American Obsession: Glamor, Sex, Violence…What to do?

America’s obsession with violence is something that will continue to grow and have negative effects if it’s not addressed and corrected.

[Observations]

Today Pop  Culture influences  society in terms of dress, speech, and overall behavior. This is troubling because when we closely examine Pop Culture – Music, Film and Television, we see the glamorization of destructive elements that are anything but motivational.
Materialism, Sexism and Violence all seem to be placed on a pedestal, and revered by the masses. Billions of Dollars are generated annually from a corporate controlled industry that only appears to be concerned with how many records are sold, how many tickets are sold at the box office, and how many viewers watch their television programs.

The overconsumption of material objects such as cars, jewelry, electronics, and clothing is constantly being shoved down the throats of the masses, which sends the message that in order to be validated, one must have the material objects that they see being flaunted by the mainstream. This can have a negative impact, because the youth, and those who don’t have the means to acquire these material objects legitimately, will set out to obtain them at any cost. This usually leads to criminal activity, and other anti-social behavior.

From the scantly dressed models parading around in Modern Rap videos, to the loud talking, half dressed women who appear on Reality Television shows, and get into savage brawls all while revealing their body parts, to the sexual acts that are being performed on Television shows, and in films–it’s hard for anyone to argue the fact that we live in a society that thrives off of sexism. More than often young girls and boys are influenced by these images, which leads to underage sex, teenage pregnancy, and the spreading of HIV/AIDS and other STDs.

Not only in Modern rap music, television shows and urban films, but acts of violence are also being portrayed in video games where the average players are aged 11 to -37 years old. America’s obsession with violence is something that will continue to grow and have negative effects if it’s not addressed and corrected. We will continue to spend billions of tax dollars on law enforcement and the prison industrial complex. This can be minimized if we focus on prevention, instead of solutions that continue to be ineffective.

As we proceed into the rest of 2012, we must be conscious of these and other conditions that affect our communities.


Follow Edwin Freeman on Twitter: 
https://twitter.com/Edwin_Freeman

Like Edwin Freeman on Facebook: 
http://www.facebook.com/EdwinFreemanFB

Friend Edwin Freeman on MySpace: 
http://www.myspace.com/edwinfreeman

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *