The Role of Media in Extending the Martyrdom and Sacrifice Culture

In the old times, there were elements of vice and virtue in any religion and belief. Features and characteristics formed for every moral or immoral thing were analyzed and criticized by elder or faithful people. There were talks of manhood and heroic styles. Narrators, scroll writers, and orators extended human life style and models based on prominent heroic examples, which might hade been created in their minds and been close to myths.

News ID: ۵۹۳۰۰

چهارشنبه - ۲۱ آبان ۲۰۰۷ / 2007 21 August

Narrators used to provide a “Heroic principles”? and say it in any meeting. There have been tales of heroes’ permanent behaviors and good speech and of their passing from seven stages of manhood to reach humanity, manifestation, and greatness. Our literature is full of manhood epics of Rostam, Esfandiyar, Siyavash…and we can find some tinges of purification and mysticism among them. Today, media have replaced the position of writers and narrators who were founders of heroic and manhood culture and custom.
They are tools having higher power and speed in effect comparing to the previous communicative methods. Human is a purposive and idealist creature. Being “Purposive”? is the beginning of “Idealism.”? When someone is looking for a goal in his ordinary life, he believes in a special kind of sanctity for it. These goals and ideals are outlooks that we should understand them first in order to meet our superb objective. Then, we should keep them in hand as well as internalizing them. In other words, they should become a part of our daily life culture. Myths contain a great part of human ambitions. Myths are deep and extensive inclinations, and a wide range of ambitions covering all members of a society.
Generally, myths contain religious and spiritual elements and exist in human belief. Elements of culture and sacrifice, from the other hand, are placed in the definition of myths. These definitions are the first step in the way of self-making. Sacrifice is the model and example of activities that contain humanity perfection. Sacrifice and martyrdom cannot be done except by heroes having sanctity. Definitions like sacrifice and martyrdom takes the society and culture out of woodenness by repetition, holding particular ceremonies, and stability of extension.
In our religion and culture, events and accidents like Karbala epic, Zeinab rise…had been considered merely as oral culture and transmitted to the present generation through auricular, oral, and written culture. Then, collective memory had a main role in preserving and transmitting that culture. Now, mass media have taken a very dangerous responsibility by extending and developing such a culture. Today, prominent martyrs’ lives, their martyrdom, and their mystical ascent are considered as the societies sacrifice models and have the relative privilege of being contemporary, tangible, and realizable for the public opinion.
It must be noted that martyrdom and manhood custom have always been the oldest and the most permanent human epics everywhere. They have found a great place in every culture and with every intention. These myths originate in the human society and culture and attract everyone to them like a shining star. Creation, growth, provision of myths, heroes, and models for society and human beings have always had considerable products for thinkers of that society. As there is spiritual commonweal in them, we may consider them as useful means of reaching the Islamic rule’s objectives as well as being a very useful method.
Of course, it must be added that, since demythologization is necessary in our religious and cultural beliefs, we can use performed events as models. A myth has always been popular and beyond ordinary beliefs. Its imaginary elements are more abundant than other stories. However, using the term “Myth”? is for that the mythic story is always one-step forward in the media than other stories.
A mythical story makes a conflict in the reader’s mind using the psychological process of reflection. It turns the meaning of life as good and infuses an event that can help the reader to get a better knowledge of entity, values, and personal ambitions and project his own life. Personalities and models mythicized in Media can stimulate the readers, listeners, and viewers to get a new behavior or cognition and make them approach a kind of greatness feeling, and human and in-born value. We have a historical and Islamic background full of heroes and sacrifice models. Heroes of every religion, faith, and creed were considered as their models.
Abraham is the hero of monotheism, since he has actualized values and ambitions of all monotheists and God-seekers in himself. Each of religious-historical models (Prophets and Imams) was considered as examples of martyrdom and sacrifice in the Islamic society and the collection of their behaviors and commands were taken as the superb culture of sacrificers and martyr-seekers. Simply speaking, religious personalities are one of the most important and influential modeling centers in every society. Religion introduces multiple models to the society and basically, every school and faith that introduces better models and examples as myths are of more attractiveness and please.
