Violence Against Women 'And Boys Will Be Boys'

This film highlighted harsh realities that often go undiscussed by my peers in today’s society. Class, gender, and race were brought up to demonstrate that the dominate groups, such as whites or men, have power and often get exempt from accusations. The film pointed out that when women act violently the focus of the story is gender, whereas when men act violently the focus shifts to race. This only exemplifies the power of those dominate groups. I was also shocked to see real statistics about an outstanding majority of crimes falling on men. Two phrases from the film stuck out to me: “violence against women,” and “boys will be boys.” The first phrase is frequently used in headlines and presents news with a concentration on the victims or survivors and how to help them instead of those who are actually responsible. The phrase “boys will be boys” is a pathetic attempt to explain that men are naturally and inevitably more violent and not capable of changing. Violence has become so commonplace in America’s culture. Like Bruce Western says, young males nowadays don’t even view going to jail as a threat but rather an expected or accepted part of life. …show more content…
Violence is portrayed as a learned behavior. Instead, society should consider it a taught behavior. Movies, sports, advertisements, and even the Boy Scouts promote a masculine image. This image says that in order to be a man you must prove it with power, control, violence, sexual aggression, and more. These influences teach a corrupt view of manhood that has its foundation in violence. There is a tension between being a man and using violence to prove you’re a man. This image has been glorified for decades and becomes the goal for many young