Addiction to Violence from an Early Age!

Texts of General Interest (link)

Dr. James Manos (MD)

April 14, 2018

                      Addiction to violence from an early age!

Image (public domain): Iraqi airmen fire AK-47s during firing drills on March 29, 2011. Members of the 447th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron trained Iraqi security forces airmen ensuring weapons qualification and teaching defensive tactics, vehicle searches, and other force protection measures. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Levi Riendeau). Author: U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Levi Riendeau. Uploaded by the user: RussianTrooper. Source: http://www.af.mil/photos/media_search.asp?q=AK-47&page=1 Wikipedia - Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ak-47-iraqis.jpg

Overview of Violence 

Today many people are addicted to violence from their early childhood. Young children enjoy playing computer games with extreme violence. Contemporary kids are bombarded with violent scenes abundant in computer games, on the TV, at the movies, and on the internet. Action movies contain scenes of extreme violence and sexism. In the past, minors were not allowed to enter the movie theater if the film was inappropriate for their age. 

On the contrary, a minor may watch violent movies, at least on TV and the web, without restrictions. Even documentary channels, including the History Channel, show reenactments of bloody wars and do not care that their viewers may be minors. It is evident that documentary channels, especially those related to history, show battles and fights in which violence is depicted in detail. The same is true for the US film industry that, during the last decades, has shown movies with extreme violence without any censorship. People, especially the young, get addicted to violence from the gory movies they watch. 

Even martial arts, including Muay Thai, are aggressive today and aim to defend and attack. I was shocked when I recently watched a video of young children practicing a chokehold technique during their Krav Maga training. It is a martial art created for the Israeli army, mainly the special forces. But special forces only know how to kill effectively. In the past, martial arts of defense, such as karate which means empty hand, were more popular. 

The internet also helps young people get addicted to violence. It is easy for minors to visit sites with sex, violence, and adult content. In fact, many people lie about their data, including their age. So, children may easily enter sites with explicit content by clicking ‘Yes’ or ‘Agree’ to confirm that they are adults!

On the internet, people with anonymity show their real, vicious character. Characteristically, comments on most YouTube videos show that many people enjoy attacking others verbally and replying with comments that show feelings of hate, racism, homophobia, and other kinds of discrimination. Additionally, some attention seekers enjoy trolling by writing striking naïve comments to have the attention of others. The trolls may have the form of abuse. Many people enjoy criticizing everything and everyone and lecturing, even for matters they are not experts. Heavy criticism, to my mind, is a subtle form of violence. Stereotypes, generalizations, and biases are also typical. I call these noxious mental ‘poisons.’ These are plentiful all over the web and often relate to verbal or physical abuse.

Comments are often naïve and childish (but they may be really from children). In any case, criticism and hate are widespread in comments that follow posts and videos throughout the web. Unfortunately, things will not change unless signing up on a site becomes personalized, using proof of identity (that you can scan and email to the site) such as an ID card or a driver’s license.

Hate that many express easily under anonymity, using a nickname, shows their real character. In fact, the internet is chaotic and without any rules. It is anarchistic! Thus, fake profiles are prevalent. You can easily find it by downloading a profile picture that you suspect is fake and uploading it to ''Google Images.'' With a ''reverse image search'' you will be surprised that most social media profiles use faked photos that don't belong to them, but they found them on the internet. Having a fake profile is why some people find it easy to express their hate publicly on the web. The most important, however, is that the communities of a site and its administrators tolerate abusive behaviors.

Importantly, tolerance of violence of any kind is an issue.  For example, in 2018, Israeli snipers shot dead twenty-seven unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza, and they were laughing and cheering as if they were hunting rabbits! The issue is that they had done the same numerous times by killing even children, although (they claimed that) the other side used them as a human shield. But there was never any international backlash for Israel's violence. 

