Violence in Social Media

It was a very crowded place. We were in this huddle when I saw multiple unknown faces in a rage. The temperature had risen, and tensions were high. I didn’t know what was going on. I had no idea where I was. All I knew was that I was the youngest there and everyone was so angry. I began thinking, how had I been involved in such a violent encounter? Did I do something? This woman was walking towards me, she didn’t seem happy. WHAT DID I DO?! I had to figure it out soon, I only had a couple seconds before a really unfriendly meeting. I began listing things I knew made no sense, yet one had to be a reason. She reached me; only one thing came to mind. I shouted, “I’m sorry!” In the process I woke up with big gasps of breaths. It had only been a dream. What was my dream for me is sadly a reality for many others; it is something that occurs daily for many. Violence is everywhere, but very commonly seen on social media. There is no way to avoid it; once you stop scrolling. Those videos you watch are actual people, with actual feelings, and are actually hurting from this. Social media videos affect the people involved more than the ones that watch.

There was a fight in school with two junior girls. The fight started over the two girls not liking each other. Who would have thought that a mutual disliking of each other could end so violent? Who would've thought that people would have the audacity to film and post these fight videos for laughs and likes on social media Our youth often react to these videos with comical remarks like, “Haha, she really got beat up” or “She shouldn’t have been running her mouth.” As if it was the girl's fault to be abused and attacked over something so miniscule. We subconsciously erase these people as humans to be able to laugh at their pain. Since we don’t know these random girls and boys on our timelines it's easy to poke fun and ridicule these strangers. We need to realize that they are human as well, we cannot erase their humanity for our entertainment.

There have been several cases where these recorded fights in school bathrooms have ended fatally for one the fighters. An article on Daily Mail, tells an event that occurred last April. A middle school girl named Amy was in a school fight with another girl in the bathroom. It was said that the fight was over a boy. Amber was jumped by a couple other girls and was severely injured. This fight was recorded, everyone took sides and rooted on. They’d comment under the video how badly they’d punched her, or stomped on her. However, a couple hours later, after she was taken to the hospital, Amber was pronounced dead.

Social media encourages and encourages this type of behavior. Now, kids can attack each other online and this can also lead to physical violence, that is later posted again online. This cycle continues on and on, with everyone laughing and ridiculing the people fighting. It’s like we live for it. Violence entertains us. We can see when there are school fights, there’s always a crowd of bystanders watching and laughing in awe. They are recording or surrounding the people fighting like it's a concert. We are able to take this to the another level when it is recorded and uploaded online. We need to wake up as a society and take another look at out morals and standards. We need to sympathize, not laugh at each other’s pain. We need to put an end to this cycle of violence.

Works Cited
Edwards, Valerie. "Pictured: The Girl, 16, Who Died at School after Being 'jumped by a Gang of Bullies' Who Slammed Her Head against a Sink in Bathroom during Fight over a Boy."Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 24 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

Briana Harris

English 3

3.27.17

PTSD in Veterans

PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. The symptoms of PTSD are due to major trauma in a person’s life. In this case veterans go through a lot of mental distress by what they see and are exposed to. One of the veterans who came to SLA spoke about nightmares which was caused by his experiences of war, ultimately causing his PTSD. Almost 31 percent of Vietnam veterans come back with PTSD, it is extremely common. Going through trauma is not rare. About 6 of every 10 men and 5 of every 10 women experience at least one trauma in their lives.Many people are often mislead about PTSD, which leads them to make false assumptions about the person with it. It is important to educate ourselves and stop these false and hurtful stigmas.

Unlike the veterans who came to talk to us at SLA, many veterans would rather not speak of war. Mainly, because it was so traumatic and they would rather mask it and leave it in the past. The stigma behind PTSD of being insane and crazy, causes them to steer away from getting the help that they desperately need, due to unawareness and just the simple fact there is an extreme negative connotation behind any mental illness. From a person like myself who suffers from PTSD, including panic attacks, and paranoia, it is very important to realize that this does not make a person crazy, but also realize that it is serious and that the person should be seen for and treated for, as it can cause numerous issues for that person besides fear.

Veterans experience more than just combat violence but sexual violence as well. When people think of Veterans and PTSD, they automatically associate it with the trauma of the actual war, never associating it with the sexual trauma that some of these men had to undergo. There are many more male veterans than there are female veterans. So, even though military sexual trauma is more common in women veterans, over half of all veterans with military sexual trauma are men. Military sexual trauma (MST) is the term that the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred while the Veteran was in the military.