We must pay attention that there are samples of cultural models and prominent behaviors. Extending the martyrdom and sacrifice culture in the range of Media’ responsibility and role and communicative tools used to make and found cultures and subcultures in the present century have taken the attention of theorists, thinkers, and scientists in the realm of culture.
Harold Lasole counts some tasks and functions for Media and believes that these functions must be at the service of collective goals and society. He considers creating integrity among different parts of the society in response to the environment in which cultural heritage transmission takes place from one generation to another as the main task of mass communication. Studying the history of mass media emergence demonstrates that each one was coincident with modern communicative technologies in any particular age. Print age, that was according to “Marshal Mc Lohan”? the “Guttenberg’s galaxy,”? caused the emergence of the first “Western newspapers.”? After the First World War, radio was invented and was used for election campaigns of the United States of America’s presidency.
Cinema industry appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, extended, and found many addressees between the two world wars rapidly. Relative extension of TV in the US, Britain, and France after the Second World War was so that it was consumed personally and became available for families. Media have particular features that differentiate them from other communicative tools and methods. “Stability of extension”?, “Wide range of extension”?, and “Content diversity”? are three features of these tools.
Content programs and information broadcasted from different and numerous media surround today human so that he can only choose some programs and ignores the rest, or he can choose programs related to his expert and will. In spite of the mentioned features, each of media tools has basic differences with others in the kind of offering and extending messages. One is specified for “Distinguished people”? and another is used for “Broadcasting news and giving information.”?
The press has the characteristics of periodical issuance and contains more analysis and comment rather than radio and TV. Media play their roles according to the theory of peaceful coexistence, offer their productions to human culture and society, and produce and reproduce knowledge in its extensive meaning as agents of social relations, although they have competition in informational activities. We can have our experience make sense by receiving this cognition and organize our social and spiritual life. We can preserve past knowledge, complete them by today understanding, and award it to the coming generation for continuance. Media’ success in reception and extension of cultural subjects is because of that they are available for every member of the society and everyone can use them voluntarily with the lowest cost. Comparing to other methods, communicative messages, and methods effects on more addressees and by continuance of extension, stability of messages specifies a longer time to itself. Then, as we get from the word “Media,”? it plays the role of an agent between social concrete reality and personal experiences.
A person’s behavior and speech is like a mirror reflecting the cultural content of the society. A media makes this content more transparent and apparent, and offers it to organize the society and mentioned addressees, while extending it. Perhaps, it may sometimes comments and analyses news and meets its objectives by taking an orientation and making interferences.
Every school and thought considers particular position for media in the society according to their social and political conditions. Generally, we can call media agent channels and consider functions like making connections, giving comments, offering methods, and transmitting culture for it. Professor ‘Roger Clause”? believes that one of social tasks of media is growing thoughts, emotions, opinions. According to him, another task is introducing culture and civilization, and elaborating current ideologies. “Denis Mc Quail”? introduces “Basij”? in the line of extending and propagandizing the society’s goals, while he confirms the functions of informing, making integrity, creating unity, and continuance as well as entertainment and leisure for a media. Through this function, we can determine designed goals and ambitions of every society while extending and propagandizing them in different fields and offer them to a large number of addressees.
Another theory about media is “Growth”? or “Cultural acculturation”? theory. In this theory, it is believed that in a society, the importance of media is creating mutual ways of selection and observation of events, and eventually creation of a particular culture. In fact, a media tends to offer similar and relatively agreeable tales about social events and incidents, and then, it acculturates its addressees with them. “Gorbenare,”? as a defender of this theory, believes that media and especially TV have a powerful effect on its addressees because of its essence of systematic messages and stability through the time. Then, he knows it as one of forming elements of culture and society. Choosing communicative media “Media organization”? is a specified position in which media products are produced.
To offer the literature of the martyrdom and sacrifice culture and clarify its range and aspects, it is logical design and offer chosen Media and all cultural elements and necessities related to them including the type of the message, the form and content of the message, and the prominent points of the message in the same format. All organizations as well as legal organizations and personal entities can take part in editing some parts of this culture and think of the ways and methods of extending it. In choosing a media, we should pay attention that which method may necessitate Media to extending themselves.
