While observing the whole media rigmarole surrounding the release of GTA4 this month I began thinking about human beings and how we perceive and react to violence.
It’s my opinion that as a species we have a propensity towards acts of violence. I would take it as far as that we all have the innate ability to commit and enjoy acts of violence against each other and it is ‘society’s’ indoctrination of us that prevents it.
It is the people most removed from ‘society’ whom commit the most violence, in England at least. It is the underclass. People who don’t attend school for their daily lesson on how ‘we’ should act, the people who have no job and don’t own their own house and therefore have no stake in the economy. It is also people who realise that they enjoy it and do it for fun. More often than not I believe these are the same people.
If you have been angry before you will know, like everyone(?), the desire to tear and rip and batter. In those moments would you not find it enjoyable to smash something up?
Does the victim of a bully not desire to smash the bullies face?
I was on the bus the other day and my mood was not particularly great. A youth of perhaps 19 was abusing the bus driver because he was Polish. I suddenly felt the red desire to wrap my hands round said youths neck and start squeezing. I imagine I was not the only one. Of course being a well educated young man I didn’t do that, I’ve been ‘taught’ not to. If he had been threatening me personally with I would no doubt have acted on my desire, in the interests of self preservation.
If someone threatens your family or your friends do you not want to hurt them? To stop them?
It is my opinion that our lives in a modern Western society have only within the last two hundred years perhaps become disengaged from day to day violence. In a harsher harder world in the past, violence and it’s connotations would have been a daily thing.
I believe this is demonstrated when we look at other less ‘developed’ countries and the way in which, particularly in Africa and South America, violence and local militias compete and kill as a daily thing.
So when I see the up roar about how video games and movies are making us a more violent society I have to laugh out loud.
Opinions?
Opinions?
Onions?!
DominicGee
First off, allow me to be a bore and point out that the rich also commit acts of violence by conducting war blah blah blah. Frankly that's missing the point but someone will say it, so I'm just giving you a heads up.
It can also be pointed out that humans actually DO get along together, but it is society (i.e. competition) that makes us violence, not the other way round. I suppose it's a chicken and egg thing. It is society that makes us go to war and puts us into brutal situations. As you explained, it is the poor and disenfranchised who are the ones committing these apparent wanton acts of violence. Surely then it is their social context - their society that has made them like this?
I often feel the desire to tear certain people apart, it's why I posted about capital punishment after hearing about that Austrian dude and his daughter.
Where was I? Oh yes, I guess if you're used to violence it makes you more willing to adopt it as an option or even as a way of life. From that point of view, the worry surrounding video games is warrented. If a child is allowed to watch endless drivel on TV they'll probably turn out to be mindless air-heads, slack jawed and moronic (just like the people they are watching). COuld the same happen to those who watch a lot of horror and play violent video games at an impressionable age?