Violence: Oblivious or Ignorant

 

Written by Queenie Y.

Content Warning: Mentions of Violence, Abuse, and Mental Illness.

This piece was not written to promote violence, but to bring awareness by educating people regarding the harmful impacts of said behavior.

No one, regardless of their background, is untouched by violence. It can happen anywhere, anytime. Violent behavior stems from multiple factors and occurs to people of any kind. In recent years, the term “violence” has started to circulate widely on the internet. As defined by Britannica, it is an act of physical force that causes or is intended to cause harm. However, the aforementioned definition can be considered outdated and has unsurprisingly created a harmful stigma. Violence can affect people in many different ways, it’s much more than just physical abuse. Such a lack of awareness has not only sparked controversy, but also outrage among society. As a result, this raises the big question — are people being oblivious or just ignorant?

In its numerous forms, violence inflicts damage to many aspects of a person. Whether it be physical or psychological, the impact caused by both can be as significant as the other. Victims of violence tend to suffer from long-term mental health issues, namely anxiety, depression, and/or PTSD. Contrary to popular belief, violence is not always imposed by other individuals or groups. People can also act violently towards themselves, ultimately causing self-destructive behavior. While media portrayal regarding this matter may bring awareness, some promote and even encourage violence as well. This normalization inevitably plays a role in the growth of people’s ignorance toward violence. From TV shows and movies to video games, exposure to violent content can arguably desensitize how people feel.

The well-known HBO series, Euphoria, is a prime example of this. They’ve received backlash due to their over-exposure of violence. The show depicts physical and emotional abuse in a way that inadvertently endorses it. For instance, the toxic relationships portrayed in Euphoria lead to the characters partaking in destructive behavior. The main issue with such portrayal is how they aestheticize trauma based on real-life experience. Instead of learning from misleading media, hearing the voices of victims should be where people educate themselves from. Victims will consequently feel emotionally validated when people take the time to understand them. Start by educating yourself, taking a stand, and spreading the word to those around you.