Answer the Questions then response to post 1 and 2What are the e.docx

Answer the Questions then response to post 1 and 2
What are the effects of where we bury and how we view the war
dead on our thoughts and feelings about war? Think, for
example, about the politics around whether media share images
of soldiers' coffins arriving in the US. What is the ethical
argument for sharing these images? For keeping them private?
Where do you side in this debate and why?
Post 1
I feel like the way troops buried the war dead during past wars
has made our views of war seem much more gory than we might
want to think. Reading about how the troops were buried during
past wars painted a vivid picture of just how violent people die
during battle. I also think that this picture gives us a greater
respect of people at war. Knowing how some of the bodies are
never recovered goes to show how great these troops are at risk
of dying when they go out to battle. An ethical argument for
sharing images of solder's coffins arriving in the US is showing
the country that they are being taken care of. These images
provide everyone with a peaceful feeling knowing that our
fallen troops are well-respected and watched after. An argument
for keeping these images private could be because it shows the
country just how many people don't return from war alive.
Seeing the volume of caskets in a plane returning from a war
zone can be unsettling for the general public. In my opinion,
these images should be shared. I believe that they can bring
together the country in a way. By showing everyone how the
soldiers are brought back home to their families provides a
sense of nationalism for people. In today's day and age I believe
that camaraderie within our country would be a positive thing.
Post 2
War refers to different opinions existing between two or more
groups at arising conflicts resulting in loss if life.The main
effects of burying the dead soldiers is a way of respecting and
future generation can salute them for being the child of nation

and follow peace.It is viewed in a way that they have sacrificed
their lhfe with a cause to save nation and its people.
The ethical argument for sharıng image of them is it can affect
the family members emotional feelings of lossing a member
among them But when it comes as a spectator the dead soldiers
can be honoured only by this way and taking in favour of it is
good where these martvr stands as a role model for others. BIt
is equally important to understand the feelings of the family to
make it personal or public.
Read about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
here: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Tomb-of-the-
Unknown-Soldier
and review the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bnR0ypnGms
What is the purpose of this tomb and other war memorials?
What do you think inspires people to visit even in inclimate
weather? Why is the tomb guarded? What do you make of the
ceremony around the changing of the guard?
Post 1
The purpose of this tomb and other war memorials is to honor
those who have died by protecting our freedom and values of
our country. Inscribed on the back of the tomb is, "Here rests in
honored glory an American soldier but known to God." The
purpose of this tomb specifically is to honor those who fought
for our country in WWI and were unidentified in combat. This
memorial is to honor all of those who are unidentified and
fought to protect our freedoms. This memorial is very inspiring
to visit, even in inclement weather because it shows how much
people care and value all of the unknown soldiers who fought
for their country. This tomb is guarded in order to protect the
tomb from damage or disrespect from the public. I think the
ceremony of changing the guard is a very honorable practice.
When I was reading up on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

website about how they change the guard, it talked about the big
honor and commitment one has to protect the tomb. If you are
picked to guard the tomb, that is a great honor to have.
Post 1
The purpose of this tomb is to honor individuals who fought in
WWI and were unable to be identified after their death. Usually
the purpose of any war memorial is to honor those who served
and protected our country. I believe individuals visit the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier in non ideal weather because it is an
important historical memorial in U.S. history. Many individuals
like to go at least once in their lives to pay respects to those
who fought for our country. It is no different than individuals
going to New York and visiting the twin towers memorial. This
tomb can be very moving for individuals to visit no matter what
the weather may be and for some it is once in a lifetime event to
watch the ceremony around the changing of the guard. I view
this ceremony as a very honorable task to be able to guard such
an important monument in U.S. history. This tomb is guarded so
it can be honored and respected as it should be. Without it being
guarded the general public could easily vandalize and disrespect
this tomb.
Watch this clip of actor/director Russell Crowe describing the
film The Water Diviner, about a man who returns to the battle
field of Gallipoli to find the remains of his sons who were lost
in the battle. Then watch this short clip from the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EHj-3fjobI#action=share
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSnIQ-eI1UM#action=share
What role do media play in shaping our views of war and of
death caused by war? What responsibility (and to whom) do
media have in portraying war? What responsibility does a
country/military have in relation to the "enemy" war dead?
What, do you think, would motivate a man to travel across the
world in search of the remains of his lost sons?
Post 1

