In Cultural Indicators: Violence Profile No. 9, co-author George Gerbner states that violence is “The overt expression of physical force, with or without weapon, against self or other, compelling action against one’s will on pain of being hurt or killed, or actually hurting or killing” Nearly all of the definitions I have read, along with Gerbners, have the same basic principle; violence is when physical force has the potential to harm.
Violence has been part of society since the world its inception. Violence’s role in our past and present is common knowledge. In correlation with violence there is also media violence, which is violence consumed by the general public for entertainment. Violence is looked upon negatively in our society, yet we accept and appreciate it in our media outlets. Examples of this are in video games, sports and films.
With the creations of products like the television and computer, we now have easy access to everything at our fingertips. Advancements like these have launched society into a new realm of consumerism. We can sit in our computer chairs and watch a variety of content, including violence. Keep in mind that violent content is not a modern phenomenon. Yes, the advancements in technology have made access easier, but as humans we have been enjoying it for millenniums. There is a vast existence of violence throughout all of history. In the past, it has shown itself in folklore, legend, nursery rhymes and literature.
The Romans built the coliseum for the very reason of entertainment through violence. They would take slaves and make them fight unwinnable battles to the death against trained opponents. The coliseum would be filled with all who could have the pleasure to watch the “excitement”. Though there are clear differences, one could make a connection between the Romans and our modern world. The Romans packed the coliseum just as we pack our football stadiums; to see the action.
Video games are notoriously violent and have evolved into such throughout the years. When they first came about, there were simple games such as Pong. Now, you have massive worlds that a gamer can explore, millions of players they can interact with and enough violence for all. Video games have now become an intense way to spend ones free time.
Using the video game console Xbox 360 as an example, we can see how violence emerges in videos games. These are the top ten all-time selling games for Xbox 360:
1. Kinect Adventures!
2. Grand Theft Auto 5
3. Halo 3
4. Mine craft
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops
6. Halo 4
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
8. Gears of War
9. Gears of War 2
10. Halo: Reach
Eight games out of ten on this list are considered violent. Take the game Grand Theft Auto for example. It is the second best-selling Xbox game of all time and arguably the most violent. There are many different objectives to complete in Grand Theft Auto. Besides the objectives, the gamer can run around the game world, steal cars and shoot people. This act of aimlessly running around killing people is very common in Grand Theft Auto.
In these games, one can act out a violent situation without ever having to think twice about it. Most people would never commit the violent acts that are committed while playing Grand Theft Auto. A main reason we act out violently in video games is because we know that no one is really put in harm’s way. Which is a good trait that most humans possess; we don’t want to harm others or ourselves. However, all that means is that we know there will be no consequences from our violent actions in the game world. Based on this, one could argue that one reason we don’t act out violently in real life is because of the consequences. Through video games, we can partake in violent acts and just click the restart button, like it never happened.
Brad Bushman, a professor of psychology, states that the attraction to violence gives people "a chance to experience taboo — events that they can't experience in their own lives — or see things they don't see in their typical life," Humans don’t always experience acts of violence daily, so paying fifty dollars to watch an Mixed Martial Arts fight can give them that experience. Brad goes on to state, "If you ask people why they do it, they give you answers like, they're bored and violence is exciting," This could be taken as true. On the other hand, thinking excitement is the only reason that humans watch is false. Yes, depending on whom you ask, violence is perceived as exciting but that is not all that it does for us. It opens a door to a gritty look at what could go wrong. For example, in a Mixed Martial Arts fight, people watch not only for excitement but also to see something unexpected. Most people wouldn’t want to get beat to a pulp but we would love to watch it.
Whenever there is a serious car accident there is always traffic. Why is that? An obvious reason is because it can block up the road. There is also an underlying reason. Drivers begin to rubberneck because they want to see what happened. Every car that passes by the scene of the accident looks over in wonder. Though we hope no one has been injured, we still want to see it with our own eyes. This can be seen as a learning experience. We look to see what happened and remind ourselves that it could happen to anyone. We might even slow down our driving for a little while after we see the crash. We have a curiosity to see what could go wrong. By looking, we can better understand how it happened and how to avoid it.
Films have been a cornerstone of America and the world in the last century. They show us new worlds and give us the ability to watch events we would otherwise never be involved in. For example, in the film Saving Private Ryan, we are showed the brutality of war. The film takes place during World War 2 and does not shy away from the reality that comes with it. In the opening scene of the film, we see the events of D-day; when the allies stormed the beaches of Normandy. This scene is one of the most recognized in cinema and arguably the most memorable scene in the whole film. Its brutality stayed in the minds of the viewer. Watching scenes like this gives the audience a closer look into a world not seen by many. As humans, we are intrigued by how something so violent could happen and we want to see what it looked like in hope of understanding.
