Violence and how it affects today's society

While growing up there have been a countless number of incidents where I have been exposed to images or messages of violence and war. The ways that this exposure has occurred, and still occurs, is through the many outlets that our society is able to reach the population. The main sources where I, and many others, am subjected to this violence ranges from video games and television violence to the actions of those around us and the ways that our media reports past/present events. Literature and music have also proven to be sources of violence and war through the use of language. Through all of the ways that society presents these images and messages, their effects have personally been unavoidable. The ways that all of these outlets come together have combined to make a lasting impression on the way that I view violence, and have shaped the evolution of society itself.

One of the ways that violence first had an impression on me was through television. It is hard to turn on the television, whether it is an adult movie or a TV show targeted towards kids, and not be subjected to some sort of violence. Since the television has come into existence, the content that it has shown has become more and more graphically violent. This is because people have become accustomed to what they are seeing and there is a sense of desensitization that is happening. Because of the frequency of the violent images that are shown on the television, the desensitization goes unnoticed to most people. Examples of this commonplace television violence is the shown in many of the current televised shows for children now include themes that are based around violence. I know that when I was a child the show "Power Rangers," although containing a violent theme, was very popular among kids my age. There were never-ending fight scenes that glorified the violent situations. It never seemed to cross anyone's mind how the images of violence could have a negative effect on them or desensitize them in any