The number of American troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2012 was 6,488. The number of American women murdered by a current or past partner during that time was 11,766 almost twice the amount of people we lost to war. However, this does not just affect women. 1 in 4 women will be victims of severe violence in their lifetime, but 1in 7 men will be, too. In this paper, I propose that popular culture contributes to the high rate of domestic abuse in the United States. I will prove this by analyzing popular music, movies, and even looking at the news in today’s culture. I will make connections with today’s culture and the high rate of domestic violence in the United States. Then I will talk about how popular culture can change …show more content…
One movie that stands out in particular to me is the Disney movie, The Beauty and the Beast. I watched this movie as a child and loved it. However, looking at it today it sends me a different message. In the story the main character Belle is taken prisoner by the Beast, who is very aggressive, temperamental, and controlling. Belle ends up falling love with the Beast, but I did some research on this and there are many theories that say Belle shows similar symptoms to Stockholm Syndrome. This is where a victim starts to have feelings and affection for their captor. My problem with The Beauty and the Beast, is it targets young girls and teaches them that it’s okay to stay with someone and put up with their temper and aggression as long as you love them. This again is promoting a culture where domestic violence and abuse are okay. Another popular movie today that serves as a good example would be The Twilight Saga. In the movies the main character Bella falls in love with a vampire and because of this many awful life threatening things happen to her. Bella is so obsessed over Edward, the vampire, that when he leaves her, she shuts down into a spiral of depression. This also targets young girls and makes them think they have to have a man in their life. This is a huge problem because women in abusive relationships often find it very hard to leave their partner. So if women take the advice given to us …show more content…
The movement would be to raise awareness. Because domestic abuse is talked about so little many people are not only unaware of the problem and how high the rates are in the United States, but some people are unclear on what domestic abuse is. Domestic abuse does not have to be physical; any means of controlling a person or causing them pain is abuse. Whether that is physical, mental, or emotional abuse it all causes damage to victims. This is where people don’t realize they could even be in an abusive relationship themselves. Because mental or emotional abuse does not leave marks it is also hard for someone on the outside to notice warning signs. Another problem that people do not realize is that there is a high percentage of men and women who get out of abusive relationships who end up going back either to the same person or into another abusive relationship. We can educate people who used to be in those situations, how to avoid them and be happy with themselves. With raising awareness of this issue I also want to educate people through informational meetings, pamphlets, books, speakings, journals, and articles in newspapers. News and media coverage is key to raise
This is an alarming statistic that shows just how common and prevalent domestic violence is in the United States, particularly in women. In a previous class discussion, we studied the Power and Control Wheel, a tool for individuals to be able to pinpoint traits in their romantic partner that may be potential warning signs that they should be aware of that may cause physical or mental harm. The traits from the Power Control Wheel displayed in the film were emotional abuse, isolation, male privilege and economic abuse. Despite the presence of these traits, the film was a combination of realistic traits of domestic violence relationships and a Hollywood dramatization. Within the Power and Control Wheel, it describes potential warning signs of the use of emotional abuse would include putting her down, making her feel bad about herself, calling her names, making her think she’s crazy, playing mind games, humiliating her and making her feel guilty. In Queen’s “Being Emotionally Abuse: A Phenomenological Study of Adult Women’s Experience
In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, Mildred, the protagonist’s wife, casually sits in the parlor watching as “three white cartoon clowns chopped off each other’s limbs to the accompaniment of immense incoming laughter.” (Bradbury 94). Mildred watched and laughed as the clowns deformed each other; it was her way of entertainment. But “An online classroom dedicated to psychology, noted that “Children who view violence are more likely to have increased feelings of hostility, decreased emotional response to the portrayal of violence, and injury that lead to violent behavior through imitation.” (Scribner). But for many people, they not only see violence on television, but also in live screenings. Domestic violence consumes the lives of “4,774,000 women and 1,509 men” (Statistics) in the United States alone. But domestic violence is also present in Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. “He caught her, shrinking. He held her and she tried to fight away from him. He slapped her face, he grabbed her again, and shook her.” (Bradbury
In addition to the 23 albums (counting soundtracks and separate US and UK releases) released during the band's life (1960-1970) there have been more than 150 compilations, recorded interviews and videos issued. Hundreds of books have been written about their personal lives, their music, and their influence on pop culture and rock
Instead, women are being discriminated and treated as inferior due to the stereotypes that are portrayed in the media. The media creates and reproduces ways of seeing that at a minimum reflect and shape our culture. We can look at the media to understand more about a culture’s values and norms, if we realize the limitations of looking at the media. For example, one may ask, does the news based in the United Sates represent what the American culture is like, or only what stands out from everyday American culture? The answer to that is no. Instead, the media represents what it thinks it will be able to sell and is supported by advertisements. This includes violent acts, the sensationally and inappropriate. Jhally reminds us that “it is this male, heterosexual, pornographic imagination based on the degradation and control of women that has colonized commercial culture in general, although it is more clearly articulated in music videos” (Jhally 2007). Therefore, “media content is a symbolic rather than a literal representation of society and that to be represented in the media is in itself a form of power—social groups that are powerless can be relatively easily ignored, allowing the media to focus on the social groups that ‘really matter’” (Gerbner,
Phillips, D. (1983). The Impact of Mass Media Violence on U.S. Homicides. American Sociological Review, Vol. 48. Published by: American Sociological Association. Retrieved March 1, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2117722
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.
