A Violent Society

The militarization of our society is inevitable. As a nation, our military grows because of the enlisting effort and style used by recruiters. This is not a bad thing. As the world grows smaller with technology and quick travel, the need for a strong military for a nation that stretches as far as the United States does is necessary. However, the dissemination of violent media is concerning. I would argue what started off as a means of recruitment has spurred forth a more violent and hostile media, and these media images are now being illustrated in real life.

As Dave Grossman puts it “From a military and law enforcement perspective, violent video games are ‘murder simulators’ that train kids to kill.” Grossman is a retired Army Ranger and former psychology professor at West Point. He argues that video games with emphasis on violence improves “killing skills” and desensitizes the individual to violence. 

Some examples back up Grossman’s findings. Many of the mass murderers in the last decade have had excessive exposure to violent video games. The experts following the case of the recent attack on the Navy Yard in Virginia have pointed fingers at violent video games. A friend of the shooter said Alexis (attacker) spent up to 16 hours a day playing warlike games such as Call of Duty. Another killer from Norway claimed the lives of 77 individuals in 2011. The killer, Breivik, testified in court that he used “holographic aiming devices” from Call of Duty to perfect his marksmanship.  

Beyond this, there are stories of young ones using violence because of something they’ve seen on TV or in movies. For instance, Anthony Conley, 17, strangled his 10-year-old brother to death and afterwards stuffed his head in a bag so as to not “get blood everywhere.” When asked the reason for his actions, Conley said he identified with Dexter Morgan from the hit HBO show Dexter. The head investigator in the case was quoted saying, "Conley said that he just 'felt like him.'"

The military is an important and honorable part of our society. However, the effects of glorifying the horrible things soldiers’ experience in media images only perpetuate a violent society. Furthermore, I argue that viewing violence of any kind may increase the likelihood of an individual having aggressive behaviors. My suggestion is not to ban violence from TV and movies and video games. But there needs to be a conversation with people who do indulge in violent media. Without intervention, those people may consider violence to be an acceptable behavior.