The Hidden Truth
Chris Hedges once said “Violence is a disease, a disease that corrupts all who use it regardless of the cause.” Violence, behavior involving physical force intended to injure, harm, or kill someone or something, as well as aggression, hostile or violent behavior or attitudes toward another, is spreading throughout the globe like a disease, corrupting our modern society. The drastic increase in violent and aggressive behavior in modern society can be attributed directly to the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse, easy availability of deadly weapons and the limitless exposure to mass media that celebrates these behaviors.
Within modern society, one of the primary causes of violence and aggression is the proliferate abuse of drugs and alcohol. According to Daniel Sonkin’s research, statistics stipulate a large percentage of individuals who have a problem with violence are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Of those individuals, over two-thirds become violent while under the influence of these substances. Once an individual consumes drugs, the prefrontal cortex, or more commonly known as the judgment portion of the brain which controls reasoning and impulses, becomes dormant (Sonkin 1). For instance, under the effects of bath salts, which are now considered a harmful illegal substance, a man known as Rudy Eugene attacked Ronald Poppo, a scrawny, defenseless, homeless man in Miami, Florida, on May 26, 2012. The crazed attacker chewed off half of Mr. Poppo’s face just before being fatally shot by the police. As a consequence of consuming this detrimental drug, Mr. Eugene was mentally incapable of making logical decisions that any ordinary, clearheaded person would. The abuse and consumption of illegal, m...
... middle of paper ...
...iolence is increasing not only in America but also in Norway and other parts of the world. The violence found in the media has caused many people to become violent and commit violent acts throughout our modern society.
All in all, whether we live in North America or in another continent, violence and aggression is beginning to consume the lives of many people around the world. Like Mr. Hedges said, violence is a disease; and we are already infected. As humans we need to get together and find a remedy for violence before it’s too late. We do not need to lose more lives , we have already lost too many. Thus, as a consequence of the abused consumption of drugs and alcohol as well as the facilitated accessibility of weapons and the limitless exposure to mass media, violence and aggression has increased and if not stopped, will continue to increase in modern societies.
Recently, the effect that violent media has on society has been the focus of many psychological studies. According to an article published in the New York Times, research has found that: “Exposure to violent imagery does not preordain violence, but it is a risk factor” (Pozios, Kambam, Bender, 2013). There has yet to be a direct link between violence actually causing people to go on these massive shooting sprees that have been so common lately. It is natural and understandable for the
Violence comes from when you have a hate towards another person who is different or goes against what you believe. Violence has been attributed to many causes including mental illness, brain damage, child abuse, and social deprivation. A large proportion of violent acts are committed by individuals whose psychology is very different to that of the general population. understanding the origins of violence remains in understanding the broader picture - the type of environment that raised the individual, the effect it had on his developing brain, and the already existing, genetic predisposition the person has towards
According to John Davidson's essay Menace to Society, "three-quarters of Americans surveyed [are] convinced that movies, television and music spur young people to violence." While public opinion is strong, the results of research are divided on the effects of media violence on the youth in this country. Davidson wrote that most experts agree that some correlation between media violence and actual violent acts exists, yet the results are contradictory and researchers quibble about how the effects are to be measured (271). Moreover, Davidson is not convinced that the media is the sole problem of violence, or even a primary problem. He points out that other factors, such as "poverty, the easy accessibility of guns, domestic abuse, [and] social instability" may have a greater impact on a child becoming violent than the influence of the media (277). Even though other forces may be stronger, media violence does have some adverse effects on the members of society. If senseless violence on television and in movies had no effect, it would not be such a hotly debated topic. What type of effects and whom they affect are the most argued aspects of the discussion.
Ruane and Cerulo claim that statistics show a decline in the amount of violence present in America. They argue the way in which Americans view violence stems from the various media outlets in today’s society and that these sources, including TV and video games, depict a more violent image of the country which may not be entirely accurate. Those that partake in watching and playing these materials may perceive violence as a more frequent event. According to the authors, the fear of violence also springs from the idea that violence is perpetuated by strangers and can occur at any given moment. They claim that a majority of crime is executed by people that we are familiar with.
In comparison Robert Wright and Jane Ellen Stevens hold different positions on their stance about the biology of violence. Stevens writes in her article that it is her belief that violence is a direct result of biological or public health problems. Wright’s view differs as his article shows why he believes that violence is a result of external causes beyond the simple biological explanation. Whereas both authors have opposing viewpoints each presents an argument worth of consideration.
