Violence in the world

There is more and more violence in the world today. People commit more and more serious crimes; not only in the streets but also within their families.

Every day the news you hear about someone, somewhere being, shot, robbed, raped, or killed, and the people who are responsible for such actions are getting younger and younger. It used to be that 12 year-olds would play in the streets in their free time and 14-16 year-olds would go to the movies. Nowadays 12 year-olds are already smoking, if not drinking, and 14-16 year-olds “hanging-out” on the streets, causing trouble. Times have changed.
Youth, and people in general, have a lot to deal with in today’s time. It is often difficult to find a job and even if one is found, it may not pay enough to cover the cost of living. In hard times and difficult situations sometimes people turn to crime to get by. It may seem to be an easy way out.

There is another reason why violence is more prevalent. It has a great deal to do with family and family values. Unlike in the past, when one parent stayed home and took care of the kids, nowadays both parents tend to work to support the family. The “family unit” altogether has changed. Quality family time is hard to find. Today’s work environment is much more paced, stressful and causes; divorce, alcoholism, drug abuse, wife assault, child abuse, child abandonment, etc. They are more and more common. Some people, especially children and youth, may find all this too difficult to handle and may express their frustration, anger, or grief through violence, particularly if psychological problems exist which haven’t been addressed.

The presence of violence on TV and film also plays a significant role. It used to be that if someone wanted to see an action movie, they would go and watch a cowboy film, where a good guy would shoot the bad one and become a hero. Now in an action film everyone shoots everyone, bombs explode, people are tortured, raped and killed. Everyone seems to be the bad guy. It has become so bad that I know of some adults who refuse to watch such films, yet kids tend to enjoy them. Being exposed to such scenes of graphic violence on a daily basis influence us, and not in a positive way.

To lessen the degree of violence, I feel that we all have to be responsible for our actions, or lack of. It definitely starts at home with good role models. Parents should spend as much time as possible with their children, not necessarily in quantity, but in quality. Teachers can also help the situation by not giving up on trouble kids but instead trying even harder to get through to them. The police can also help by being more active with youth and not being seen as the enemy, and by providing appropriate punishments and help for the crime committed, even if it is a first offence. Finally, most of all, TV and film have to change their way of looking at presenting violence because what they do, is promoting it.
Violence is getting worse all over the world. Reasons for it are varied, some of which I have only touched. It is a universal problem, but one who given our times is not an easy one to solve.