The Violence Factors in American Culture

董陶

Abstract：Violence symbolized the dark side of America culture. The theme of this article is to explore the causes of the violence factors in American culture. American violence exists as a result of a complex network of elements from American history， American value， various social factors such as economic inequality， racial discrimination， mass media， wide spread of guns as well as drug abuse. Besides， the governmental policy plays an essential role in American violence to some extent.

Key Words：Violence；American culture；Causes

1.Introduction to the Violent America

America is a beautiful dream which is overwhelmed with prosperity， freedom， democracy， justice， good fortune and great opportunity. Meanwhile， America is a dreadful nightmare which is full of poverty， drug abuse， racial discrimination， crime and violence. There was one famous line in a popular TV series： “If you want to go to heaven， then go to America； if you want to go to hell， then go to America.”

America was and is a violent country.A two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Richard Hofstadter once said： "What is impressive to one who begins to learn about American violence is its extraordinary frequency， its sheer commonplaceness in our history， its persistence into very recent and contemporary times， and its rather abrupt contrast with our pretensions to singular national virtue." Violence is now deeply rooted in the American society and has become woven into the fabric of the American lifestyle. A culture of violence has emerged that invades American peoples lives at every level， from most intimate relationships at home to schools and work environments.

The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting comprising two separate attacks about two hours apart on April 16， 2007， on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg， Virginia， United States. Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded many more before committing suicide， making it the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history.

Nearly one-third of American women were reported to be physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives， according to a 1998 Commonwealth Fund survey. In the year 2001， more than half a million American women （588，490 women） were victims of nonfatal violence committed by an intimate partner.

During the 20th century alone， well over 10 million Americans were victims of violent crimes -- and 10 percent of them or 1，089，616 were murdered between 1900 and 1997. 375，350 were murdered by firearms and the rest were due to other means， including beating， strangling， stabbing and cutting， drowning， poisoning， burning and axing.

There are nearly 11，000 people died from gun violence in America every year by statistics. 404 people suffered from mass shooting event and 207 of them died from 2009 to 2012. This number is increasing year by year. It is reported by USA TODAY，that 137 people died from mass gun shooting event in 2013.

As two legal scholars， Franklin Zimring and Gordon Hawkins once said， "What is striking about the quantity of lethal violence in the United States is that it is a third-world phenomenon occurring in a first-world nation." But why is it so？ In chapter 2， I will make an exploration of the violence of America.

2.Exploration of the Violent America

The history of American development is also a history of American violence. Violence has been pervasive in American life and culture from the countrys earliest days almost 400 years ago. Violence， in varying forms， according to the leading historian of the subject， Richard Maxwell Brown， "has accompanied virtually every stage and aspect of our national experience，" and is "part of our unacknowledged （underground） value structure." In order to get food， Americans used guns to kill animals. In order to guard themselves， Americans employed violence against the native Indians. In order to gain independence， Americans waged wars against England. In order to enlarge the territory， Americans resorted to violence to complete westward expansion. In order to preserve the Union， Americans started the Civil War. Then， there was World Wars I and II， the Cold War， the Vietnam War， the Gulf War， the 2001 war against the Taliban government and international terrorists in Afghanistan， the 2003 war against Iraq. What a long list of wars！ What a long history of violence！ Generations of Americans have continued to embrace and glorify it as a living inheritance—a permanent ingredient of the nation's style and culture. So for many Americans， violence has become an acceptable strategy for protecting oneself， ensuring liberty， solving conflict， exerting power and control and obtaining possessions.

America is a nation who highly values individualism， liberty and independence. America is a nation where heroes violence is ignored and their deeds are gloried as being patriotic. America is a nation who celebrates cavalry， cowboys， and action movie stars. Americans are well known for self-reliance and self-defense. They assume much responsibility for self-protection and take great responsibility for their own actions. But their individuality is decaying to such extreme that they think it is their own business to be violent and it is not their business to feel obliged to others. So they use violence to protect themselves and defend freedom.

We all know that America is famous as the land of opportunity and people from around the world have come to America in pursuit of the American dream. But wealth and poverty are two sides of the same coin. The deprivation of some creates abundance for others. So America is a place for people to get rich， it is also a place where people are trapped in poverty. There is an enormous gap between the haves and have-nots and it has been growing steadily wider. （Coleman and Cressey， 156） As poor peoples American dreams become more beautiful， their living situations become worse and eventually their American dreams will inevitably become fantasy. So in order to survive， to get rid of the poor life， to realize the ambitious dream， they turn to violence which is the short-cut to a better life. Whats more， in face of the cruel reality， poor people tend to be more frustrated and desperate， and then more resentful to those wealthy people.

Racial and ethnic minorities in the America are the target of personal prejudice acts as well as institutional racism. With the prevalence of discrimination and hatred， disorder， conflict and violence are inevitable.

American violence has spread like a cancer with the availability of mass media such as radio， television and film. Whats worse， violence has itself becomes entertainment. From the daily prime time television to the popular Hollywood movies， violence has gone to American homes and has been welcomed by American people as a kind of pastime and has been integrated into the lives of American people. People get overwhelmed by violent acts， especially kids and young adults. As young people are indulged in the violent world， they may get out of touch with reality and be unable to differentiate between right and wrong， good and bad any more. Then they may imitate the violent action to the real people in the real world. In addition， a military man and Pulitzer-nominated authority on the psychology of killing named Dave Crossman also blames videogames for provoking violence. He has argued that videogames are eerily similar to the training tools that military and law enforcement agencies use to teach soldiers and officers to kill. The videogames are teachers of gun-handling skills. Whats more， the advertisements of the videogames are mass-murder stimulator. （Davis， 152-154）

There is a vast arsenal of weapons in the hands of people in America. From deer hunters with rifles to beer-can target shooters with pistols， from self-styled commandos who practice with paramilitary assault weapons to drug-selling gangs with illegal weapons—and do not forget the frightened teen who carries a .38 revolver to school each day—society is awash with guns. There are an estimated 200 million firearms out there now， with at least 4 million more being added every year. （Sullivan， 532） Therefore， people are prone to violence with the easy access to guns.

Drug abuse， as a serious problem in American society， has a strong correlation with violence. Drug has a bad physical and psychological impact on people immediately before they commit violent crimes. Addicts resort to violence to get more money to support their expensive habit. And addicts sometimes have to directly or indirectly rely on criminal network to get the drug.

Whatever the forms of violence， American violence has not been a major issue for federal， state or local officials because it was rarely directed against them and it was rarely revolutionary violence. So the US criminal justice does not take violence as seriously as it could.

3. Conclusion

American violence exists as a result of a complex network of elements from American historical tradition to American value， from various social factors to the governmental policy. Then there is no wondering that American violence is a mysterious puzzle hard to resolve and that American violence is a complex problem which is difficult to solve.

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（作者单位：天津商务职业学院）