Another notorious case was the recent civil war in Syria caused by Western and Arabian interventions. The US launched airstrikes in the region without any UN resolution. The jihadist ''terrorists'' were mercenaries worldwide (journalists never asked who armed them). The actual cause of the war was Syria's dictator's refusal to allow pipeline passage from Qatar to Turkey. However, the planet tolerated these interventions and the following migration crisis. Most nations accept US military interventions worldwide, while the ones that dare to react are financially and politically smothered. For example, Yemen is under attack from the Saudi coalition for the control of the strategic port of Aden. However, the media are reluctant to speak about the atrocities of Saudi Arabia against civilians. At this point, all crimes against humanity over the last years are justified with the ''war on terror.'' 

It is not a coincidence that snipers and commandos are considered heroes in our days and times, while in the past, they were regarded as cowards. Even archers in Medieval times were considered cowards and were slaughtered. Snipers and special forces are indeed cowards as they wear a full-face mask, hide, and sneak attack. Special forces use infrared cameras, drones, bulletproof vests, helmets, and other protective gear to kill effectively. They never fight together with the other soldiers, but as isolated ''special'' groups, they kill sneaky. They do not fight person-to-person with other fighters of the same level and equipment. They can easily attack militia or terrorists. But a braver fight would be, for example, Russians against American commandos. It is unbelievable that today many people regard snipers and special forces as valiant fighters, perhaps because of the Rambo-style American movies or the special ops violent computer games. 

Another issue is that people today accept violence as justified when directed toward the ''bad guys.'' However, who is the good guy and who is the bad one is often questionable. For instance, police violence is usual in the US, while the atrocities in Syria were committed with the excuse of the ''war on terror.'' This began in 2001 after 9/11 and was the reason for all the crimes of the US troops in the Middle East. 

Importantly, in exceptional circumstances such as wars, many peaceful people show a violent side of themself. However, many do it even when they use a nickname and write hate comments online! Young guys all over the world are keen to participate in combat as mercenaries. For instance, Muslims from various countries, even Western, fought as jihadist mercenaries in the recent Syrian civil war, while currently, in Libya, Russian mercenaries fought against Turkish Muslim mercenaries! Most mercenaries are young men who not only find an excuse to kill in conflict but also find it a profitable job. For instance, a German newspaper revealed that the Turkish mercenaries in Libia were paid 2,000 dollars monthly! 

So, violence may portray a personality prone to it or a way of earning money, such as mercenaries! The former shows an incline to violence, while the latter indicates that some individuals have no moral limits. Psychopathology may be evident in both cases. That is not related to psychosis (such as schizophrenia) but may pass undetected as it may occur in people otherwise considered as ''normal!''

In any case, parents are the ones who are responsible for raising violent kids as they tolerate or even encourage violence from early childhood, especially in boys. For instance, they allow kids to play with toy guns, shoot 'em up computer games, watch war movies, etc. Undoubtedly, playing computer games is a significant cause of violence, as even toddlers play this kind of game. 

In computer games, youngsters are taught US imperialism as the military uniform insignia has the US flag. The battles are usually between the US SWAT or army and jihadist terrorists. They learn to kill effectively, such as aiming the head for a headshot! They are taught to kill in several ways, such as with a neck snap and finish their victims, if not dead. They also learn to loot! After each kill, the gamers feel pleasure as if killing someone is good, even if the victim is an enemy. The most important is that killing is considered a game.

It is not a coincidence that youngsters worldwide call each other ''bro'' as if they are gang members in a ghetto in the USA! In Grand Theft Auto (GTA)-style games, they are taught to roleplay mafia members with other gamers. They participate virtually in illegal actions like bank robbery, resulting in a gunfight with the police. Along with violence, they learn to be cowards as special forces or snipers who kill sneakily.

We should not wonder if young people addicted to violent computer games are willing to use them in specific circumstances. These may be a tantrum for assorted reasons or because of a psychopathologic personality. For example, in the US, incidents of mayhem by psychopaths on a killing spree are not unusual. These often had a background of watching violent movies, playing violent computer and airsoft games (and being proud of their ''kills''), being violent at school, etc.