In film, we can also see how a character would react in any given situation. One of the qualities of an exceptional film is a character who evolves. We want to watch him or her in certain situations and see how they react. We also, subconsciously, put ourselves in that characters positions and think about what we would do. In the hit film Taken, the character Bryan Mills (played by Liam Neeson) travels across the world to get his daughter back who was taken by human traffickers. Bryan goes to any means necessary to find his daughter; many of these means are through violence. He has to face many "bad guys" and he takes them all down, either killing or severely injuring them. As the audience, we put ourselves in Bryan’s situation. We wonder if we would do the same things he does. How far would I go for a loved one? Would I kill for them? We watch the violence these characters must endure and inflict and use that to look within ourselves.
Humans have biological factors that draw us to violence. In his book On Media Violence, W. James Potter explains how aggression plays a role in these factors. “Biological theories focus primarily on human physiological characteristics to explain the genesis and shaping of aggression. From this biological point of view, aggression has been explained in terms of instincts” Instinct is a fundamental part of all life. From a young age, lion cubs will fight with each other. This prepares them for the tools they will need to hunt their prey in the future. Animals are born with many instincts, some being violent. Are humans any different? We have our instincts just like any other animal. Renowned psychologist, Sigmund Freud, also considered aggression as an instinct. Freud said that “humans need to aggress to relieve hostility and to push the death wish away from themselves”. Some have rejected this theory that aggression is an instinct, stating it is, instead, a reactive force. Though, this also holds some merit, humans have aggression just like any other species. Since we are evolved and most of us don’t have to fight for food, shelter and water, we can release our aggression through other avenues, such as the media. This need in humans to release aggression can help explain why we watch violence willingly.
In Sigmund Freud’s book Beyond the Pleasure Principle, he discussed his theory of the death wish or “death drive”. He described that all humans have a drive or will to life, which he calls the Eros. The Eros refers to the concepts of basic survival, pleasure and reproduction. These instincts, that we all share, are essential to sustaining life. In contrast, he also believes humans have the drive or will to death. This drive is referred to as Thanatos. He concluded that people have a desire to die, but it is held back by the stronger instinct, the Eros. Most people would tell you they are afraid of death. Freud believes that humans are drawn to it because of that fear.
In society, we have many religions that try to make sense of death. For example, Catholicism tells people that if they are a decent person in life, than they will experience eternal life when they die. Eternal life is a big word used in many religions. It is the concept of living forever, in some form or another. Many of us wish and hope eternal life exists. This is because death frightens us.
Humanity has come a long way; we have created language and knowledge to develop society. We are always wondering and exploring what we don’t understand. Though we have accomplished much from doing this, there is still something left behind. That is the obstacle that we have yet to fully understand; death. We all want to live, so the thought of death is terrifying. We see death as bad but the only thing we truly know about it is that it is inevitable. Knowing this, how do humans continue to live without constant fear of death? We know death is up ahead so to combat that we do things on earth that are meaningful. We create structures in society to help us escape death. Religion is a key example but there are many others. We have children that we give our names in the hopes that we live on with them. These all reassure us that we will live forever.
Meaning is a huge part of our acceptance of media violence. Edmund Husserl, a German philosopher, stated in his book The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology; an Introduction to Phenomenological Philosophy that “human behavior, experience and scientific achievement are all grounded in the making of meaning.” Everything we do as humans, we do to understand more. We want to find the significance in natural occurrences such as life, death and violence. Reading about a violent murder in the paper grabs our attention. There are many forms of media that use violence to do this. This is done because violence intrigues us. Watching these violent acts in the media can help us to understand them and give them meaning.
The search for meaning is never ending for humans. There are scientists working at this moment to try to and understand the world we live in. Why are we here? How did life form on earth? How did the universe begin? These questions have made us wonder for centuries. Humans are naturally curious. In turn, we are curious about violence. How can something like that happen? Who would do such a thing? These questions usually follow a violent act we see on our televisions, in our video games or in the films we watch. We see things like violence and death in the media and it allows us to try to understand it. The media pours violent content into our brains and spares no expense; giving us all the gory details. Which begs the question, do we as a society ask for violence or do the media outlets push violence. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The media shows us this violence not because they are bad people or because they enjoy it. They do so because they are human. They deliver the news content, design the video games and create the films because they are intrigued just as much as the consumers. All humans share a curiosity about this darkness and violence in the world. With that curiosity, comes the search for meaning.