Violence and the eterneties

Many people have said that violence in the media is correlated to violence among young people, and would like to see this violence decreased or censored. I argue that violence is timeless, and is no worse now than in the past, it is simply easier to access by a broader audience. The desire to have violence censored is misguided, because violence has a desensitizing capability. Violence in media is a catharsis to the reality of violence in our day to day lives. I hate to put too fine a point on it, but we should thank violence in media for exposing us to violence that we will never have to (hopefully) personally know, and allowing those feelings to vent even if only subconsciously. In explanation, works such as Ovid’s metamorphoses and even the bible use violence to control people’s actions, yet still convey a moral message. This same control can be observed in modern media such as COPS and CNN, but such notions are even noticeable in popular violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto. Violence in media is not really the problem; the problem lies in people’s fear of feelings and their unwillingness to purge said feelings.
It is very convenient for us in this time to think that acts of violence were somehow different and justified in the past because of the militaristic nature of their society. The media then was simply a way to desensitize people to the inevitable violence of the times. But what’s changed? Don’t we live in a country that spends more on its military than all the countries in the UN combined? Don’t we as a society have more weapons than any other country in the world? Yes, we do. So maybe we are all looking at media violence the wrong way. If we have the largest military in the world and use it, then the images of violence on TV and in video games are simply getting our society ready to do what it does best. It’s also important to remember the way we receive violence from the media as means to understanding its prevalence in our culture.
We should explore how violence is portrayed in media then compared with now. Modern media uses violence the same way Bacchus uses brutal violence to instill fear and respect from mortals. After all anyone who’s played GTA knows you can’t go on a 5 star murder and destruction bender without getting killed by the cops; that’s like real life, so what’s the message? The metamorphoses are no different, in that a mortal cannot challenge a god without consequences, or possibly gruesome death.
Often in classical literature the nature of these violent acts is masked by a messenger, or hidden in poetic prose, rather than a vile firsthand experience of it. That is rather refreshing from our modern media which is so blunt, but nonetheless it is still very much the same; we just call the tasteless messenger Fox News, CNN, MTV, or videogames. And there’s nothing different in the way they tell of brutality: without regard for emotion, twisted and uncensored. It’s actually rather surprising that people are so against it when it becomes something of a catharsis for feelings towards violence. I’m not dismissing real acts of heinous violence by way of catharsis, but at least seeing depictions of violence is a way of coping with the reality that violence exists. Even now very real depictions of violence return home from Iraq in the form of images on TV, in time magazine, or any of our favorite media centers. This proves that Sparagmos has not changed, only the medium for showing it by way of technology. Basically Technology is the victim of criticism in the argument that violence in media is related to real violence because violence is a timeless concept.
An act of extreme violence that has littered the literature of the classical realm, as well as the present is rape. There are several instances in the metamorphoses that depict rape as well as its aftermath. Some would call sexual violence in media a “triggering mechanism” for rape; however, I refuse to believe that that a person is not capable of rape without the so called trigger. Just like any other act of aggression, the person is predisposed to it because of socioeconomic factors or childhood abuse rather than violence in media. Media is the scapegoat for people who fear violence, and have no way of purging their fear.
Rape is committed in classical literature by even some of the most heroic and powerful characters. Jupiter for example, is basically the rape king, but it seems unlikely that Tereus drew his uncontrollable urge to rape Philomela from Jupiter’s prior rape of whomever (and even for a god he did a lot of raping). People have a lot of nerve saying that in this time (retrospectively one of the most peaceful times the planet has known) that simple portrayals of violence are linked to or cause violence. If someone has the potential for rape, then media makes no difference; it will be “triggered” somehow, and it’s silly to blame everything on the media, when it has way more to do with personal circumstances. And even still, in all of its horror, it is important to remember that seeing violence like this in media makes it easier to cope with its reality.
So after I skimmed through a few of the metamorphoses, I wrangled a couple quality hours of gangsta blastin and “real TV”, and what did I learn? Well, I learned that I can’t go out shooting people without a whole swill of blue and red flashing attention, and high speed chases through residential neighborhoods end in DUIs or even worse first hand taser lessons. With those examples representing a few media portrayals of violence, who is going to tell me that violence in the media makes me more likely to be violent? As a matter of fact, based on what I saw on TV, I’ll probably leave my guns at home when I go out next time, and I’ll try my hardest get a DD to drive my stolen car. Similarly, (even if we only call the metamorphoses a mock epic), it still makes a man think before he challenges authority (especially divine authority). He’d say, “Just look at what happened to Pentheus or Arachne. What is the cost of pride?” One can even look at God this way considering the plagues of Egypt or the story of Job and his plight. Does anyone dare question the wrath of god like Ramses did? Well, even though I really think a locust coat would accent my features, and I like the way the gentle breeze kisses an open sore, it’s probably not something I’d gamble with.
Some people speak of peace like its just one Red Cross parachute prevision box away, and all I can do is chuckle. Based on the idea that what is past possess the present, I’d say they’re being painfully optimistic. Violence has existed forever, in Ovid’s time and our present; the idea that it can simply be unlearned and forgotten is impossible. Even Plato would agree we may have forgotten how to be violent, but we will relearn it forever. Due to the constancy of violence across time, media cannot be claimed responsible, and, at the very least it’s comforting to know that if I need a little release all I have to do is flip on the tube, and pow! Catharsis. Though many horrible things will surely happen in my lifetime it is important to remember that my story is not unique. If it has happened it will happen again, and again, and again; all we can do is abide.