The question over the presence of violence in American media has been a source of debate for decades. Each side offers arguments on the benefits and harm of such media existing, but not many consider why so much violence exists in the first place.
For those who argue against the violence, they often cite the overwhelming statistics of real violent actions in the US, which far surpasses other industrialized countries. Those who argue for, claim it serves as a relatively harmless outlet for certain emotions, and that violent reactions can not solely be attributed to violent content, but only occur when several other environmental or psychological factors converge.
One could argue however, that living in the US, already exposes an individual to many of those “other factors.” According to a paper by the Psychoanalytic Inquiry, US children by age 18, have witnessed, “16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence,” from TV shows alone. It would be unreasonable to assume that such exposure comes without consequence.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, defines this impact as a desensitization to violence and the “suppression of an emotional response” after repeatedly witnessing violent actions, resulting in decreased levels of empathy.
The issue of desensitization to violence in the US however, cannot be examined without its complement, the glorification of violence, and more specifically the US military. Desensitization is only possible through repeated exposure, but who is facilitating that exposure and what do they gain from it?
There are two instances that indicate a significant increase of violence in US media. The first was during the 1950s, the immediate aftermath of World War II and following the creation of the Office of War Information (OWI), founded in 1942. Its purpose was to censor all media that depicted the US and its military unfavorably, as well as, “promote domestic morals,” and regulate a pro-US army message to the general public in the form of posters, radio shows, and film productions.
The second instance can be traced to the late 1990s and early 2000s. These years saw some of the US’s most violent interventions and attacks in several countries, including Iraq and Vietnam.
The Vietnam and Iraq wars were the first to be broadcast on TV for the general American public. Americans could fervently watch the US strikes, and bombs, as well as President Bush and Vice President Cheney’s declaration of using “enhanced interrogation techniques” for the sake of US intelligence. Much fewer saw the corpses, destroyed cities, and haunting images of the worst types of torture in prisons like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.
It is not enough to say that Americans have become desensitized to their exposure to violence, but more concerningly that Americans have been conditioned to enjoy it.
In the words of Dr. Dan Romer, a researcher whose studies focus on media and social interactions, “violence sells”.
Violence, shown without consequence, (as it often is in US media), elicits a sense of thrill and excitement. The action and the heroics become attractive to the average American, feeding into their nationalistic view of themselves.
Historians have put a name to this ego-centric view many Americans see themselves in, (regardless of political party or background), known as “exceptionalism”. This ideology refers to the belief that the US’s independence from Britain and its self image of “Liberty and Justice for all”, has caused the US as a state to be held to a higher standard than the rest of the world. America is viewed as the pinnacle of human evolution, and every action it imparts on other countries is always for their freedom and their “democracy”, no matter how violent.
This rhetoric manifests itself constantly, and often violently, in all types of media: from US-themed super heroes fighting the “bad guys”, to war documentaries honoring American veterans for their service, but not the millions of civilians raped, tortured, and murdered in their wake. Violence is only seen as a necessary means to an end and a heroic endeavor by those who utilize it.
It might be an overgeneralization to claim that all US media with violent aspects is “military propaganda”. But it is undeniable that at the roots of violent media, is a history of glorifying and making the havoc that the US wreaks on its own people and people abroad, palpable. This acclimation is only possible with a desensitized audience, (one that no longer has the emotional capacity to comprehend the weight of the violence); and a radicalized audience, (one that views its violence as admirable).
Lama Mohamed is a sophomore Biology Major and Writing Minor, and is an Opinion Writer for The Retriever.
Contact Lama at lamam1@umbc.edu