Some people refrain from saying that PTSD has to do with the violence that some veterans commit as they arrive home away from war. It is important to know that PTSD contributes to the violence of Veterans. While it is inaccurate to say that PTSD causes violence, the unfortunate truth is that there is a link between PTSD and postwar homicide, and it’s far more than just a passing correlation. Serving in a war zone exposes people to very serious moral challenges, and the experience can serve as a catalyst, making some people less stable and more violent than they might have been otherwise. War is hell, and the hell rubs off.

Veterans risked their lives, so that we as Americans could live in a better country. This is why we should honor them and respect them. In order to help Veterans with PTSD, or anyone else, it is important to first educate yourself about the illness and to educate others so that they can too know that the negative stigmas behind PTSD are false.

When humans feel threatened, it is  instinctive to strive for survival by any means necessary. “At the deepest – some would say most primitive – level of brain function, each human being is incontestably driven to preserve his own life. There may be three rarely engaged exceptions to this rule: to absorb a danger in order to preserve the life of a loved one, to end one’s own suffering as in old age or terminal disease, or to escape from some apparently overpowering force or problem or situation that seems to render continued life intolerable. Aside from those rare occurrences, continuing to stay alive is our prime directive.” Along with individuals, this mindset is apparent in forms of government. The level of complication for maintaining the overall safety of an entire system of people versus a singular being is extreme. From this I have derived the argument of how far should a community act in the same mindset as an individual.

In a speech titled ‘Self-Preservation the First Law of National as well as Individual Nature’, the speaker believes that a community should always act as one being. “It is, that the preservation of the country is more important than that of any Constitution that was, or is, or ever will be. We have grown accustomed to speak of the Constitution as if, instead of being a human work, it were a divine revelation, like the Bible, or something more than the Bible; as if, in short, the people were made for the Constitution, and not the Constitution for the people.” He mentions the god-like status of our Constitution, and how people forget that the men of our past created it. In the event of a national emergency can we not also create a functioning society that benefits the people of now? The benefit of working together as a nation is creating a series of systems that suits the majority of the population. On the other hand, those who do not fit into the main group excluded from the same privileges, purposely or otherwise.

War requires our best and brightest to fight those we deem a threat, and to gain the highest percentage of possible survival. We use whatever is at our disposal to guarantee our safety and the continuation of our existence. A New York Times writer, Michael V. Hayden, published an article on the advantages and disadvantages of using drones in warfare. He mentions ‘the greater good’ as a way of gaining more by sacrificing a smaller percentage of the assets. “Throughout the campaign, civilian casualties were a constant concern. In one strike, the grandson of the target was sleeping near him on a cot outside. The Hellfire missiles were directed so that their energy and fragments splayed away from him and toward his grandfather. They did, but not enough. The target was hard to locate and people were risking their lives to find him. The United States took the shot. A child died, and we deeply regret that he did. But his grandfather had a garage full of dangerous chemicals, and he intended to use them, perhaps on Americans.” In this situation the grandson of the target was the sacrifice. He had no knowledge of this and no choice in the matter. This child’s life was deemed disposable in the face of a possible terrorist attack. He was killed a drone with a pilot hundreds of thousands of miles away, because a country felt that the possible threat to their own citizens was worth more. While the writer claims regret, the entire situation is a prime example of what lengths a government will go to when using an individual mindset. Even the smallest country’s government has more power than the average person. This is how wars are instigated.

There is a clear moral dilemma with war. The government pushes for the greater good, the survival of a community. They argue for this greater good, and justify it with patriotism and acts of bravery. The fact of the matter is that not everyone is given any say whilst they are chosen as an offering. We reward those who chose to sacrifice themselves to promote a positive response and desensitize the idea. These people cannot appreciate a medal when they are dead. The people in power do not represent the entire community. They do not hold the experience of the soldiers or even the targets. They are not fighting viciously for a chance of survival, detached from the mundane world, living in a state of constant hell. They don’t stare at the sky, and watch their inevitable death streak down towards them. We don’t come back scarred and broken, or rotting in a long wooden box, chests weighted down by shining scrap that blinds the civilians from the horrific truth of war.

Bibliography

"Gov. Seymour's Speech--Self-Preservation the First Law of National as well as Individual Nature." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 July 1863. Web. 19 Mar. 2017. The overall theme of self-preservation and humanity in terms of survival instincts.

