have felt that the media we see every day has generally become more violent recently.  I never understood why it is okay to show extreme violence in everyday culture, but when it comes to showing the body, that is deemed inappropriate.  I think after taking this class I will be even more mindful of the media I consume, but now I have a little bit of the background to make more informative decisions.  Thank you for a great semester and class!

Work Cited: 12 Angry Men https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o9LE5C_E_ge3wWsYdP_9UQmdaqOwTzT0/view?usp=sharing