Media and the Subtle Use of Language

[SweetSue92]

I'm in Michigan so I'm reading a lot on the Oxford tragedy. I find it peculiar that the media refers to the teens--some of whom are 17, 18--as "children". Yes, they are technically minors. But I don't think of 17 yo as "children". I don't think most people do.

The media doesn't either.

Try to imagine an article touting 16 yo getting vaccines without parental consent, and the media calling the teens "children". Or teens getting abortions without parental consent--same. But since Guns Are Bad, these innocent victims are not teenagers. They are CHILDREN.

Do they think we can't see this stuff?

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[Compost]

I noticed that too. I reckon it's context! When a teen is pregnant and wants an abortion she is an adult. When a teen is the victim of a gun crime where the perp is white, the teen is a child.

 

[Otis Mayfield]

My grandmother refers to anyone under 30 as children.

 

[Montrovant]

I'm in Michigan so I'm reading a lot on the Oxford tragedy. I find it peculiar that the media refers to the teens--some of whom are 17, 18--as "children". Yes, they are technically minors. But I don't think of 17 yo as "children". I don't think most people do.

The media doesn't either.

Try to imagine an article touting 16 yo getting vaccines without parental consent, and the media calling the teens "children". Or teens getting abortions without parental consent--same. But since Guns Are Bad, these innocent victims are not teenagers. They are CHILDREN.

Do they think we can't see this stuff?

MSN

www.msn.com

That's not just the media. I think the use of certain terms like that is fairly common when the image one is trying to portray is that of a victim, or to make the person seem more sympathetic. You can see it from posters here, you can hear it in conversations with various people. It's all about perception. I'm sure the media usually does it purposefully, depending on what sort of presentation they want, but I think it's fairly common for that in-between age group to get a different label, depending on the context.

 

[Moonglow]

I'm in Michigan so I'm reading a lot on the Oxford tragedy. I find it peculiar that the media refers to the teens--some of whom are 17, 18--as "children". Yes, they are technically minors. But I don't think of 17 yo as "children". I don't think most people do.

The media doesn't either.

Try to imagine an article touting 16 yo getting vaccines without parental consent, and the media calling the teens "children". Or teens getting abortions without parental consent--same. But since Guns Are Bad, these innocent victims are not teenagers. They are CHILDREN.

Do they think we can't see this stuff?

MSN

www.msn.com

At my age they are kids...They have yet to finish growing up to be an adult.

 

[SweetSue92]

My grandmother refers to anyone under 30 as children.

That's fine; it's informal. It's not the media

 

[braalian]

I think it’s hard not to talk about high school kids as if they were children. They’re still in school, after all.

 

[eagle1462010]