Considering method like oppression and compulsion, benefit or commonweal is necessary. It seems that using compulsion or benefit is not suitable for Media in transmission of value and cultural definitions. A media organization with commonweal aims is willing to expand specified values or reach a valuable condition according to a voluntary commitment. Offering the martyrdom and sacrifice culture in media using this method is more responsive just like the method of offering religious and scientific questions. Another point is having a realization of media features that will always help message senders in making special decisions. The aim of such a thing is choosing a medium, a particular agent, or a combination of media that is done for the public opinion and all groups of the society considering the type of required messages in order to reaching the goals of extending the martyrdom and sacrifice culture. The main question in determining addressees is that offered messages have what kind of aims and should be sent to which sort of people.
Then, if we want to have a look to the future and think of the young and adolescent generations, we should consider the main necessities of planning and plan for them. Convincing such addressees needs special methods and skills of convince and encouragement. Maybe, performing subject research or fundamental surveys are necessary to recognize the addressees, and this is up to organizations and institutions that are active in this field. When choosing a media, it is necessary to pay attention to its strategy, being familiar with media policy, and managing it. Here, the purpose is being familiar with orientations, conceptions, and beliefs of authorities and executive managers of a media. Such realization is useful to that extent that based on them; message senders can adapt their messages to needs and actions of this media. The message sender can even take notes of his special knowledge and information about personal priorities and writers’ orientations.
Such a thing is required as a qualitative matter for communication. For example, among high circulation newspapers, “Jomhouri-e-Eslami”? newspaper has printed the most topics about the martyrdom and sacrifice culture during 3 years of survey (78-81). Comparing the activity of the mentioned newspaper to other ones, shows that the orientation and inclination of writers and editors of Jomhouri-e-Eslami newspaper about extending the martyrdom and sacrifice culture is more than other rivals are. Modeling and convincing the addressee Editing a specified set of features as well as introducing models and epics of sacrifice in the society and designing them in the form of media messages, and by addressing a large number of addressees most of whom are young and adolescent people, the message sender will be able to adapt their speech and behavior to his own favorite hero.
When a person grows to his adolescence and youth, he owns a logical, rational, and physical growth. He checks everything with his logical power, thinks of the result, and then, he starts receiving and choosing. In following and receiving epics and models of sacrifice, he will act the same way. An adolescent is after a concrete visualization for his knowledge and learning, and he wants to actualize them. He is at the beginning of his own way and likes to follow and imitate a model and epic, which is in front of him. Extreme attitude of the youths towards movie stars, athletic champions, or heroes can be a good example for it. Each of our martyrs and sacrificers can be a brilliant model to offer the young generation. Issuing the life style of each sacrificer as well as their bravery and unique personality through media messages and programs will attract many addressees to it.
Editing a suitable strategy to extend the culture of the martyrdom and sacrifice begins with determining the mentioned goal in order to designing the message. Clarifying the addressee with the predefined aims in order to receive edited and offered messages from the message sender is the success key of communication. In propaganda, it is believed that the relative success is taken when addressees share at least in some of the exponent’s points of views and help fortify the existent conceptions in them. Besides, propaganda on the youths and people who are doubtful in their decision-making has more effect. It will have more effect when it has been oriented toward the ones and groups whose members have the same conceptions. According to “David Barlow,”? the way of sending a message includes decisions the source of communication makes to choose and organize codes and content of the message. Moreover, the content of the message is inside of the message that the source of communication has chosen them to express his goals.
After choosing the suitable goal and media, drawing the attention of addressee to models and myths that his culture introduces is of a great importance. When he is indifferent toward myths, drawing his attention is difficult. From among influential factors of encouragement process, we can point at the level of understandability of the message. Being familiar with the communication classic model designed by “La sole,”? elements like “Who, what, for whom, and with what effect?”? can help us in recognizing and encouraging the addressee successfully. Human nature is so that it acts according to his material or spiritual interests.
Then, to be successful in convince, we should tell him the amount of the message effect and make him pay attention to the repetition of the message and the values existing in its content. The famous sentence of “Cicero,”? Roman famous orator, has specified all conditions and arrangements of receiving a convincing and communicative message from the addressee. He said, “If you want to convince me, you must know my thoughts, feel my feelings, and talk with the words that I speak.”? Offering sacrifice and martyrdom models in the form of cultural values can be the presentation of ambitions, aims, and wills of the young generation and draws the public opinion to the message sender’s mentioned cultural values.
