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İbrahim Mert ADAK
ENG-102-113
Özlem VURAL
8.04.2015
Research Paper First Draft
Research Question: To what extent can violence be acceptable as a way of
entertainment?
Fun with Brutality: The Lure of Violence as Entertainment
It has been said that man is the only animal who kills for the sheer pleasure of
the act. Whether or not that is true, there is no question that throughout history, humans
have enjoyed violent entertainments, even those that ended in death. The sight of
blood, gore, and severed body parts seems to have been accepted as amusing or
certainly interesting by people from many cultures and many eras. Regarding the
human proclivity for violence as amusement, there are several questions that need to
be answered. Is this a part of our “primitive” past, left behind when we became more
civilized, or is the love of violence stronger than the civilizing effects of religion and
philosophy? Why do people enjoy the sight of others being hurt or killed, whether it
occurs in real life or as a fictionalized representation? Has America become the world’s
purveyor of sadism? Who is to blame for our love affair with violence, and can we
change?

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We know little about the role of violence in the lives of our earliest ancestors.
Neanderthals, who lived during one of the planet’s worse Ice Ages, had to hunt to
survive and probably formed into groups to do so, bringing down large animals that
would feed a whole family unit. There was little time for anything that we would
recognize as recreation, let alone such “sophisticated” concepts as pleasure in the pain
and suffering of others. Based on the limited evidence available, Neanderthals only
enjoyed violence because it led to them being able to eat and survive another day
(“Decoding Neanderthals,” paragraph 22).
As with many other aspects of human development, recreation and leisure only
came about after humans had the food, shelter, security, and structure that they needed
to survive together. However, we do not always have all the information we need
regarding such “nonessentials” as leisure activities. For example, we know from ancient
writings that the Babylonians created poetry—the Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the
earliest heroic sagas, and its hero shares many of the values—courage, honour, and
the willingness to face danger—that we still admire today (Damrosch 95). At the same
time, however, archaeologists have also discovered evidence of bestiality as an integral
part of the society’s spring fertility rites (Miletski 2), as well as the possibility of human
sacrifice at some of the temples, even the sacrifice of infants (Acevedo and Thompson
272). Were these acts an enjoyable part of the ritual, or did the Babylonians believe that
these rites were pleasing to their gods and must therefore continue, even if people
found them repulsive? At this point, we do not have enough evidence to answer that
question.

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As civilizations grew and their people kept more complete records of their daily
lives, it is easier to judge their appetite for violence. Perhaps the most representative
early culture in terms of violence as a way to pass the time is Rome. One of the best-
known aspects of Roman blood lust is the use of gladiators, men (and sometimes
women) who fought to the death for the entertainment of a crowd of spectators.
However, it is important to realize that like so much in the ancient world, gladiatorial
games began as religious rites.
Gladiatorial matches began as part of Etruscan funeral games. In order to honour
the dead, his heirs would pay for trained slaves to fight to the death, spilling their blood
as a sort of tribute or sacrifice to the “shade” (ghost) of the deceased (Lidz 56).
Obviously, if one pair of fighters honoured a dead citizens, twenty or a hundred pairs
was an even greater honour. The Romans, which adopted many Etruscan customs,
took to the sport of gladiatorial fights with enthusiasm. Soon, they became not only a
way to honour the dead but for the living to show their power and wealth, since such
games were expensive to produce. As author Franz Lidz explains:
Gradually, the spectacles became more lurid and more frequent-and more
necessary for each ruler to provide in order to retain power and sustain the
goodwill of a mostly unemployed populace. Before long, just about every Roman
city had its own amphitheater. The most majestic, the Colosseum, held 50,000
spectators. Roman emperors spent vast sums…entertaining the urban masses.
Much like the dictators of today, emperors well understood the benefits of athletic
triumphs, in propaganda and as a distraction from misery at home. The games
that commemorated the Emperor Trajan's victories on the Dacian frontier in 107
A.D. featured 10,000 gladiators and lasted 123 days. (Lidz 56)
While early gladiators were slaves, as the games became ever more popular, it
became customary to sentence criminals to a gladiator’s school under the control of a
lanista, a professional trainer. These criminals, who once would have been executed,