Domestic abuse is a significant and threatening issue in the United States. Sadly, the rates of this shameful violence are increasing. This violence is not limited to the privacy of relationships and homes, it occurs everywhere and in all relationships. Football player, Ray Rice portrayed an act of domestic violence when he punched his wife and knocked her unconscious on February 15 of 2014. Women are heavily affected by this abuse and it’s the leading cause of injuries on women. According to crime reports (qtd. in “Domestic Violence”), one woman is beaten by her husband or partner every 15 seconds in the United States. Also, according to a report (qtd. in “Domestic Violence”), domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States, more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. Domestic abuse is not simple, it has a historical context to it, it creates abusive cycles in relationships, and it links to economic statuses.
Violence has made a home in American society. Since TV shows and movies provide a large source of entertainment for Americans, networks and Hollywood find themselves constantly competing for viewers. As the competitions heat up, so does the content shown on the screen, but some of that content as struck a nerve with people. The large amount of violence, and more specifically violence against women, portrayed on TV and in movies has people taking action to clean up the screen.
Popular Culture has changed drastically over the decades with the biggest question being whether or not popular culture is a positive or negative expression of our ideas and reflections. American Pop Culture has an extremely important role that influences the United States and around the world. There are countless topics that make up pop culture and it is nearly impossible to name all of them. Some of the topics are Television, Music, Religion, Politics, Arts, Economy, Education, Family roles and structures. Three of the cultures that I believe has changed the most and seems to cause the most controversy are television, music and religion.
Today, modern society faces such problem, as domestic violence, which is common issue in majority of the countries, and USA is not exception. Statically in USA one of three women will be abused throughout her life. Domestic violence is mainly related with people’s behavior and psychology. This situation influence in different ways children, families and American society in general and it can’t be ignored, but at the same time this issue is so controversial, that it’s really difficult to find the solution.
Thesis: In my paper, I will be examining the different types, possible causes, and effects of Intimate Partner Violence, and what treatments or programs are available to combat this growing problem in America. Regardless of differing approaches to fight it, statistics show that women all across the world suffer from the effects of domestic violence at a similar rate independent of class, race, or religion.
Popular culture is often dismissed as frivolous, unimportant or simply mindless entertainment, both by media critics and by academics. However, it is important to examine and think critically about popular culture and what it can tell us about the society that we live in. In the specific case of the relationship between gender and popular culture, popular culture is informed by the way gender is structured and the structure of gender is, in part, reinforced by popular culture.
The Effects of Popular Culture on Society Popular Culture is music, dance, theatre, film,T.V., poetry and Art which is enjoyed by a wide group of people. Some people would argue that popular culture in the 1960's cause harm. Other people however argued that other factors brought harm and change to society. Some people would argue that music would cause harm because of the lyrics in pop songs. Lyrics like 'Lets spend the night together' by The Rolling Stones, influenced young people to have casual sex.
Pop culture can mean many different things to many different people. Pop culture is a form of entertainment that is consumed by mass amounts of people. Some forms of pop culture include; television, movies, music, popular tendencies, trendy clothing etc. One way to view pop culture is through a political lense. Pop culture and politics go hand and hand when it comes to one making decisions. Whether that decision is watching the six o’clock news on your favorite news casting network, or who to vote for in the next primary election. Pop culture can influence our identities and the way we perceive ourselves without use even knowing it at times.
Popular culture has given people the opportunity for people to have a chance to shine, and many have had their lives changed. For example, when American Idol had launched in 2002, the winner, Kelly Clarkson, had her chance to shine for the entire time she was competing and eventually won the competition. Her success provided her with the ability perform not only nationwide, but also worldwide. But how exactly does popular culture enable Filipino Americans to have a chance at success? In order to answer that question, one must look for the means which drive them to popular culture. Although Filipino Americans were involved in the community, nevertheless they chose to get involved in popular culture, which gives them success. Through popular