Besides, the amount of effectiveness of the message is related to the amount of the addressee’s satisfaction from this point that how much the offered value definitions are in accordance with his opinions and interests. The amount of credit, attractiveness, and absorption of the message sender can be a sign of success for a purposeful communicative process as well as the amount of transparency and adaptability of the message. A convincing message must be stable and firm from the point of logic. In case of being successful, every message and program should be repeated and introduced in any media, especially in radio and TV to make its pleasant effects. In general, in communication subjects, paying attention to some indices is necessary to specify desired addressee. First, how is the addressee from the point of features, demographic status, values, and social and cultural position, and how much is his level of knowledge and conception? Second, how are his level of using media or his reach to media, and how is the amount of the offered message reception according to its special cultural and value background of the addressee? In the next pace, we can offer the desired message through the desired media to the addressee considering the mentioned features.
Suggestions and methods: Media and collective communication devices are mixed with people’s lives and their effect can be seen in their decision-making methods and daily thoughts of their social lives. Mass media is one of the most important socialization tools. They internalize special ideas and thoughts in the society and among human beings. Communicators and cultural exponents of the martyrdom and sacrifice culture act according to moral and value principles by determining addressees, and do it through modeling personalities. The point that should be paid attention is that editing a full logical definition and content which is clear and doubtless is necessary in order to expressing values and special conceptions of sacrifice. Extending the martyrdom and sacrifice culture will be possible in the society when it is in accordance with belief, opinion, and inclination of the addressee. In this case, the addressee’s beliefs and moralities are fortified and strengthen his personal identity.
Understanding and fixation of personal identity and experiencing moral and value beauties of the sacrificer’s model by the addressee, and afterwards, making sure and trust that the media message is according to his own internal thought and will, encourages him to selective attention. Convincing the young generation is possible through introducing models showing self-esteem and manhood. In fact, inducing a definition like sacrifice and martyrdom happens in the axis of cultural inducement. To have such an axis, there must be logic and excuse factor as inducement bearer. Experience has proved that the effect of convince will be successful by expert message senders. Then, it is good to use live sacrifice models and examples or fellow combatants, friends, and martyrs’ families.
There must not be any exaggeration in personification of models and we should focus on subtle moral points instead of exaggerating and bragging about behaviors and deeds. Definitions must come out of an abstract state and turn to concrete and tangible ones so that it makes youths and adolescents project and use concrete examples of sacrifice to actualize their ambitious ideas. An orator or cultural message sender can also avoid clichés and general speaking, and he should always be after verbal innovations. Knowing addressees of every geographical region and their native sacrifice models is of a great importance too. Such a thing may lead to a fact, and maybe, removes incorrect conceptions in addition to complete the subject literature by searching in hidden aspects of personalities. Messages of the martyrdom and sacrifice culture reach the addressee through the channel of media. Then, being familiar with institutional and intellectual structure of the media organization is necessary. Every media has an editor structure for doing its tasks in a pleasant way that acts as a skeleton for a body.
This organization is the same essentially in every media, but it has differences practically in visual, auditory, and writing media. A media can be independent from the point of ownership or it can be dependent to a person, group, or government. Then, it favors the guideline and thought policy of its owner, and defends it. Because of this, knowing and realizing the media organization exactly and basically is necessary. Writers, programmers, editors, editors-in-chiefs…who form a media can play a role in the way of extending this culture. Absorbing addressees or customers is according to the attention to organizational objectives.
Some media consider extending and issuing such a culture as a mission and objective, and tend to express their relation with addressees in the form of leadership and propagandizing an ideology or ambition. In such conditions, the addressee will have a praising look over his media, sacrifice models, their personality…and such a media gives its most effort and pays its ultimate attention to provide and edit the content of this culture.
Taking part special sessions, meetings, and programs to be familiar with organizations, inviting experts, thinkers, and media elements in order to agreement about talking of the martyrdom and sacrifice culture questions, and asking their opinions regarding this point can be influential in drawing attention of the media to extend such a culture.