Before the reform of comics society in medium forms was blossoming. The superhero was in its peak and people were reading comics more and more. There was no limit on to how a comics was to be written or drawn. There were creative gruesome and action filled comics circulating around the country. This was true up until the 1950s when regulations on comics began to appear. This was the downfall for creativity in comics and possibly other mediums. The idea of protecting the child was instituted in this time. People, especially parents were concerned on what their child was being exposed to in their youth. It was clear in this time that children were vulnerable to external influences at a young age, but to what extent the children were influenced was societies wrong doing.
At this point society was convinced that if children read gruesome novels that they would act upon these actions that they read. Comics filled with burglary and murder left parents very concerned. So to answer the question, have comics caused society to fail? I say no. They are not the sole reason why American society has changed. I don't believe that society has failed, many things have, but we do have a balanced way of living in the United States. We still have freedom of speech and many other ways of pursuing happiness. Along with this we do have limitations from organizations such as the FCC. It is important to know that both freedoms and limitations are important to run a successful society. Without a combination of both it would be anarchy or totalitarianism. I think it is important to note that comics have had a very important role in American society and that the limitations put forth in the 1950s have had an influence on what we limit today. That said, societal failure is not caused by one factor, but it is a breakdown of many parts.
Comments