My Journal #2

What is the attraction to violence??

Tell me about a personal experience with violence, either one you experienced personally or one you witnessed (or even choose a violent scene you watched on television or film that affected you) Can violence ever play an effective role in problem solving?


Violence is an attack of vicious nature by one individual to another. It doesn't matter what the reason is, its the act itself that is the violence.
Since the beginning of movies and some books, there is a desire to surprise, scare, shock the reader or viewer. The writer demands some kind of reaction. Like a drug, the more desensitized to certain actions the more detailed, zoomed in the action must become.

As years have come and gone the censors have been forced to release their stranglehold on the movie industry. Writers in a effort to keep affront of the demand began to write more violent actions, then followed the actual detailed comencement of these actions. After that it was the close-up makup artists who created the wounds and spilling blood.

Coming in close behind are the reality shows. COPS that showed people being beat up or the victims who had been shot, or actually maimed in some way. Very real people caught in the real lift drama of domestic violence or gang violence.

Neck and neck were the TV shows that involved the doctors, hospitals, and of course CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). In these instances the computer could generate a very real scenario of going into a wound, or organ and seeing evidence being removed. Up close and personal.

Sexual violence has always been around but at the shame of being caught and outted forced most perpetrators to do it behind closed doors. Not so any more. They know how to manipulate their prey into mental situations and keep them in plain sight but so terrified they do not call for help or run away for many years.

At one time suspense, thrillers, mysteries would keep the viewers on the edge of their seat. Sudden moves might cause the entire movie theater to jump and scream. The level desensation  will determine the shockablitly of the event. We almost always know its coming from the musice. If you were deaf, most of the the time everyone would be surprised.

It isn't just the movies and TV but our news media has the job to capture the interest of the viewer. To make them choose a particular station. Some have over dramtic reproters or use words like; "Only on Channel XX will hear you this exclusive story. They will fire out the most detailed and closeups of the victims, blood dripping from their heads, parents greiving over their wounded or dead family members only to have some driven reporter shove a microphone in their face and ask "What are you feeling?"

What has the media done to compassion, sensitivity to the enjoyment of being scared or screaming.  It just doesn't happen. Violence has become so commonplace we don't even glance at a reportor who says "Next a shooting of an innocent young boy by a neighborhood watch." Then we weigh in on who was at fault first, not the person who is dead. Give the family time to morn.