School is another place where many children enjoy bullying and assaulting other kids. School bullying is prevalent worldwide. We should focus primarily on parents, teachers, and classmates who put up bullying and don’t react. Teachers often don’t respond unless a case of harassment is reported. So, neither are there any preventive measures for children apt to bullying nor any consultation for the children who are victims of bullying.

Many parents typically deny that their child suffers from bullying. But even if they do, they are often reluctant to report the case, and sometimes they also blame their child as responsible for it, or that does not react to it, for example, by punching the face of a kid that teases them! Usually, classmates of a child subject to bullying not only watch their abuse without reacting but also take videos of the event and upload them to the internet! 

In many YouTube videos of ‘Nerf wars,’ you can notice that children are incredibly violent. They upload YouTube Nerf war movies they make, often adding special effects. These videos contain violent scenes of ‘shoot-'em-up.’ The usual scenario is a Nerf squad that kills the bad guys, although sometimes it is ambiguous who is the good guy and who is the bad one!

Teenagers replace Nerf guns with airsoft guns that resemble real firearms! Their ‘action movies’ on YouTube are more sophisticated than Nerf Wars, with special effects added (such as blood spit). The usual scenario is related to Special Forces that eliminate the enemy. They often use the ‘first-person shooter’ with their head camera. That is undoubtedly associated with the ‘shoot-'em-up’ one-dimensional computer games. Of course, these action movies are characterized by the extreme violence we take for granted today, as we are all addicted to it!

Scenes of gory battles with brutal stabs and throat-slitting in reenactment documentaries or TV series, such as the ‘Vikings’ on the History Channel or ‘The Game of Thrones,’ are usual. People today are thirsty for blood like ancient Roman citizens who enjoyed watching brutal gladiator fights and Christians mangled by animals at the Colosseum. The norm is the same: the government offers the citizens ‘bread and circuses’ (circuses mean games; entertainment). Today's module is different; blood in violent entertainment movies isn’t real. But they are still gory! But YouTube has real blood on combat and other videos with kills! 

On YouTube, one can find plenty of videos with cruel people who enjoy killing animals, large (such as wild boars) or small (such as squirrels), with weapons such as a gun or a bow! The most important, to my mind, is that the community of these sites does not react to these videos of animal abuse by reporting them to be removed from the administrators. But even if they do so, they waste their time. Personally speaking, whenever I reported such videos, YouTube did nothing. From my experience to my numerous reports on inappropriate videos, YouTube minds mainly on sex-related video reports, nothing else! In any case, it is pathetic that people enjoy killing wild animals just for fun. Some ridiculously support that they kill animals for food as if they live in the Stone Age!

Many young boys join gangs in many Western countries, including the UK and the USA. Notably, in the US, many people belonging to minorities (although I am not sure if we can call black people a minority in many American cities) join gangs from their early childhood instead of going to school and studying, aiming later to go to college or university. These kids, who prefer the nest of a gang instead of the nest of their family, are apt to delinquency. I recall an appalling case of extreme violence in the UK that was recorded by CCTV. The footage shows three young guys who, without any reason and without being provoked, assault two young boys that they randomly met on the street. They recklessly stabbed both, and one eventually died.

But the question is if offenses by minors are punished strictly. I am not sure about this, at least in Western countries. In fact, especially in Europe, the decisions of the justice system are lenient to offenders who are minors. It is unbelievable that when a child under 15 years old commits a crime, including murder, the punishment usually is not imprisonment for some years in a juvenile reform school. Still, the child is free with only some sessions with a psychologist or community work!

Many people have violent potential during adulthood but don’t usually show aggression unless provoked.  But often, violence may be revealed even in a trivial incident. For instance, during a quarrel with another driver on the street, someone may pull a screwdriver from his car and stab the other driver. It is not rare to hear about crimes committed not by criminals but by ordinary people who went mad, often for trivial reasons.

But the question is why ‘ordinary’ people react violently. Many people in Western countries feel miserable with their regular shuttle between work and home (that they use as a hotel to eat dinner after work and shortly after to go to sleep). Today's only recreation is every drinking binge on the weekend! Additionally, many tend to engage in illicit drug abuse, which is common even in universities where many students smoke hash. Lately, ‘weed’ has been advertised by laypeople as an ‘effective medicine’ for various diseases. 'However, this may be an excuse for some to take it as a substance of abuse.

