FREE ESSAY ON WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING THESE VIOLENT YOUNG MEN?

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING THESE VIOLENT YOUNG MEN?

Who is Responsible for Creating Violent Young Men?
When will the violence end? Who is to blame? Only so much fault can be placed on parents
or circumstances alone. How can we, as a society, stand by and watch our sons kill and be
killed? It all must stop now. Society needs to step up and take responsibility for
creating these violent young men or nothing will change. But how can we end the violence?
If it was as easy as just saying it, there would not be any problem to deal with. 
Who should be held responsible for turning our innocent babies into ruthless killers?
Most people do not want to believe that they are to blame for the violence. There is not
just one group who is responsible. Many people are responsible. Whether it is by forcing
these violent tendencies on to young men, or simply by turning the other way and not
trying to find a solution to the problem. 
Many people believe that some children are just born bad. This, of course, is a myth.
Kids are not naturally bad. Violence is a learned behavior (APA Public). The children
have to pick it up from somewhere. But where? Many of these kids pick it up in the home,
media, or community that they live in. There are a variety of contributing factors that
lead these young men down that violent path. Many of these children feel overwhelmed by
peer pressure, low self-esteem, or a need for attention or respect (APA Help). Also many
have easy access to guns or other weapons. Numerous boys have been abused and/or have
been witnesses to violence (APA Help). There are a number of reasons that young men turn
to violence. Some of those are; as a type of expression, manipulation, retaliation, or
because it is all that they know. 
Many boys today, are lacking a positive male role model in the home. Without that father
figure in their lives to teach them the right way to become a man, it can be hard to find
that right path. The likelihood that a young male will engage in criminal activity
doubles if he is raised without a father and triples if he lives in a neighborhood with a
high concentration of single-parent families (Horn). Studies have shown that 72% of
adolescents charged with murder grew up without their fathers (Horn). Forensic
psychologist, Shawn Johnston stated, The research is absolutely clear…the one human
being most capable of curbing the antisocial aggression of a boy is his biological father
(Horn). 
Violence on television, in movies, and in music is also corrupting our youth. Three
well-known studies all found that heavy exposure to televised violence is one of the
significant causes of violence in society (APA Public). Televised violence has shown to
cause people to be less trusting and more self-protective, along with desensitizing the
person to violence. This type of violence is also known to potentially make the viewer
want to become involved with some kind of violent act. Violence in television shows the
viewer that through violence wanted items may be obtained. Sexual violence in t.v. has
been proven to make young men more aggressive toward females. All of these effects are
short as well as long term (APA Public). Young people should not be so exposed to
violence, especially young men, when it is known that witnessing violence leads to
committing it.
Many boys are not only witnessing violence on a screen, many are seeing it live. The
communities that these young men live in are also partially at fault for this violence.
In many inner-city communities there are two main routes these youths can take; be pushed
around all the time, or stand up and fight. In some areas of the country, it is now more
likely for a black male between 15 and 25 to die from homicide than it was for a United
States soldier to be killed on a tour of duty in Vietnam (APA Public). Many of the same
boys who are lacking a father figure in the home find someone in the community to teach
them about being a man. A lot of times though, these are not positive role models. They
are often gang bangers, drug dealers, and other bad influences. Many times children start
hanging out with other so-called street kids at an early age and learn that they need to
fight to gain respect in the streets. They are taught, not only by their peers, but also
by their parents to be able to hold their own. Fighting is a necessity in many inner-city
communities just for survival. It is very hard to get out or break free of that endless
cycle (Anderson).
Society is at a point where they feel as though nothing can be done. Violence is rapidly
becoming more common. The longer this violence goes on the more kids it will suck into
it. The larger it gets the harder it will be to squash. Society has become accustomed to
youth violence. Some adults are afraid to walk down the street in certain areas because
they are afraid of what those hoodlums might do. Others just expect it of most young men.

Many people believe that these are just boys being boys until someone ends up dead. Boys
are naturally more aggressive then girls (Cooper). But not to a point where they need to
seriously harm or even kill someone. Some may say that they need to protect their
manhood, but at what cost. Many inner-city young men tempt fate by putting their lives on
the line to maintain respect (Anderson). It is time that we teach these boys that life is
more important than respect, because how will they be able to experience respect if they
are dead. 
It is time for everyone to help turn this around. Youth violence is not just going to
fade away. It is becoming much worse and more common. There are many things that have
been proven to keep young men away from violence. So lets do them. We must help ourselves
and our future by first helping these young men realize that violence is not the way. Who
is responsible? We all are. Anyone who is not helping to find a solution to violent
behaviors in young men, is part of the problem. 
Bibliography
Works Cited
American Psychological Association(APA) Help Center. Warning Signs of Teen
Violence: Reasons for Violence. Nov. 14, 2000.
.
American Psychological Association(APA) Public Policy Office. Is Youth 
Violence Just Another Fact of Life? Nov. 14, 2000 
.
Anderson, Elijah. The Code of the Streets. Writing the World. Eds. Charles 
R. Cooper and Susan Peck MacDonald. New York: Bedford/St.
Martin's, 2000. 363-368.
Cooper, Charles R. and Susan Peck MacDonald. Writing the World. New York: 
Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 346-352
Horn, Wade F. Ph.D. Crime. Father Facts. July 16, 1998. National 
Fatherhood Initiative. Nov. 14, 2000. .