Violence in American Pop Culture :: Essays Papers

Violence in American Pop Culture Societies are founded upon traditions, morals, and a set of commonly accepted ethnical values. Such customs are important because they set the tone for centuries and decades that follow. In the United States, violence is widely accepted as a central component of American lifestyle and culture. From contemporary gay bashing to explosives and weaponry in video games and movies, violence figures prominently in many aspects of American entertainment and pleasure seeking. History provides ample evidence and examples that American institutionalized violence discriminates against no man, woman or child. For example, Native Americans were relentlessly and violently stripped of all their resources. Enslaved African persons were brought thousands of miles from their homelands to cultivate and enrich European interest in America. Among the hardships of simply adjusting to this New World, slaves were also sentenced to death through lynching if they refused to be subjected to new rules. Over the past two centuries we have witnessed a Civil War, two World Wars, the Oklahoma bombings, the Columbine massacre, and the tragic events of September 11th, to name only a few of the past and recent tragedies. All of the tragedies have claimed the lives of thousands of our fellow men. History repeats itself and what began as a means of instituting territory has today permeated the entire culture and has seeped into all types of media. Entertainment is supposed to entertain, but movies, video games and music most often depict a life of bloodshed and carnage. Al Pacino is praised for his roles in Scarface and The Godfather series, exploiting the life of an Italian mafia family that is well known and respected in the world of organized crime. Admiration is given to rap artists like Notorious B.I.G., who rapped about money, power and sexual impropriety. Another street legend is Tupac Shakur, whose life is a prime example of the â€Å"thug life.† After surviving several gang related shootings, he ultimately fell prey to a glamorized thug life, murdered in a drive-by shooting on the glitzy streets of Las Vegas, Nevada. In everyday scenarios young children are allowed to entertain and enlighten themselves with video games like Grand Theft Auto, where the thi ef runs through the city killing citizens, having sex with prostitutes, and robbing people at gunpoint.