Alcohol and drugs are important causes of violence. As mentioned above, ‘ordinary’ people may unexpectedly react violently, and this violence may be disproportional to the object that stimulated it. For example, a brawl on the street for trivial reasons is common. Even police officers often react violently. That is more apparent in the US, which counts many cases of police violence. In the US, people who have not obeyed a police officer to ‘stick em up’ have been shot dead even though they were unarmed! Many black people have died this way, and the US government does not seem to do something to prevent this excessive, unjustified violence.

Specific political parties also encourage violence. For instance, protests of anarchists may turn violent, similar to those of far-right groups. Often, violence is justifiable by both fascists and Antifa! Usually, when a scuffle takes place, the crowd not only does something to stop the fight, but many take videos with their cell phones, and some even bet on who will be the winner!  

Violence in the US


Americans are addicted to violence. The fact that multiple incidents of massive shootings have not prevented the government from revoking the gun law that gives the right to citizens to bear guns means that the ''Far West'' shootout tactic will perpetuate. Violence in American culture is everywhere, from kids whose fathers impose to become tough by playing rugby to shoot 'em up computer games (most of them monopolized by US companies) that kids play. Since the early 1990s, the US film industry decided we should have no problem watching excessive and unnecessary violent scenes. So, the US is compatible with violence. It is not a coincidence that the most typical game children play in the US is Nerf war (with guns that resemble real ones), while young adults disguise themselves as special forces and play airsoft gunfights in the woods. The usual scenario is US troops or SWAT fighting terrorists!


Violence and women!

Since the 1970s, the feminist movement has struggled to render women equal to men. Today both sexes are equal, at least in the West. Nevertheless, women often try to imitate male characteristics, including aggression. Nowadays, female children are encouraged to play with toys (such as toy soldiers and toy guns) or games (such as Nerf war and violent computer games) considered in the past exclusive to boys. That means women have become addicted to violence the same way as men. 

In adulthood, over the last decades, many women follow jobs that were considered in the past as exclusive to men. Some months ago, I was shocked when I watched on the TV women among the riot police forces in Paris confronting yellow vest protesters! Contrary, I watched on TV in Mexico riot police of women confronting women protesting about the increasing death toll of female murders. Another male occupation in which women now join more frequently is the commando forces in the army and the police!

Additionally, tough heroines participated in all action movies after the 1990s, including hit women! So, even the movie industry accepts women's aggression.  Furthermore, in all LARP and Nerf ''battles,'' as well as battle reenactments, women participate with great enthusiasm, although in history at large, rarely women took part in the war. My point is that in the last two decades, women have already been introduced to violence in a way like men.  

Causes of violence 

The central question is why many people are inclined to violence. There are many causes for this. Unemployment and unsatisfying working conditions are two issues we must consider, as they cause frustration that may ignite violent behavior. Working overtime without being paid for the extra hours (typical in most Western countries), working flexible hours (often without a contract and insurance), and being fired easily are work-related causes.

The recent violent protests in many European countries when the governments decided on labor reforms show that things in the West are getting worse regarding employment time that is now ‘flexible.’ Another vital issue is automatism. The use of sophisticated devices is expected to raise unemployment in the West. The fact that the population in most Western countries is aging and the people of working age are fewer than in the past will make things worse.

Another cause of violence is chaotic migration. Since 2015, migration surges from Asia and Africa to Europe have been uncontrolled. Immigration has been associated with increased delinquency and criminality rates, and it is not a coincidence that most inmates in European prisons are non-indigenous (a significant percentage are migrants). Minor offenses started with the sexual harassment of several women by migrants during the New Year celebration in 2016 in Colony, Germany (covered up by the media for several days). They continued with terror attacks by radical Islamic groups comprised of first or second-generation migrants.