I believe media plays a huge role in shaping our views of war
and death caused by war. Unless one has a family member who
has been involved in a war and experienced it first hand, all we
have as a society is the way the media portrays what war and
death caused by war is like. There are so many war movies that
involve the experience of losing someone. The media portrays
war as bloody and a horrible thing and there are always people
dying. Media has a big responsibility in how war is portrayed
because over half of us will never experience what it is like to
ever lose someone due to war or experience war itself. I believe
that the military has the responsiblity to respect the "enemy"
war dead because we would expect and want the same. I think
the fact of not knowing would motivate a man to travel across
the world. As much as seeing your children dead, I think he
traveled all that way to hopefully find answers. I think he also
was motivated because he needed closure and seeing them one
last time would give him that.
Post 1
Media plays a huge role in shaping our views of war and death
caused by war. I don' think the media has any responsibility to
portray the war because they don't know what it is like in war.
Many soldiers will get mad at war videos because the people
making the films mostly have never been to war and they treat it
like its entertaining. I think love, passion, and respect will
motivate a man to travel across the world to search for the
remains of his lost sons. People will do anything for those 3
things and I think I would do the same thing if I had a son. I
would probably do the same thing if it was for one of my family
members because I would want them to be home where they
belong and buried to show respect for them.
#36363 Topic: SOC 203 Social Problems
Number of Pages: 2 (Double Spaced)
Number of sources: 2

Writing Style: APA
Type of document: Essay
Academic Level:Undergraduate
Category: Sociology
Language Style: English (U.S.)
Order Instructions: ATTACHED
Week 3 - Discussion
Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and
you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates.
Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and
the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum
Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on
how your discussion will be evaluated.
The Changing Face of the War on Drugs in the U.S.
Drug abuse has been defined as a significant social problem.
This discussion provides an opportunity to examine this
problem as well as the ways in which our reliance on
punishment as a solution to drug abuse has changed over the
years, given the different populations now impacted by the
problem.

For this discussion, review the following resources:
Race, poverty and punishment: The impact of criminal sanctions
on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequality
Opiate Addiction: Sociologists Construct Distinct Profiles For
Heroin And Prescription Painkiller Users
War on Drugs Failure Gives Way To Treatment in States, Cities
Race, poverty and punishment: The impact of criminal sanctions
on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequality
When Addiction has a White Face
Recommended: Chasing Heroin (for transcript click here)
After reviewing the required resources for this discussion,
please address each of the following:
How has the issue of drug addiction and the ‘war on drugs’
changed over the past 20 years? In particular, how have the
populations impacted by drugs changed?
Is drug addiction treated as a crime or as a medical issue in our
society? In your informed opinion, which should it be? Defend
your answer using the resources provided.
In your informed opinion, what do you think is the best course
of action to address the drug addiction epidemic in the U.S.?
Should it differ by which drug is being abused? Should it differ

by the population using the drugs?
Drug addiction is increasingly impacting whites, women, and
middle/upper class people. How have these changes impacted
the social construction of drug addiction in our society? In other
words, how have these changes impacted the ways in which
drug abuse is or is not criminalized and how it is treated by the
criminal justice system?
Your initial post should be at least 500 words in length. Support
your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or
other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Several topics are possible in this discussion, with some of you
focusing on the first points while others are more interested in
topics listed later in the list.
LINK BELOW :
http://npc.umich.edu/publications/workingpaper06/paper15/wor
king_paper06-15.pdf
http://www.medicaldaily.com/opiate-addiction-sociologists-
construct-distinct-profiles-heroin-and-prescription-348938
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/22/war-on-drugs-
treatment_n_3792445.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/opinion/when-addiction-
has-a-white-face.html?_r=0
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/chasing-heroin/
Required Resources

Korgen, K. & Furst, G. (2012). Social problems: Causes &
responses [Electronic version]. Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 6 – Violence as a Social Problem
Chapter 7 – Crime and Substance Abuse
Articles
Knafo, S. (2013, August 22). War on drugs failure gives way to
treatment in states, cities. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/22/war-on-drugs-
treatment_n_3792445.html
(In order to complete this week’s discussion, “The Changing
Face of the War on Drugs in the U.S.,” read this article that
discusses the ways that the criminalization of drug addiction has
changed.)
Scutti, S. (2015, August 21). Opiate addiction: Sociologists
construct distinct profiles for heroin and prescription painkiller
users. Retrieved from http://www.medicaldaily.com/opiate-
addiction-sociologists-construct-distinct-profiles-heroin-and-
prescription-348938
discusses how the populations impacted by drug addiction have
changed.)