During a freedom march on May 29, 1964 in Canton, Mississippi a boy by the name of McKinley Hamilton was brutally beaten by police to the point of unconsciousness. One of the witnesses of this event, and the author of the autobiography which this paper is written in response to, was Anne (Essie Mae) Moody. This event was just one of a long line of violent experiences of Moody’s life; experiences that ranged from her own physical domestic abuse to emotional and psychological damage encountered daily in a racist, divided South. In her autobiography Moody not only discusses in detail the abuses in her life, but also her responses and actions to resist them. The reader can track her progression in these strategies throughout the various stages of her life; from innocent childhood, to adolescence at which time her views from a sheltered childhood began to unravel and finally in adulthood when she took it upon herself to fight back against racial prejudice.
As violence continues to rise the understanding behind the rise is still not exceptionally clear. It stems from the fact that violence has always been a part of our society(Noguera, 1994). While some forms of violence are frowned upon, others are glorified in the media. Violence in the media is huge entertainment for today’s society. The one fact that has become clear is that violen...
As censorship of the American media has broken down over the years, the amount of violence allowed to be shown in movies, on television, and in video games has skyrocketed. From coast to coast in our nation, this saturation of hostility in our media has caused many contentious debates between scholars, parents, students and government officials alike. In this controversy, the central argument revolves around the effects violent media has on our society. The question that most researchers strive to answer is this: does watching or participating in violent media cause violent or other harmful behaviors? There are those who would say yes, it does promote destructive behavior in real life. On the other hand, there are those who argue no, violent media is simply a reflection of what is already occurring in our society.
The world today has a variety of problems and violence is one of the most
Violence in America’s society is definitely a major problem. This problem can be traced back as far as fetal development. It seems that in most cases of bad treatment, the families come from poverty or bad neighborhood areas. The whole main purpose of this speaker was to develop a good understanding on why most of the violent crimes occur in today’s hurting society. It is not rocket science to realize that most angry violent acts are due to a disturbed child or individual that lacked attention, love or care. Violence is not a new problem, scientists are just finding out new facts about how it starts and how it can be prevented.
The media and entertainment play a very crucial role in our perception of violence in society. Exposure to violence in the media, including television, movies, music, and video games helps us construct our own perspective on violence. According to Joel Best, his theory on random violence states that random violence and violence, in general, is patternless, pointless, and leads to the deterioration of society. Many examples can be given from national and international media coverage on various random violence acts. There are many sides to the debate about whether or not violence in the media affects us and how prevalent it is in our society. The focal discussion is the influence of violence on people through the mass media: movies, television,
Violence is a difficult term to define, but for the purposes of this assignment violence can be defined as a crime or the threat to commit a crime by one person upon another person, and that usually that has negative physical or emotional effects upon the victim. Violence in Western society has been increasing steadily and has become a major concern for many nations. Increasingly, much of the violence is committed by male children and teenagers. Crimes by young people are no longer just misdemeanors, but they now include the major felonies of rape, robbery and homicide. The rise in violent crime in the last few decades has been accompanied by a rise in violence in the media, especially television, movies and music. To protect society, the US government must impose regulations on these media outlets so that audiences are not subjected to too much gratuitous violence that may influence them to commit such acts of violence.
Violence across the nation has become an overwhelming, terrifying problem. One rising issue within the nation today is violent video games. Video games that show acts of violence can take a toll on those who play it and encourage those same acts inside of their everyday life. However, another issue that does not only affect the people involved and an entire community, but the whole country is gun violence. In Rebecca J. Rosen’s article “Violence is Contagious”, she compares violence to a disease, as it spreads quickly and infects humans of the nation. Violent video games and gun violence are directly related with each other.
Modern violence is present all around us. No matter which way one turns, violence will be there to greet him. Whether it be on the street, in school, or even at home, violence cannot be avoided. The presence of this violence in society leads to stress. This stress is to a large extent the cause of the similarity mentioned earlier, namely drinking. Anyone from the local bully to a armed robber can be representatives of modern violence. Although it is present in everyday life, this violence can be seen easier in any form of media.
When a child observes daily occurrences of violence across: news broadcast, radio, and public incidences, why society is so violent should not be the question, but how society can decrease youth violence should be explored. Today’s youth has an overwhelming burden to bear. Violence has increased in society and youth often are exposed to situations that end in violent acts. The family dynamic has changed significantly in the last 40 years: with increased divorce, single parent households, and blended families the variability for children to be unsupervised allows for increased exposure to violence as well as expressing violence. Societal acceptance of violent acts has also opens the door for children to face more violent situations. The constant growth of drug and weapon use among today’s youth has become a proponent of increased violence against this generation. Violence in society today is caused by decreased parental supervision, societal acceptance, and drug and weapon access.This essay will Understanding why the trend of violence occurs and how it changes the future of youth