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were trained to fight, and if they fought well (and were lucky), they might get out alive.
As author Thomas Wiedemann explains:
If a convict fought bravely enough, the community might be sufficiently impressed
to be prepared to give him back his life. A brave fighter might rise from the “dead”
and rejoin the living. This was not the in the gift of the president of the games, the
magistrate, or even the emperor, but a gift of society as a whole, of the Roman
people present in the amphitheater. (Wiedemann 105)
This may explain, at least in part, why gladiatorial games were so popular. For
the ordinary people in the audience, commoners who had little political or social power,
the ability to give back a life must have been intoxicating. However, records also
indicate that most gladiators did not survive more than four or five fights, with only the
most popular or skilled actually winning their freedom (Wiedemann 108). In fact, in
many gladiatorial contests, if neither fighter won the applause of the crowd, they might
both be dragged out of the arena and executed to the cheers of the crowd (Wiedemann
120). People who attended the gladiators’ matches often placed bets on their favorites,
winning or losing as men died in front of them. The atmosphere at the amphitheater was
very much like it is at a modern sports stadium. Young and old attended the games, and
people could buy snacks and drinks as they watched gladiators hack one another to
death. After the games were over, prostitutes hung out near the exits in order to find
customers whose lusts had been stirred by what they’d seen (Wiedemann 122).
While gladiatorial matches were bloody and brutal, they actually paled in
comparison to some of the other traditional activities that took place in the Coliseum and
other amphitheaters around the Empire. One of the most disagreeable practices to
modern sensibilities was the constant slaughter of wild game brought at great expense

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from all over the Roman empire merely so people could see animals they had never laid
eyes on before—and then watch them die:
The inauguration games in 81 AD at the Roman Colosseum, lasted for one
hundred days and during this time over 9,000 wild animals were slaughtered.
During just one festival in 240 AD a staggering: 2,000 gladiators, 70 lions, 40 wild
horses, 30 elephants, 30 leopards, 20 wild asses, 19 giraffes, 10 antelopes, 10
hyenas, 10 tigers, 1 hippopotamus and 1 rhinoceros were slaughtered. (Wild
Animals paragraph 5)
Despite the helpless suffering of these animals, perhaps the worst atrocities of all
were some of the most famous in recorded history—the sacrifice of Christians (and
other “enemies of the state”) in the arena. The most hideous persecutions of Christians
were ordered by the Emperor Nero after the Great Fire of Rome in 64 A.D. At least
some of the populace suspected Nero (who had wanted to burn down part of the city in
order to build a new palace) of ordering his henchmen to start the fire. In order to divert
attention from himself, Nero accused the small sects known as Christians of starting the
blaze. As the historian Tacitus recorded:
Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated
for their abominations, called Christians by the populace…Accordingly, an arrest
was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an
immense multitude was convicted...Mockery of every sort was added to their
deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished,
or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a
nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the
spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the
people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. (Tacitus Book XV)
Given all of this evidence, there is no question that Roman spectators indulged in
what we would consider to be an orgy of sadistic violence and that they regarded these
spectacles perfectly normal. Indeed, one early Roman leader believed that by viewing
gladiatorial games, Romans would die more bravely when their time came (Lidz 56).
However, when Rome was sacked by barbarians in 410 A.D., most of the city’s

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inhabitants tried to flee instead of fight. Many were killed, and more were sold into
slavery, while some of the richest bribed their enemies to let them go (Lancon 119).
Several hundred years of bloodshed in the arena did little for Roman fortitude.
While some scholars believe that the bloodlust of ancient Rome came about
because of their pagan belief system, those who embraced Christianity have not been
immune from the lure of violence as means of entertainment. The spread of Christianity
did not create an atmosphere of peace. People still fought, and for many, fighting was a
way of life. When viewing the armies of Europe in the early Middle Ages, author Sarah
Ralph observes:
Keeping violence in a box labeled “warfare” means that most of the time we do
not need to factor it in when considering “normal” functioning of past
societies…But even what I term martial violence—i.e., that dealt by (where we
have evidence, almost universally male) soldiers and warriors, at least ostensibly
on behalf of a polity—was and is far from confined to warfare, or even use of
weapons: much has been inflicted with boot, fist, or phallus. (100)
The tendency of soldiers to rape, plunder, burn, and destroy conquered regions
is well-known throughout history. “Rape of women has long been an endemic feature of
war. For centuries, perpetrators of sexual attacks during conflicts have enjoyed effective
impunity (Fiske and Shackel 123).” Perhaps it could be argued that soldiers, warriors,
are caught up in the adrenaline rush of battle and for that reason, they take pleasure in
violent, sadistic actions. However, if that were true, civilians would not engage in the
same types of behaviors, and despite the spread of both Christianity and enlightenment
views, the enjoyment of violence has never really declined. Throughout the Middle Ages
and the Renaissance, public executions were common and well-attended, and they
were not only for criminals. During the reign of Queen Mary I of England, the Catholic
faith (which her father, Henry VIII had defied) was restored in the country, and hundreds

