Sample Essay

To What Extent Is Violence Common Among The Youngsters In Our Society Today?

Violence is now, to a large extent, a common feature in our society. Every day, newspapers, television and news websites on the internet bring news of violence around the world. Violence need not be just physical violence. Any action that harms the mental or physical well-being of another person can be termed violence. There are many reasons for different types of violence.

Violence is often perpetuated through mass media and the Internet. Today, we often read about and see images of violence on television, in the newspapers and on the Internet. Not only are we faced with violent images created by film-makers, but pictures of gory corpses, bloody war victims and bomb blasts are featured endlessly in various print media also. Violent street protests no longer shock us. With constant exposure to elements of violence in the mass media and the Internet, youngsters, who are at an impressionable age, get the idea that violence solves all types of problems. How does an action hero vanquish his enemy in most movies? First a Brutal fight takes place followed by gunshots. How do people in crisis resolve their problems? Things supposedly get resolved by shouting, challenging and beating each other into pulp. These are what the media are communicating to impressionable minds.

The idea of non-violence and peaceful solutions on the other hand, are virtually non-existent in mass media. Have you ever seen a hero solving a conflict in a film through peaceful means? In fact, if a character in a movie is someone who does not fight or cannot fight physically, they are seen as weak. The role models that young people have are usually not people who have brought peace to this world, but are those who can overpower another individual through the use of physical strength. Of course, it is the villain that is defeated physically, and the hero is on the ‘good’ side, but still, the process of gaining victory over evil forces is through violence.

Some of these aggressive tendencies among young people can be attributed to the influence of violent video games on youngsters. Games such as Death Race and Mortal Combat show so much violence that in the young brain, it becomes almost normalized. Children start playing these games at a very young age and continue to play them all the way into adulthood.

Added to all this is the fact that family structures are breaking down at an unprecedented rate. The lack of support from family, especially parents results in youngsters resorting to aggression to solve their issues. Due to unstable family conditions, they feel anger so deep that the only way to let off steam is through fighting. In modern times, both parents usually work the whole day and have very little time to spend with kids, listening to them and talking to them. In the absence of responsible parenting, children fall under negative influences.

Alcoholism and drug abuse often go hand in hand with violence. The use of drugs by young people is increasing year by year. There are two ways in which drug abuse leads to violence. First, violence can be perpetrated while a person is under the influence of substances. Secondly, once an individual is addicted to drugs, they will resort to any action in order to get money to buy them. At this point, they have lost the sense of right and wrong.

Very often, violence is learned from home. Domestic violence is on the rise. Cases of divorces, spouse abuse and family Conflicts increase year by year. Perhaps, we can attribute this violence to a lack of Community support system. In the past, it was not uncommon for extended families to live under the same roof. In that way, the elders were there to take care of the youngsters and dispense help and advice whenever needed. Today, this is no longer the case.

With the advent of social media, online bullying has become a very common form of violence. Online bullying, or cyberbullying, is when the internet is used by someone to target and deliberately harass someone. Cyberbullying often happens on personal devices that young people have constant and free access to. This means that it can happen anywhere and at any time, so it can feel like it’s hard to escape. The bully could be someone that they know, or a complete stranger. Hateful messages, images and videos sent online can be seen by millions of people in a short period of time.

It is high time that violence among young people is taken seriously by authorities who can make a difference, like teachers and leaders in responsible positions. Otherwise the future of the world would seem uncertain and bleak.