Most migrants that came to Europe in the last years are Muslims who are not so easy to integrate into Western societies. So, unassimilated migrants may tend to be delinquent when they cannot find a job or face racism. Of course, this uncontrolled migration increased the power of far-right political parties and ‘squads’ of fascists. Today, western societies are multiracial and multinational, and people have few things in common. If migrants living in diverse communities are not integrated, racism and criminality rates increase. Often, local people mistakenly believe that migrants take all the jobs when they are reluctant to apply, especially the labor jobs.

From my perspective, the leading cause of violence in the last decades is family, which in most cases, is what I call 'dysfunctional.' In the West, the divorce rate is remarkably high, as well as domestic violence. Many children are reared in dysfunctional families and face physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, easy criticism, degradation, or neglect. They live in a family environment that shows criticism and demeaning behavior instead of affection. On the other hand, some families spoil their kids by making them feel arrogant, smug, and impertinent. That is common in families with an only child.

Notably, many contemporary families neglect their children and ignore their needs. One or both parents often work all day without caring about establishing a mutual relationship with their kids. Kids' most common complaint is that their parents do not listen to them! It is not the quantity, the total time a parent spends with a child, but the quality of this interaction. Parents may bring presents and cover the child's critical needs; however, they rarely have time to talk with them and listen to their problems. On the contrary, when they talk to their kids, for example, during lunch or dinner, their conversation may end up in a quarrel! The government needs to organize a ‘parents’ school’ where child psychologists will teach parents how to behave with their children, as a parent ‘manual book’ does not exist!

A child who lives in an environment of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse will be abusive during childhood and adulthood. It will enjoy abusing, harassing, assaulting, and criticizing others. Violence may be only verbal. Other times it may be expressed in temper tantrums. Undoubtedly, living in a dysfunctional family is a pandemic that creates mean people who enjoy harassing and assaulting others and are apt to criticize everyone and everything. Many people who like trolling are typical examples of 'attention seekers' who seek the attention of others. Usually, when an attention seeker trolls with a stupid comment, the rest of the users fall into the troll's trap and respond!

All the above trends have something in common: inferiority syndrome. Contrary, spoiled children, such as only children, often have superiority syndrome, as these children try to fulfill their parent’s unfulfilled needs and expectations, e.g., to study and be ‘the top.’ But, as I usually say, this is the other side of the same coin. People with inferiority syndrome enjoy trolling, criticizing, abusing, and harassing others as they feel better by degrading and humiliating others.  Psychodynamically, this may be a subconscious punishment to their dysfunctional family that abused or neglected them! But someone will find it only with psychoanalysis.

Parents' tolerance of violence is a significant cause of addiction to it. For instance, many parents in the U.S. encourage their kids to participate in violent games such as rugby, and boys who are afraid to take part are considered ‘cowards.’ Similarly, parents often encourage their children to react violently when harassed or challenged. Thus, fights at school or on the street are frequent, and many kids join gangs. It is imperative how parents deal with violence and if they put up with a violent reaction.

I remember that once I met a man who said that when he took part in a fight when he was younger, he did not stop beating the other unless they started bleeding! This gory example shows that this person was addicted to violence. Later, I realized that this man might have had a troubled relationship with his father, who I guess was abusive. It should be made clear that there are many kinds of abuse other than physical. Abuse, apart from physical, may be verbal, sexual, psychological, or even financial (commonly against elderly parents). 

To sum up, violence is a pandemic, and people today are addicted to it from early childhood. Contemporary kids enjoy computer games with extreme violence and later experience, as offenders or victims, bullying and assaults at school and on the street. In countries such as the US, gangs control the neighborhoods. Unemployment and other social causes, including alcohol and illicit drug abuse and unassimilated multinational societies, may partly explain this trend. However, growing up in a dysfunctional family that is abusive or shows neglect is the most crucial reason for violence.

On the other hand, the tolerance of society, the family, teachers, and the State of abusive behavior encourages violence, causing a vicious circle. If we put up with abuse, then we perpetuate it! Thus, how we react to violence is the key to preventing it.

Thanks for reading!