We see violence all around us to such an extent that we have become immune to it. The wars that flare up in Congo and other African states don’t move us any more. In the Middle-East a number of bombs are detonated each month and it doesn’t appear to affect us, despite the fact that thousands of Israeli and Palestinian people get murdered. Even so when we hear about it on the evening news,  and all we seem to say is: “That is so terrible. Anyway, it's all too far away, it won't reach us.” What we have failed to realise is that it already has. Violence in our society is increasing, and we don’t seem to mind it at all. Perhaps it reflects on our lack of interest in society. Why is violence increasing, what is the reason of it’s sudden “popularity” and what is wrong with our society today?

The late Foreign Minister of Sweden, Anna Lindh was assaulted and wounded at NK-mall in Stockholm on September 10th , this year. She died from the wounds, which were inflicted in her abdomen, 05.29 the following day. A few weeks later, a 24 year old man was taken in to custody. The murderweapon was a knife that shortly after the incident was hidden under one of the escalators in the mall.

Discoveries by the police lately, i.e. matching DNA found on the knife, has made the legal case against the 24 year old stronger. 

The police have reasons to believe that the perpetrator felt resentment towards Anna Lindh because of her support to the Nato-bombing of Serbia in 1999.

In June this year a man of Pakistani origin was seriously wounded by a shot to the head, outside the main entrance of Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. Apparently the man was talking on the telephone when two men, also of Pakistani origin, drew handguns, whereupon they started shooting towards the man. Eyewitnesses say that there were five or six shots fired of which one hit him in the skull and he fell to the ground, protecting the bullet wound with his hand. The police believe that the cause of the fire-exchange was that the two Pakistani men were out seeking revenge. The man barely survived and unfortunately he is scarred for life.

In the USA, young boys and girls from 11-12 years of age to  approximately 20 years, join gangs. What they fail to realise is that once they have joined, they will have problems escaping, unless they leave with a toe-tag. Unfortunately that’s what often happens. Many teenagers have tried to escape, but in vain. They have been beaten or killed by members from their own gang or they might even have been murdered by someone from a rival gang. Gang riots have occurred several times the past decade, and many youngsters have been killed in the crossfire. Gang activity has also killed, harmed and wounded innocent civilians. Accordingly siblings and relatives take up a fight against gang activity. People will now say that they care. On the contrary, I would say that as long as their families are not affected or involved, they just turn their heads and look the other way.

That is what’s wrong with society today. When something doesn’t concern us or people we are aquatinted with, we couldn’t care less. In other words we don’t seem to care for our fellow-citizens.

We are surrounded by violence every day, but perhaps we are to blind to see how it affects us. To me, television is a promoter of violence. Movies, video-games and television-series all contain violence. There are a number of video-games witch includes high-class violence and children down to 7 years of age sits at home, playing. When I was 7 years old I was very interested in everything surrounding and things I watched, heard and learned, I started to use in real-life. Imagine if every 7 year old have the same experiences that I had, and what a huge impact that could do to a poor little 7 year old.

In “Halloween, 20 years later”, a psychotic man sawed several people into pieces with a chainsaw. Think about what kind of image that creates to young people who visit the movietheatre to watch these kind of movies. It has been proven that some teenagers have problems separating fact from fiction. In fact many youngsters try to carry out their dreams to be exactly like his or hers favourite actor.

 By selling and showing these games and movies, I would assert that we are breeding a generation of violent and unafraid children, witch could result in a society with absolutely no control over its citizens.

When people think that it is okay to take someone else’s life or wound them, just because they might disagree on a matter, then we have failed to inform our children in our upbringing. We try to teach little children that to hurt someone else is wrong and if they proceed to do such a thing, there might be consequences. However it is often what parents say we shouldn’t do, that we end up doing. Subsequently we are punished for our “sin”.  Perhaps that is why a percentage of the worlds population have an urge to do an illegal act. To do what is illegal and forbidden, is most likely to give an adrenaline rush. This might be one of the reasons why violence is increasing, however there are other ways to get an adrenaline kick.  

The trend of violence is something that has been around for several years, but has gradually increased. One problem is the convincing in video-games, shows and movies that make adolescents think that violence is accepted. Another problem is the fact that children are witnesses to violence in real life as well. People are murdered for trifles and to me, society is on the verge of surrendering to violence.  How to stop the increase of violence is beyond me, but I hope for everybody’s sake that another political leader does not have to die , before we realise that something needs to be done to improve our society once and for all.