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of Protestants were burned at the stake. Each execution was a public holiday, complete
with a procession of priests and local Catholics carrying torches to light the pyres
(Loach 20). In Catholic France two hundred years later, the Revolution started as a way
of obtaining equality for all; it soon turned into a bloodbath, with such atrocities as, “A
young cook’s apprentice who tried to defend his king was coated in butter and roasted
alive,” and “The [daily] beheadings [at the guillotine] became a favorite amusement for
the crowd” (von Kuehnelt-Leddihn 38).
Even in America, the land of freedom and laws that protected individuals, crime
and punishment still fascinated the majority of the population. As Stuart Banner
explains:
When the rapist Daniel Wilson was hanged in Providence in 1774, more than
12,000 people showed up to watch at a time when the entire population of
Providence was only around 4,000. Over 30,000 spectators were said to have
seen Jesse Strang hanged in Albany in 1827, and 50,000 saw the execution of
John Johnson in New York in 1824…Fifteen thousand people streamed into the
tiny town of Fonda, New York in
1878 to stand around outside the prison while the murderer Samuel Steenburgh
was being hanged inside… Spectators could not see any part of the execution,
but that didn’t prevent them from showing up and milling around…. People would
climb trees and find spots on the roofs of nearby houses, hoping to peer over the
wall and get a glimpse of what was going on. (1286-87)
Given the near-universal fascination with bloodshed and death, there has to be a
connection between these cultures, some explanation of why humans of any era seem
to have an insatiable appetite for violence. There is of course a name for this
syndrome—mental health experts call it sadism.
The term sadism, first used in 1888, is derived from the Marquis de Sade, a
French nobleman who was infamous for his abuse of lovers and servants. “Sadism” is
defined as “pleasure in the pain of others or a delight in cruelty (Definition of sadism).”

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This seems like a definition that is tailor-made for the citizens of the Roman Empire, but
can it be applied to modern civilizations? Many would argue that the answer to that
question is yes, and they put much of the blame on the United States, specifically its
mass media, which is imported all over the world:
Meanwhile, exaggerated violence now rules screen culture. The public pedagogy
of entertainment includes extreme images of violence, human suffering and
torture splashed across giant movie screens, some in 3D, offering viewers every
imaginable portrayal of violent acts, each more shocking and brutal than the
last…As the social contract is replaced by social collapse, a culture of cruelty has
emerged in American society… My emphasis here is on the sadistic impulse and
how it merges spectacles of violence and brutality with forms of collective
pleasure. (Giroux 259, 261)
Is America the new Rome? Are our cultural offerings the modern equivalent of
gladiators’ games? An examination of our popular media may be able to answer that
question:
 In 2014, the two top-grossing movies in the United States were American
Sniper, the story of a sniper in the Iraq War, and The Hunger Games:
Mockingbird, a depiction of a society where children are forced to fight to
the death for food while a television audience watches (2014 Domestic
Grosses).
 The top-grossing movie of 2015 (so far) is Fifty Shades of Grey, the story
of a sadomasochistic relationship, a movie that has grossed more than
$500 million worldwide (Top Movies of 2015 So Far).
 The best-selling video games of 2014 were Call of Duty: Advanced
Warfare and Grand Theft Auto Five (Top 10 Selling Video Games).
 In 2013-14, the most violent television shows in the U.S. included The
Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story,

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The Blacklist, Criminal Minds, and Hannibal—well-reviewed, successful
shows, many of them winners of Emmy Awards for excellence.
The examples are nearly endless, and all of these movies, television shows, and
games are created in America and distributed worldwide. So is America the culprit? If
the United States disappeared from the planet, would the link between violence and
entertainment be broken? The answer is simple: no. While other countries may not
produce as many violent movies or television shows, their citizens have their own way
of mixing violence and recreation. Rioting and violence are far from unknown in
European sports For example:
In February 2015, 25 people were killed in a riot after a soccer match in Egypt
(el-Gwad paragraph 1).
In 2003, a 60-year-old English soccer fan was sentenced to five years in prison
for kung-fu-kicking a policeman’s horse (Rushin paragraph 1)
In March 2015, a 35-year-old Mexican wrestler died when he was kicked during a
match (Mullen paragraph 1).
Leaving aside the human toll, many cultures participate in forms of entertainment
that are widely considered cruel. Bullfighting, which is an honored tradition in Spain that
draws hundreds of thousands of spectators each year and kills nearly 250,000 bulls,
has been decried by the International Humane Society: “Bullfights are not "fair fights"
between a bull and a matador, but highly staged forms of animal cruelty, sanctioned and
subsidized by governments (Bullfighting).” Cockfighting, where two roosters are pitted
against each other and forced to fight to the death as spectators bet on them, is illegal
in many countries but still flourishing underground (Cockfighting).

