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Living in a Violent Culture

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Living in a Violent Culture
Most violent acts committed in modern times are seen as unthinkable and heinous. Today’s culture appears to be at its most serene and peaceful. However, this may not be true. Today’s culture is still one of extreme violence and is comparable to some of history’s most horrific times. Over the course of history, violence in culture has been in fluctuation but has always been considerably aggressive. Modern violent culture is comparable to history’s as society’s forms of entertainment are still violent, racial, domestic, and religious. Disputes still occur and lastly, war and cruel punishments still exist in the world. Fortunately, there is hope as violence, although still existing, seems to be improving and slowly diminishing.
Over time, modern forms of entertainment appear to have changed. However; it can be disturbing the similarities in which violence appears to be a common factor throughout history. Rome is said to be the birthplace of violent entertainment. Some historians suggest that we should not be surprised by their violent games and competitions because the Romans were at war throughout their history. Ancient Rome is infamous for their gladiatorial battles; battles in which men were forced to fight one another to the death. Many gladiators were prisoners of war, criminals or slaves. Thousands of people would watch as these men were thrown into the fight against their will. Women would even attend these events and watch men fight to the death. This would first appear to us as shocking, but today’s society is attracted to films indicating this exact behavior. The film Gladiator is about a general whose family is murdered by a prince and this man becomes a gladiator to seek revenge. This movie won 5 Oscars as well as numerous other awards. This is undeniable evidence that society has not changed when it comes to these sorts of things. They still watch the same forms of violence. In Medieval times, crowds would come to watch the public executions of heretics



Bibliography: Andalucia Com S.L “Bull fighting, Bull fighter, Bull rings” http://www.andalucia.com/bullfight/home.htm retrieved December 16th 2010 “Gladiator” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172495/ retrieved December 16th, 2010 Joel Andreas, Addicted To War, (Oakland, CA: AK Press, 2004) 13 Judy M “Kill Bill” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266697/ retrieved December 16th, 2010 Mary Hull, Ethnic Violence (San Diego: Lucent Books Inc, 1997) Pinker, Steven, “A history of Violence” http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/pinker07/pinker07_index.html retrieved December 16th, 2010 Robert J. Walker, World Civilizations, (Canada: Oxford University Press, 1998) 190 “The Iraq War: Illegal, Unjust, Immoral” http://www.serendipity.li/iraqwar.htm retrieved December 16th, 2010 Wilbert Ellis Moore American Negro Slavery and Abolition: A Sociological Study (NY: Arno Press, 1971) 24 Williamson Murray, the Iraq War (USA: Harvard College, 2003) 17 [ 2 ]. Robert J. Walker, World Civilizations, (Canada: Oxford University Press, 1998) 190 [ 3 ] [ 4 ]. “Kill Bill” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266697/ June 6th, 2010 [ 5 ] [ 8 ]. Judy M. Torrance Public Violence in Canada (Canada: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1986) 30 [ 9 ] [ 10 ]. Mary Hull, Ethnic Violence (San Diego: Lucent Books Inc, 1997) 96. [ 11 ]. Mary Hull, Ethnic Violence (San Diego: Lucent Books Inc, 1997) 96. [ 12 ]. Joel Andreas, Addicted To War, (Oakland, CA: AK Press, 2004) 13 [ 13 ] [ 14 ]. Williamson Murray, the Iraq War (USA: Harvard College, 2003) 17.

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