School Violence
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Violence can be seen throughout society, but one place that is most prevalent is in the area of school violence. School violence has been around since school has existed, but recently it seems to have taken a firmer hold. More and more students have to enter what at times can be a hostile environment. This increase of violence has led to an increase in many problems that students must now face. However before one can understand the current issue of school one must understand school violence through centuries, the factors contributing to this increase, and finally one can understand the impact on school, students, and society.
Many assume that school violence is only a modern problem that students have to face, but unfortunately this is false. Violence has affected many students throughout the decades. The 20th century was one of the most violent centuries in history (Cornell). Millions of people died in two world wars, and millions more were killed by their own government. What does this have to do American violence? In time between 1960 and 1990 violence increased 560%, and violence committed by children between ten and seventeen increased by 400% (Cornell). These numbers are alarming on many levels. Many people are discouraged by these numbers. These numbers are why a nine-year-old by the name of James Darby wrote a letter to President Clinton saying “I want you to stop the killing in the city, I think someone might kill me. Im asking you nicely to stop it. I know you can do it.” Unfortunately Clinton was unable to save this little boy from the drive-by shooting that claimed his life just nine days later (Day). Day also stated that homicide was the third leading cause of death for people between ten and twenty-four.
However this is not the only decade in which school violence has occurred. School violence has existed for as long school has existed. In the seventeenth century and on students have been armed (Greenough). The nobility often wore swords and took firearms to school. This led to times where militaries had to intervene. Some students in England set fire to their books and desks. Students then created their favorite form of misrule which is known as “barring out the master (Greenough).” This was the practice where students barred themselves in a school and damaged school property. They did this usually to get a holiday or other treat.
So why did the violence go from students acting out together to attacking each other? There are many factors that have contributed to this sift. Sheila Klee, author of School violence, says that school is merely an extension of our society. We glamorize violence through violent TV show, violent movies, violent books, and violent video games. She claims that this has desensitized us to how real violence is. Unfortunately many students have found out just how real violence is. Some examples are the victims of the Columbine, Martin Luther King High School, and Jonesboro shooting. This last one was committed by an eleven-year-old and a thirteen-year-old. However the most recent shooting in Connecticut is the most prevalent in the minds of most Americans. However, too fully to understand how violent media has led to an increase in school violence, one must analyze this forms of media more closely.
Movies are getting more violent. This is an unfortunate fact that everyone knows. If one was to compare movies from two or three decades to movies from now that person would find more blood, gore, and death. If you to ask most adolescent boys if what was their favorite movie, they would probably answer which a violent movie, such as Expendables and Expendables 2. More and more, a good action movie is characterized by huge explosions, large-scale gunfights, and brutal hand-to-hand combat. Movies and TV series often show new ways of killing people (“School Violence Weapons, Crime, and Bullying”). It is no wonder child psychiatrists are concerned. Everyone has heard of the effects of violence of the mind of a child.
“It has been proved scientifically that this is the age when a child can learn maximum and at a faster speed. Now just think if a child is watching violence at this age then he/she will definitely learn it. They learn violent acts by seeing films or TV and after that they practice these acts in their schools over other kids. Children are very small and they dont know what is right and wrong.” (“School Violence Weapons,