Hayden, Michael V. "To Keep America Safe, Embrace Drone Warfare." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2017. This article discusses the benefits and sacrifices drones create in a war setting.

In today’s world violence is portrayed as something humans become accustomed become accustomed to overtime. We see violence in all different mediums; social media, tv, music, and even as we walk out our front doors.  Violence is made out to seem like something we can’t escape.  As much as people hate to acknowledge it, It's inescapable.  At times it appears that people are excited to be involved rather than to stay away. Whether they physically involve themselves, record it, comment about it, its catches the attention of many. With all the negativity spreading around the globe, the youth of the world sees what is going on and they tend to get involved as well. At a young age children are like sponges, they tend to soak up everything around them; good and bad. Therefore a child’s environment is crucial to his/her growth. They haven’t quite developed discernment skills. Therefore sometimes they do things in the moment for temporary enjoyment forgetting their are long term effects. For example, kids who come from broken homes, and struggle in school tend to have have a higher risks of joining a gang. Coming from broken homes deprives children of real love and unity, which forces some to fill the void with whatever and whoever Young kids see gang members receiving respect  from people that are around them and they see the fear they can instill in others. Kids admire this and try to emulate it . They want to be like them and possess  the power and respect that they have. Eventually young ones find a way to get involved, either becoming a member or trying to build their status amongst their peers.

Most youths who are involved with gangs get exposed to drugs and alcohol at a young age.  Overtime what was once curiosity is turned  into a habit.he abuse of drugs and alcohol in many low income communities is common.  It is a coping mechanism and for some kids a way to gain popularity. Getting involved in drugs and alcohol doesn’t  necessarily have to mean that they consume them. Gang members tend to start to sell drug to make a profit and create connections. Selling drugs can lead to criminal offenses, which in the end makes life a whole lot harder.  

There is also the instances where kids or teenagers are not in a gang but he/she was exposed to a gang by just living in the area. Now this person most likely will not be able to travel through rival gang neighborhoods without conflict. Just because someone lives where a gang is from, they are automatically guilty by association and affiliated with whatever gang is in their community. Knowing them becomes a protection or even worse a danger Other gangs could see them and assume that they are way more heavily involved than what it appears to be. Someone who knows someone involved in a gang always can be put in risky situations. For example, they could get in their car one day for a ride, but mistakenly be shot because that gang member was a target.

With all the violence and conflicting issues going on in the world today some think that kids are not watching and listening when actually that is all that they’re doing. Instead of beating the youth’s ears with problems and allowing them to continue,  we should be broadcasting how to fix them.When people are young we tend to follow after the popular things. So, if kids are around violence, and hear about conflict then they are more likely to get involved in it. We want to shift the focus and make ways to fix the problems more popular. In conclusion, acknowledging the negatives and trying to create positivity in communities where youths have nothing but the streets will promote visible progress.

http://oureverydaylife.com/gangs-impact-teenagers-3840.html

http://www.washington.edu/news/2014/03/13/negative-effects-of-joining-a-gang-last-long-after-gang-membership-ends/

From the very first time human beings were introduced into the world, a technique was widely used by everyone. When humans were using rocks and sticks to survive, this technique was extremely common. This technique was so advantageous, that many humans hundreds of years later couldn't part with it. Human beings became smarter and the technique became much more convenient with, shields, arrows, and other weapons. Many years goes by and technology, as well as the brains of human beings, has improved once more, however, so has this popular technique. This technique is now being used with guns, nukes, electronics and words. As the world evolves, so does the technique. It is one  that causes terror, death, and hate. A technique that has followed us since the very beginning of our creation. Violence.

   When we lived in caves, violence was essential to survival. Killing the enemy was the best way to assure that you and your future were safe. Feeding on the carcasses of violent beasts, who were taken down with violence was an important part of living. This strategy is used even today. Some might say that this violence was only there due to the time and the way of living, however, as we fast forward to the future, we can see it as that not being true. As humans began to create groups and become smarter, violence was still utilized, however, instead of it being used against beasts, we turned it against ourselves. We were violent towards one another over food, land, and mindsets. Today as technology grew once more, guns, drones, missiles and the Internet, are used as a violent calamity. Violence has always been the answer - whether it is right or wrong it does not matter.

