Culture of Violence

WHAT IS CULTURE?

Culture is what informs how you and your community see the world around you. These include all of your beliefs, values, morals, customs, and even art, all of which can shape what you believe is true. Culture shapes what you believe is normal, heroic, villainous, and even beautiful. The thing is, each society is shaped by numerous cultural forces, even as many of these forces conflict with each other. Conflict means that people in society will not always agree on what should count as valuable, true, or right in the world. The conflicting forces of culture can meet in ways that disagree and can be violent.

Ways to Learn More

Watch the Introductory Video above.
Listen to the Interviews below.
Consider the Reflection Questions below and engage with their resources using the Conversation Guide.

interviews

Questions & Resources

What Role Does Violence in the Media Play?

ARTICLES

Narcocorridos: Ballads of the Mexican Cartels – NPR
When Music is Violence – The New Yorker
Timeline: Violence in Movies - LA Times
Violence Formula: Analyzing TV, Video and Movies - Center For Media Literacy
The Wrong Way to Talk About Violence in Movies – The Atlantic
"Violence, Part 1: Glorification" – Blog Post by Keith Burgun
Is There a Moral Limit to the Violence in Films? – The New York Times (1983)
In an age of violence, the summer action movie, redefined and revisited. – LA Times
Black Panther and Hollywood Gun Violence - Washington Examiner

Does Violence Change Us?

ARTICLES

"Unmarked" – Blog Post and Photo Gallery by Stephen Chalmers
Violence, The Media, and Your Brain - Psychology Today
Violence as a Health Issue – Cure Violence
Community Violence: The Effects on Children and Teens – US Department of Veterans Affairs
The History of Violence as a Public Health Issue - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

How Does Art Reflect Violence?

ARTICLES

Art and Violence – Huffington Post
"Bone Art" by Francois Robert: Stop the Violence (Art)
Zhi Lin: A New Old Master - Image Journal (you can view each piece in the series Five Capital Punishments by clicking on the images in the article)
An Art History of Violence – Inlander

BOOKS

Buruma, Ian. Theater of Cruelty : Art, Film, and the Shadows of War. New York Review Books Collection. New York: New York Review Books, 2014.

Is Violence Ever Good?

ARTICLES

Why Violence Works – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Can Violence Be Just? - ThoughtCo.
When Rioting is the Answer – Time Magazine
Good Violence, Bad Violence – Huffington Post
A Weavers Revolt – Kathe Kollwitz Museum
Violence in God’s Name: Our Greatest Sin - Red Letter Christians

Are We Less Violent?

ARTICLES

John Gray: Steve Pinker is wrong about violence and war – The Guardian
War Really Is Going Out of Style – The New York Times
Mass Shootings Are Getting Deadlier, Not More Frequent – PoliticoMagazine
F.B.I Confirms a Sharp Rise in Mass Shootings Since 2000 – The New York Times
Is America becoming more violent? I asked 12 experts – Vox
Anti-Semitic Incidents IN US Rose Nearly 60% in 2017 – Huffington Post

BOOKS

Pinker, Steven. The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2012.

Does Democracy Encourage Violence?

ARTICLES

Too Many Americans Think Patriotism Means Racism and Xenophobia – The Nation
10 Unavoidable Arguments Against Patriotism – List Verse

BOOKS

Kirkpatrick, Jennet. Uncivil Disobedience: Studies in Violence and Democratic Politics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008.

Johnston, Steven. American Dionysia : Violence, Tragedy, and Democratic Politics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Explore

Click on the questions above to access resources that might support your group or situation.

Engage

Use the Conversation Guide to work through this material with your group or community.

Open Conversation Guide

We would love to hear how you used these resources and if you have suggestions for others.

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