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There are of course many other examples, but it is fair to say that despite the
United States’ reputation as the sadists to the world, many other cultures have traditions
that are nearly as bloody as the Romans. Despite local, national, and international laws,
despite public pressure and public service announcements, despite everything that
civilized people can do, the love of violence seems to be rooted in human DNA.
The question now arises: what harm does exposure to violent entertainment do?
Experts have long focused on the short-term effects of violence in entertainment,
especially in media such as television. Recently, however, researchers have found that
exposure to violent television shows and movies:
Creates a link, perhaps even a causal one, between an entire population's
exposure to television violence and its propensity toward violent crime. The best
known study found that, controlling as well as possible for other variables, the
homicide rate among whites in the United States, Canada, and (most recently)
South Africa doubled over the 10- to 15-year period after the advent of television,
with its standard violent programming fare. (Bayles paragraph 2).
If this research is backed up by others, then the issue of violence in
entertainment is no longer a question of personal taste or even of a parent’s
unwillingness to censor a child’s media diet of blood and gore. It becomes a matter of
public mental health and public policy. However, even if we as a culture are willing to do
a complete about-face in terms of violence in the media, will that really change human
nature? Furthermore, even as violence in television, movies and video games is being
decried, those with their own agendas are attempting to convince the public that their
particular “product” has no impact on violence in society:
After a week of silence following the Sandy Hook school shooting that killed 20
first graders and six staff in Newtown, Conn., the National Rifle Association
blamed the entertainment industry - specifically the producers of violent video
games for inciting what has become a pattern of gun violence in the United
States. In describing the industry, NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre said,

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"There exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry
that sells, and sows, violence against its own people." Mr. LaPierre faulted the
news media for failing to report on "vicious, violent video games" such as "Grand
Theft Auto," "Mortal Kombat," and "Splatterhouse" as egregious examples.
(Guarino)
Many people reading this statement would be immediately outraged at what
appears to be a transparent attempt on the part of the National Rifle Association to
rationalize the gun culture in the United States while washing their hands of a tragedy
such as the shooting at Sandy Hook school. However:
A 2008 report by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts
General Hospital funded by the US Department of Justice found that violent
video games may increase bullying or physical fighting in schools, but not mass
gun violence. "It's clear that the 'big fears' bandied about in the press - that
violent video games make children significantly more violent in the real world;
that they will engage in the illegal, immoral, sexist and violent acts they see in
some of these games - are not supported by the current research, at least in
such a simplistic form," the report states. (Guarino)
Once again, all the possible culprits seem to have alibis. Do video games make
us violent? Does violent television make us violent? Do guns make us violent? No one
seems to know definitively, yet few people would disagree with the statement that we
are living in an ever-more violent society, and as long as there is no one good answer,
how can we as a society change what is wrong?
Only a few researchers in the mental health field are truly working to change
violent behavior, and their efforts are largely confined to criminals and dangerously
violent mental patients (Howells et al 383). While no one would argue that this valuable
work, it will not change who we are as a people, nor will it remove our taste for violence.
The unfortunate reality is that our cultures have no intention of changing.
Perhaps violence is so much a part of our collective racial memories that it cannot be
purged. Americans will not give up gory horror movies or violent video games; the

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Spanish will not give up bullfighting. Violent contact sports such as soccer, hockey,
American football, and mixed martial arts become more popular—and profitable—every
year. No matter how often people lament the violence in media and entertainment, they
still vote with their pocketbooks, as the old saying goes, and the violent images and
themes continue to be engraved into our collective consciousness, with little chance that
these are going to be replaced by pretty chirping birds and fields of flowers.
Does it matter that we still cling to violence as entertainment? After all, it has
been a part of the human condition for at least 2,000 years or more, and somehow, our
societies are still functioning. Yet with all the pressures in our modern world—limited
resources, overcrowding, noise pollution, political problems—it is at least possible that
in terms of our ability to absorb violence as recreation and still function in a civil society,
there may come a tipping point. If that happens, the fictional violence of The Walking
Dead and Call of Duty may become the blueprints for a new and dangerous society.

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