George Gerbner

George Gerbner (August 8, 1919 – December 24, 2005) was a professor of communication and the founder of cultivation theory.

Quotes

• For the first time in human history a child is born into a home in which television is on an average of about seven hours a day. In some countries a little more in some countries a little less, but in all industrial countries this is about the situation. And for the first time in human history most of the stories are told not by the parent, not by the school, not by the church, not by the tribe or the community, and in many places not even by the native country, but by a relatively small and shrinking group of global conglomerates who have something to sell. And it changes in a very fundamental way, the cultural climate, the cultural environment into which our children are born, in which they grow up, in which they become socialized, in which they become human beings.
  • The Killing Screens: Media and the Culture of Violence, Media Education Foundation (1994) Online transcript

• Growing up with violence, with inescapable expertly choreographed brutality in every home builds not only a kind of desensitization for it, but it also creates a market for violent entertainment by people for whom even what they see on television is not enough, is not graphic enough, is not explicit enough, and some movie productions, some big productions really cash in on that market. What is peculiar about this is that as time goes on, a greater dosage is necessary to satisfy this need.
  • The Killing Screens: Media and the Culture of Violence

• You know, who tells the stories of a culture really governs human behavior. It used to be the parent, the school, the church, the community. Now it's a handful of global conglomerates that have nothing to tell, but a great deal to sell.
  • Oliver, Myrna (29 December 2005). George Gerbner, 86; Educator Researched the Influence of TV Viewing on Perceptions. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 1 December 2014.