Never Ending Violence
Violence. Violence is EVERYWHERE.. Since the very beginning of time, violence has always been an issue. Murder, theft, robbery, bullying, stabbings, beatings, rape, among other things will never have an ending. It comes in many forms such as cultural, verbal, physical, sexual, and emotional which will leave you scarred for life. As sad as it is, these forms of violence occur EVERY DAY in homes, schools, churches, and the streets. Although, home is the place where families are supposed to feel safe but sadly that is where violence is most witnessed and experienced.
Bell Hooks, author of Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics,”Ending Violence,” speaks about two different types of violence that are like comparing apples to apples; Patriarchal violence and domestic violence. Hook defines domestic violence not only as violence again your significant other but also lesbian women abusing their lover, and parents abusing their child. It also includes violence committed by partners in same-sex relationships. Hooks believes in using the term Patriarchal Violence instead of domestic violence because hooks believes that “Patriarchal violence in the home is based on the belief that it is acceptable for a more powerful individual to control others through various forms of coercive force.”
Growing up, I heard of many different stories about domestic violence (or as Hook would say Patriarchal Violence). For example, back in 2009 everyone heard about the famous Chris Brown beating his girlfriend (at the time) Rihanna. The couple was arguing and Brown seemed to have lost control since the conversation got really heated. He put his hands on her and left her full of bruises. Chris Brown pleaded guilty in attacking Rihanna and was ordered to serve five years in supervised probation and to complete six months of community service including graffiti removal, manual labor, and roadside clean-up. Rihanna’s full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, sadly had to cancel her Grammy performance that year due to the damages.
After a certain amount of time, Rihanna finally broke her silence and said she gave Chris Brown a second chance after he viciously attacked her because she felt that she was “built to handle sh*t like this.” Rihanna spoke to Vanity Fair about why she decided to take Chris Brown back and making the decision to lift the restraining order after the vicious beating.
I personally believe that Rihanna will never be the same after the beating. Although she says she was “built to handle sh*t like this,” deep inside I believe she is still hurt. “ I just never understood that, like how the victim gets punished over and over. It’s in the past, and I don’t want to say ‘Get over it,’ because it is a very serious thing that is still relevant; it’s still real,” Rihanna said.
With that said, we see that violence is everywhere, we just chose not to acknowledge it. In songs, tv shows, movies etc, violence is thrown all over the media like if it’s normal. For example, Criminal Minds, my favorite show, is full of violence. The leader of the FBI’s Behavior Analysis Unit Agent Jason Gideon (played by Mandy Patinki) argues that it was his “biggest public mistake” and claims he signed up without realizing the writers were going to “kill and rape all these women every day, every night, week after week.”
“Texas Boy” by Big Lurch is a pretty brutal and vicious song. “Cut ya with a machete” or claims to be “the devious mischievous child, the bad seed,” and that is not the full lyrics of how bad it can get. The scary thing is the rapper’s life outside of music. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, the rapper is facing life in prison for murdering his 21 year-old Female roommate Tynisha Ysais. She was found in her Los Angeles apartment with teeth marks on her face and on pieces of her lung, which had been torn from her chest. OUCH! He later was found by cops, down the street of her apartment, naked and covered in blood. Does the media have a lot to do in which people react when it comes to violence? I personally believe some people watch too much television and implement what they watch and act on it. They let television, music, movies, etc influence them in a negative way which is why violence doesn’t seem to stop.
