The Changing Faces of Violence
Towan Cook
Georgia Gwinnett College
In essence, violence is the act of causing some degree of harm to your own body, property, or another form of life. Like many words in the English language, there is several definitions for one word. Likewise, violence has several definitions that depend on the perspective in which the word violence is being viewed. When looking at every aspect of violence, there are many events that at first would not be considered violent, but in actuality are very violence for instance, sports. Everyday somewhere around the world, men and women are paid to fight each other until a knock out or decision is ruled. Violence also is seen on news stations, video games,
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One reason why there are so many definitions for violence is because there are so many ways to harm people. According to Violence: The Enduring Problem violence also consist of protecting yourself from harm such as, using a firearm to defend your family from an attack (Alvarez, 2007). Likewise, harm can be transferred to another through physical contact, voice, and other physical actions. In the United States the definition of violence has changed drastically over time. For example, it was not long ago that in the state of Georgia a woman could have been raped by her husband. When challenged in court, the Supreme Court of Georgia held that if a women agrees to get married to a man then she thereby, agrees to always give consent to intercourse (Warren v. State, 1985). Therefore in the state of Georgia during this time, women could be “raped” by her husband. According to the law neither crime nor violent act has been committed; however, the woman who was raped probably would say otherwise, stating that she was forced to have sexual intercourse against her will, which would constitute as being a violent act. Another type of violence that has been shown to have very negative results on ones psyche is verbal abuse (Gadit, 2011). The article titled, “Verbal Abuse: Does it lead to Mental Disorder?” illustrates that children who are repeatedly exposed to verbal abuse often grow up with insecurities, low
“The practice of violence, like all action, changes the world, but the most probable change is to a more violent world” (Arendt pg 80). Violence is contagious, like a disease, which will destroy nations and our morals as human beings. Each individual has his or her own definition of violence and when it is acceptable or ethical to use it. Martin Luther King Jr., Walter Benjamin, and Hannah Arendt are among the many that wrote about the different facets of violence, in what cases it is ethical, the role we as individuals play in this violent society and the political aspects behind our violence.
As Americans, living in a egotistical and self centered society, we often think that we are the best, the top 1 percent in every aspect. However, When compared to other countries of the world, America is ranked 14th in education, 44th in health care efficiency, and 101th in peace. But it ranks first in incarceration, 2nd in ignorance, and 3rd in global competitiveness. One can see how the rankings that America is top in are those that promote violence in one way or another. In the book Violence and Culture: A Cross-Cultural and Interdisciplinary Approach by Jack David Eller, the author discusses violence in American society in one of his chapters. In this chapter, he mentions some social characteristics that represents and plays a role in
Violence is the "use of physical force to harm someone" (qt. "Merriam-Webster"). There are different types of violence: homicide, gangs, abuse, and even destruction of property. Homicide is the act of killing another human being, this can happen due to gun violence, a threat, and is mostly common among African-Americans, and youths from other cultures.
Violence is one of the most exaggerated forms of physical aggression and it can exist for a series of reasons. It involves a person or a group of persons acting against another person or groups of persons with the purpose to achieve one or several diverse goals. In many cases violence results from individuals perceiving the acts of other people as hostile and thus wanting to act against these people before it is too late. Depending on the situation, more or less individuals might get involved in an act of violence, especially when they consider that it would be essential for them to do so.
What has America come to? Although the articles, “We’re No.1(1)!” written by Thomas Friedman, and the article “Violence is Who We Are,” by Steven Crichley, have different overall subjects, they have a similar arguments. The world isn’t as great as it used to be, we are lacking good leadership, and we happily invite wrong doings into our lives.
I have chosen to discuss the culture of violence in America and how it relates to gun control. It seems we cannot turn on the television, computer or smart phone without reading about gun violence throughout the country. I believe America’s love affair with violence has contributed to an increase in violent crimes. Having said that, there are several incidences in the news where possessing a gun has proven to be helpful in keeping homeowners safe and alive. In one case, a son was at home during a home invasion and used his gun to prevent the attack. This incident happened in Wagoner County, Oklahoma. Three teens dressed in black, wearing masks and gloves, broke into a residence. Authorities arrived to find two of the intruders shot to death in the home, one suspect was found dead in the driveway, and later an additional accomplice turned herself in to the authorities (Wire). Also, there is the case in which a 73-year-old man stopped a home robbery because he had a gun and shot the intruder. The elderly man reported being robbed several times that year, likely contributing to his perceived need to arm himself.
You’re driving with your girlfriend and child, on your way home after a long day. You suddenly get pulled over by a cop. You do as the cop says, in addition, you decide it’s not best to argue back. You speak calmly and do as the cop says, yet they are afraid of you and think you will try something horrific. As soon as you’re about to show them your license, it is suddenly too late. You are shot and are no longer alive. It took 40 seconds for an ordinary traffic stop to turn deadly. This occurred to a man named Philando Castile. He was fatally shot by a cop when he was reaching for his license. Philando Castile informed him beforehand that he legally had a firearm in his car before they decide to shoot or arrest him. However, the cop said that he
Violence, a word that has one meaning but when one might read the word a thousand meanings come to mind. Violence is a strong word that many are too petrified to really speak or think about. Elie Wiesel concurred his fear of violence and wrote a breathtaking novel called "Night". Violence is not always physical, it could be emotional and mental also. Such meanings are so different but so alike.
amount of the violence. My children at times were abused for defending me. I knew
Describe the trends of violence throughout the history of the United States. How do the rates of violent crime in the United States compare to rates of these crimes internationally?
Fixing America is going to take a lot more than a hammer and nails. To fix America, we will have to get our money/dept and the violence happening in and out of our country under control.
Violence has to do with any harm physically or mentally to a person or object. Violence is one of the main elements is Southern Gothic Literature. Violence is cruel and unusual and can happen at anytime to anyone. An
Violence is implying physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone. In America every human being is treated differently because of their race, gender, and sex unless you have power or money. For example all the rich white straight male are well respected and has more power than everyone else. This happen during slavery where all the white people had more freedom than African American. Many individuals were put in harm by physical abuse of a higher class because of their physical images.
The term violence brings to memory an image of physical or emotional assault on a person. In most circumstances, the person affected due to violence is aware that a violent action has been performed on that person. There is another form of violence where the affected individual, in most cases are unaware of the violence inflicted upon them. These types of violence are termed as structural violence. Structural violence is a form of invisible violence setup by a well-defined system, to limit an individual’s development to his full potential, by using legal, political, social or cultural traditions (Winter and Leighton, 1).
In the book Critique of Violence ,author Walter describes Violence as "The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, male development, or deprivation .The violence that is portrayed in the media has been debated for decades ,and it has rose a question about how does it influence the youth?. From movies to video games society has been accustom to seeing violence in their everyday entertainment. Since children are easy to be influence by their environment, it is safe to say that violence in the media can and will contribute to violent behavior.