   Some might say that without violence we can rid the world of evil, however, what these people might not understand is that violence is essential for living life. The world is cruel and it's almost impossible to live without violence, especially when violence has evolved to become one with us. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche stated, “I am by nature warlike, to attack is amongst my instinct.” Friedrich Nietzsche uses the word instinct to show that violence is similar to breathing air, walking and blinking our eyes when needed be. This shows that violence has evolved so much to the point that it is within all of us. What once was a simple technique used to get food, turned into a powerful  strategy  capable of wiping the planet. Friedrich Nietzsche also uses the word nature in this statement to show that it is only normal that we feel this way, further strengthening my statements as before.

   As violence is part of us - it evolves along with us, completing us and driving us forward. The world has come to accept violence as a norm. When technology, like the ones we have today, came into being, a new evolution of violence was born. Violence once again evolved, as with this technology you can wipe out a whole country with a push of a button. In the book, “World Wide Warfare” by Marco Roscini, he states, “It is therefore hardly surprising that Cybersecurity has become a general concern of the international community.” We knew that Violence would evolve once again as technology progressed. When Marco Roscini says that it was hardly surprising that violence has now moved towards the technology, it shows you that we are all aware of violence and its path throughout our society. In the quote, Roscini also states that it's a concern of the international community meaning, violence has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon which no territory is excluded from it. Cyber security is something we have created to prevent such violent actions, however, it will never stop the violent attempts.

Green, John. "War & Human Nature: Crash Course World History 204." YouTube. July 31, 2014. Accessed March 27, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NIgqS47m5k.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NIgqS47m5k

When you’re asked what is violence and how it is categorized nine times out of ten the first thing that would come to mind is someone punching another person in the face, a kid bullying another kid, or even in extreme cases war. Commonly after having these initial thoughts, once you have the chance to think more about it you develop stronger thought.  But have you ever thought of the violence of economic imperialism with big business? How we as Americans unknowingly inflict a violence economically on a daily basis?

Imperialism is the act of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or force. According to its official definition. But economic imperialism is when a country extends its power to another in ways that affect it economically. As with recent rhetoric from our POTUS, we’ve have heard how jobs have been outsourced by American companies to be made cheaper. But we never think about what happens with these outsourced jobs or how the cheap labor affects the employees. There are lower quality workspaces for these employees to the point where suicide and death is common among these work forces, pay is abysmal and employees cannot be able to afford the products they are making. Big business colonize these third-world and low-income areas with factories with poor conditions and low income because they can get away with it.

We invest in many industries that profit off of sweatshops and one of the biggest ones is iPhone sweatshops where employees are paid as little as £1.12 per hour for things that cost over 600 dollars sometimes even as high as 1000 dollars. Employees on these wages could barely afford the cheapest iPad after two months of work. Not only is this unfair pay for how much products are sold for, but the real violence is what goes on within those sweatshops. Where underage people are employed are on a regular day, and more than 18 people are killed themselves specifically in a factory in Shenzhen. Where new “safety” precautions are nets put up all around the factory to prevent more people from killing themselves.  

Spotted in pop culture and in traditions that people from all over the world have is diamonds. A reoccurring theme with Americans is that we never seem to look deeply into how we obtain these things to buy but just that they are brought to us and the way diamonds are brought to us is horrifying. The practices of mining diamonds is commonly called blood diamonds because of the amount of death and malpractices that happen while mining for these. Child labor is also another common practice within this industry. Many times boys as young as nine work with older siblings, fathers, or both to mine the diamonds that we wear on our fingers, around our necks, and on our ears. While miners obtain minimal wages for their described as back breaking work. Businesses that refine diamonds are the ones making big money by profiting off of these rare and widely demanded gems.

A movement that has gained a strong pushed but slowly has died down is the child labor movement in the Middle East. For decades children are sold by their parents to carpet makers primarily to make the highly coveted and expensive hand made carpets. These children are typically starved, mistreated, and abused while making these carpets for consumers. How does American big businesses affect this? These handmade rugs are imported and sold for hudreds sometimes thousands of dollars while these children receive none of the profits and are forced to keep creating them in a broken system.

It takes a more creative approach to think about things that are truly acts of violence or things that could cause violence that we do that impacts the world. We usually only think of war as the biggest cause for how we as American citizens create violence but the small things like what type of phone we buy, the jewelry we wear, and the things we buy to furnish our home violently affect others around the world in many different ways.