Similarly, the same argument can be said for music, especially in the rap industry. Rap music has increasingly led a violent wave amongst males not only due to its controversial lyrics but also because of the actions by the rappers themselves within the industry itself. In the past ten years many rap artists have been arrested for acts of violent behavior, rape and threat, and some sadly enough, have even been killed including artists such at Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G. In order to become successful in the rap industry, one must often rhyme about “roughing” people up and shooting fellow rap artists. According to these eye-popping statistics, it is easy to say that males are more likely to be violent than woman. The violence perceived by males in the music industry and in video games is not the only source of blame for inflicting violent behaviors in male youth in society.
The impulse to act aggressive and commit violence can be seen at the very early ages of a boy, especially in athletics. Growing up, boys are urged to participate in sports such as football, boxing, karate and ice hockey. All of these sports contain the element of physical contact that is a huge source of violence. Girls on the other hand are urged by society to partake in activities such as ballet, dancing, cooking and other non-contact activities. The bigger and stronger boys tend to be superior to smaller and weaker boys in sports. The boys who are more aggressive will often beat out an opponent to a ball or knock them to the canvas. A Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport article writes, “Aggressive behavior in professional ice hockey has seen a dramatic increase since 1975, and many players and coaches consider such behavior an important strategy for winning” (Aimar, Sheldon 304). In hockey, fist fights are often allowed and are not broken up by referees and this violence is glorified and encouraged especially by the crowd. Violence and intimidation are seen as vital components to help win games and generates rewards and profits for players, coached and owners of athletic teams. The violent behavior performed by professional athletes is often imitated by players at amateur and scholastic sports (Shields 503). Last week the whole nation was constantly shown the Indiana Pacers players who entered the stands at Auburn Hills in Detroit and brawled with fans. Ultimately, this urges boys to become stronger in the weight room so that they can become the victor. Those who cannot contend with these boys will frequently be “cut” from athletic teams and ridiculed by peers. Generally, fathers and even mothers push their boys to excel at sports. Many fathers live vicariously through their sons since they were unable to achieve their goals in athletics. All of these pressures to succeed make boys more aggressive and do “whatever it takes” to win even if it means violence.
Peer pressure in school and the workplace, along with the media and athletics, forces males to become increasingly violent in order to be accepted by their peers. From as early as five years old in kindergarten, boys are accepted by their peers and recognized as “cool” if they are able to insult or embarrass other children and even physically hurt them. In the middle school I attended as well as high school boys constantly fought after school with their peers creating circles around the two fighters with the winner being the talk of the school the next day and the loser being humiliated by others. Boys were force to act with violence in order to stand their ground and not be seen as “weak.” With age, the insults become increasingly worse and the physical abuse can become fatal. The Boston Herald reported on December 6, 2004 a story on page 4 about a Boston bar employee being arrested for hurting a patron titled “Hub bar bouncer busted in patron assault”. An employee at a Boston bar was arrested for dragging a drunken patron outside and beating him incessantly. The victim is currently had to be hospitalized and received staples to his head. The employee happened to be a person I knew and used to be friends with. Ever since he accepted the job three years ago he has become increasingly violent. In order to be seen by the other workers as tough and masculine he had to once and awhile fight one of the patrons. In order to become one of the better bouncers, he began to take steroids. Steroids cause enormous increase of testosterone in a person’s body which leads them to be moody and very aggressive. The combined pressure to be tough on the job and use of steroids caused this man to be arrested and now facing serious charges. It is not just the profession of a bouncer who is pressured to act tough, but males who work in the construction business and in security, often must appear and act strong to gain acceptance.
It must be noted that even though statistics show boys commit more acts of violence, girls can also be influenced by the same factors as well as others. Also, media, athletics and peer pressure are not the only areas that influence males to become violence. We could also attribute influences such as family life and alcohol. In the past decade, violence committed by males has become an increasingly serious problem for our society. The over-aggression can be attributed to many severe crimes such as murder, rape and domestic abuse. The combination of violence in the media, on the playing fields as well as in everyday work and school has led boys to become very aggressive and commit acts of violence.
