Considerations of Violence

Violence is a disguised topic that people generally do not, or choose not to consider daily. A lot of people in our world live in violence every day, without the choice. However, a lot of our population lives in secluded or protected lifestyles where violence is just a thing they see on the television, or in the general public, but certainly not in themselves. The news and media is something that brings light to the subject for people not dealing with violence personally. They get to see what truly happens to some people around the world without being personally affected.
People generally do not want to think about violence, almost in denial that violence does not exist everywhere. Discussing violence can create the knowledge and thoughts that some have chosen to ignore. People protect themselves from the reality of violence. Yet when they come face-to-face with it, they are lost that these violent acts and occurrences can happen to anyone, anywhere. Being in a class that discusses violence brings to mind all the aspects and questions that are contained within the general term of violence. Violence can mean so many different things, and can have so many different meanings that people do not even register the act or occurrence, as being violence.
Something that I find to be interesting, is the way that media has created viewing pleasure out of the acts and occurrences of violence. The way that media has created movies and television shows that are about violence, and yet they are deemed normal. Whether it is Chicago PD with murders, or Law and Order: SVU with sexual assaults, media has created interest and enjoyment from horrific and gruesome things that endanger people. Furthermore, the fact that this does not concern people, it does not phase them to watch a serial murder show. Something that I had never really thought about before this course was the fact that I love crime dramas, and I watch them all the time. I never realized how outlandish it is for me to enjoy watching a murder mystery, from the comfort of my home, without me giving a second thought to how real this is. Obviously media has altered television shows and movies to create a disgusting reality; however, it genuinely is not that far from the truth and reality. One of the biggest issues I think is that people, me included, will not read or listen to current, real tragedies, but it is easy for us to turn the television on and become eager to see what the murder will be about.
Being in a class that discusses violence made me realize that thinking about violence and the way acts and occurrences are deemed is truly an alluring and fascinating thing. Once questioned in class about aspects of violence that we never considered, we were forced to open our minds to an element of society that was new for us. It was somehow okay in class to consider these awful acts. Asking the questions that we have never thought anything about previously, but when we do; wonder how it is, or ever was something that existed, and was considered okay. We were exposed to considering and judging other countries and their norms and beliefs, of and about, their violence. We reflected that one cannot place a bias on the norms of another country.
Within our classroom discussions, it was evident that depending on one’s personal background and experiences, the opinions and attitudes about violence varied. There was a variation of acceptance for different levels and types of violence. It was interesting to hear the different opinions of others in the class, and think about their thoughts, in relation to my own thoughts. I would not say that my thoughts have changed over the course; however, I think that my horizons were greatly expanded from the insight of others in my class, as well as the instructional aspects. I think that my opinions of most things coincide with the general public majority, yet, at times, in the class I believe that they differ greatly. I think a key aspect in one’s beliefs is how they were raised and their personal experiences. Everyone goes through things differently, and no one truly understands the battle they may be fighting every day. I think that discussing the different types of violence has either enabled people to think and reflect more on their experiences and/or has provided some insight for people who may have not gone through the same experiences as other people.
This course has forced me to consider the aspects that violence contains. The thoughts of why things are the way they are, and what can change for the better. The differences in the past, and what they have transformed into now. The discussions brought forth a lot of feelings and beliefs that I did not really know that I had.