Violence: A daily personal choice
We are shocked when a killing occurs in our community, but on a daily basis on any one of a few hundred satellite stations, at the local video shop, or at the downtown cinema we see enough death and destruction to make it look like we are always in WW III. With the recent television series "The War in Afghanistan" “The War in Iraq” part II, we had this tragic beginning, then nightly news on the event, then the invasion, more "enemy" deaths, and finally a victory (of sorts). We are so saturated with death, murder, and violence in the media and we come to accept it as popular culture. But the bizarre element is that we are shocked when there is a killing or murder in our community.
When police officers shoot a man with a wallet in his hand 41 times it is not an anomaly. What is an anomaly is that it does not happen more frequently. The police officers, according to the scripts they have seen thousands of times in movies and television, acted appropriately, "Dark man. Can't quite see his hand. May have a gun. John Wayne would shoot. All movies hero kill. I may be killed. I better shoot first and ask questions later."
"Lord of the Rings" while at times inventive, enchanting, and delightful on some levels; it plays to the lowest common denominator, violence. A predominant theme of good versus evil and that power of corruption of virtue was played out in the movie. The violence and the gore overshadowed the movie. In the beginning there were two armies that were about to annihilate one another. Then the last third of the movie was this gory battle. The hero was shot in the heart with a stout arrow and then proceeds to slay a few more evil creatures, then he gets shot a second time and continues to slay more creatures, and finally he is shot a third time in the heart and he is still killing. How many times does one need to get shot in the heart before they stop? Of course, this was meant to illustrate that he was a great warrior who couldn't be stopped with mere arrows. It was like watching one of the typical slaughter movies from Hollywood -- the hero kills hundreds and it is okay because he is the hero. As innocent as this may appear or the cartoons on Saturday morning, where Wily Coyote is repeatedly injured or blown up by Road Runner, we feed ourselves and our children as steady diet of violence and murder. Then is it not so surprising that we have a culture that is so violent
The military historian and psychologist, David Grossman, in his book On Killing
Notes that are several of classical condition at work, "Adolescents in movie theaters across the nation, and watching television at home, are seeing the detailed, horrible suffering and killings of human beings, and they are learning to associate this killing and suffering with entertainment, pleasure, their favorite soft drink, their favorite candy bar, and close intimate contact of their date." While in operant conditioning he notes this is a factor in the interactive video games."
It would be ludicrous to suggest that thee media are the sole factor in the increase in violence or that the homicide rates for teen males increased 154%? But we can point out that it certainly is one factor that desensitizes a person to violence.
Though popular literature from the time of the most ancient of fables to the present always entailed violence and gore, at what point do we say enough? Do we want to continue to foster a vision of the world that is violent or do we look for another way? At what point do we say that violence and the perpetuation of violence in media do not serve our needs as a society?
When we look at the violence that exists in society: the violence of poverty, the violence of hate, the intolerance, and the carnage in the media I am overwhelmed. Where do I start to end the violence? I cannot stop the violent movies from being made; however, I do have a choice as to what I will watch or read and how I will act in the world. As importantly, while I do make the effort to stop the rabid militarism of the US Government, and air my views as a citizen, the kind of violence I can respond to on a daily on-going basis is the violence in my life. In all of our lives there is the subtle insidious personal violence of jealousy, competitiveness, greed, and desire. In our language, do we hurt others? Are we unkind and thoughtless in our actions? Do we allow our pride to take precedent over caring for others?
Today, if the violence in our society is of concern, examine your own life and understand how you may or may not contribute to it. If there are hard and angry words with your family and children consider how being more considerate and kind can change the situation. Perhaps, even learn to forgive yourself and others. Evaluate the movies, video games, and television you and your family watch. In your workplace, whether you are a street sweeper or president, consider how your daily actions might create a more peaceful, sane, and humane world. Violence is a choice we make on a daily basis.
namaya@vermontpoet.com