Violence in North America

Violence exists throughout all of North America. From major cities to tiny towns gangs, murder, and rape dwell. Causes of violent acts are arguable, but the media has been no help in minimizing disorder. Newspapers, magazines, and news shows all strive off treachery and chaos. The reality is that nobody will watch news or read about happy occurrences as much as violence. The people behind the media know this and will do anything they can to be the first on the scene to witness horrors all for ratings. Our media uses violence as an attention grabber to lure people into purchasing their products. People Magazine recently put a murder suspect on the cover of their May Issue, when the article is only a page long and the rest of the magazine is advertisements and gossip about celebrities.

Further, video games and movies have been so packed with sex and violence that the average teen sees little wrong with fighting and often the subject is made light of and is the core of many jokes. The video game Tomb Raider's heroin Lara Croft is a scantily clad killer. Her character is also portrayed by Angelina Jolie in a film based on the game, who, in order to make more money, dressed in very little to attract a large, mostly male audience. Movies have become so advanced with special effects, that war movies and such have been compared to actually being in the war when it was happening, and instead of bringing horror to the viewers, comments such as "That's so cool!" and "If I was there I wouldn't have taken that..." Movies' effects have downplayed violence so much that society refuses to acknowledge and stop our own violent problems.

Gangs have begun to spin out of control in cities once considered safe. Vancouver, B.C, one of the most beautiful places on earth has fallen victim to gang violence. Looking through the Vancouver Sun it is impossible to miss the stories about different groups being charged for gang related murder or assault. Consequences for these actions, however, fail to deter and discourage gangs from arising. Armed weapons and knives are used for fighting sometimes the most innocent of bystanders. Edmonton, AB has been notorious for gangs for years, though their issues have been more of racial gangs believing in their superiority and this belief leading to murder. Because gang members are loyal to each other, the probability of convicting gangs and therefore putting a stop to them is very slim.

Drugs have been a contributing factor to violence in North America for many years. Even in the small town of Penticton, B.C, a drug related murder occurred on First Nations soil. This put the town into a state of shock and took them a long time to recover. Violence in this area is growing as the years proceed, and many of the incidents are related to drugs. Drugs, even steroids, cause a spike in violent behavior. An increase in testosterone in a male allows them to increase their muscle mass and strength, but also increases aggressive behavior and sex drive. Because not all effects of all drugs are known, any of them could cause violent actions, and again the consequences are not enough to keep people away from such things.