Wheelock, D. & Uggen, C. (2006). Race, poverty and
punishment: The impact of criminal sanctions on racial, ethnic,
and socioeconomic inequality. Working Papers: National
Poverty Center. Retrieved from
http://npc.umich.edu/publications/workingpaper06/paper15/wor
king_paper06-15.pdf
(In order to complete this week’s assignment, “The
Interconnection of Social Problems,” read this article that
discusses the impact of criminal sanctions on racial and gender
inequality.)
Yankah, E. (2016, February 9). When addiction has a white
face. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/opinion/when-addiction-
has-a-white-face.html?_r=0
discusses how the populations impacted by drug addiction have
changed.)
Multimedia
University of Notre Dame. (1999). War on Drugs Dramatically
Increases Prison Population [Video]. In Life Behind Bars.
Retrieved from the Films on Demand database.
Face of the War on Drugs in the U.S,” watch the video that
discusses the social and financial costs of the War on Drugs.)
Recommended Resources

Multimedia
Gaviria, M. (2016, February 23). Chasing heroin [Video].
Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/chasing-
heroin/
(Watching this video may help you successfully complete this
week’s discussion, “The Changing Face of the War on Drugs in
the U.S.” )
Page 6 the book:
6.1 Why Violence Is a Social Problem
The World Health Organization (WHO), an international
agency, defines violence as "the intentional use of physical
force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, or another
person, or against a group or community, that either results in
or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death,
psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation" (World
Health Organization, 2002). The WHO's definition qualifies
violence as a social problem—as described in Chapter 1—in
that it represents a global social pattern from which millions of
people worldwide suffer. In the United States alone, violence
leads to about 51,000 deaths per year, while globally, violence
accounts for about 1.5 million deaths per year.

In addition to death, violence results in injury, psychological
trauma, and neglect at every level of society, including those in
power. As the examples in this chapter's introduction
illustrated, violence occurs in many contexts—including those
most intimate to perpetrators and their victims. Due to its
variances and widespread affects, curbing violence as a social
problem often perplexes lawmakers, enforcers, and social
scientists. Yet, there are many community services, social
programs, and legislative initiatives aimed at both preventing
and limiting the amount of violence experienced by both local
and global communities.
6.2 Violence Within Families
Young child holding a doll sees parents downstairs fighting.
Sturti/Vetta/Getty Images
Violence within families can take several forms and is a
prevalent social problem in the United States.
Violence at home and within families is a pervasive social
problem that is prevalent in the United States. This type of
violence is alternatively called family violence or domestic
violence. We can consider several forms of violence in this
category, including child maltreatment, elder abuse, sibling
abuse, and intimate partner or spousal abuse. Family violence
tends to differ from other crimes because it is usually not a
sudden or isolated incident. Instead, it is a frightening cycle of
events that unfold over time with escalating psychological and
physical trauma outcomes. Without intervention, family
violence often becomes more frequent and gets worse rather
than better over time.

Researchers have identified a long list of correlates, causes, and
markers of family violence including alcoholism and drinking
(Hirschel & Hutchison, 2011), pressures at work (Fox, Fonesca,
& Bao, 2011), violence previously inflicted upon the
perpetrator, and a number of personal traits and characteristics
of both victims and offenders. Specifically, D. G. Dutton and R.
P. Kropp (2000) explored factors such as antisocial behaviors
and attitudes; relational stability; employment stability; mental
health and personality disorders; motivation toward treatment;
and overall attitudes toward women, children, and the elderly.
While some researchers examine situational factors and internal
states of abusers and victims, others use overt behaviors as
markers—including animal abuse (McPhedran, 2009); threats of
homicide or suicide, ownership of or access to weapons,
displaying dependence on intimate others, escalation of reckless
behavior, and hostage taking (Hilton, Harris, & Rice, 2001). In
this section, we will examine the most prevalent types of family
violence—child maltreatment, elder and parent abuse, sibling
abuse, and intimate partner violence.
Child Maltreatment: Physical and Sexual Abuse
Child maltreatment includes any type of violence or neglect
related to a child under the age of 18 by a parent, family
member, or anyone serving in a custodial role (such as a
teacher, coach, or minister). Child maltreatment typically takes
four forms: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and
neglect. Although the most common form of child maltreatment
is neglect—the caregiver's failure to provide adequate attention
and supervision, food and nutrition, medical care, and a safe
and clean living environment—for this chapter on violence as a

social problem, we will focus on physical and sexual abuse.
Girl sitting in a corner clasping her hands around her legs,
resting her head on her knees, and a rag doll is across from her.
Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock
Child abuse contributes to other social problems.
Child physical and sexual violence is a widespread problem
with far-reaching societal costs. State and local agencies
process more than 3 million reports of child maltreatment each
year in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, and
Families, 2008). More than 84 children are treated for injuries
related to violence in U.S. emergency departments every hour
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center
for Injury Prevention and Control, 2011). However, violence
and sexual abuse against children are underreported crimes, and
these figures do not reflect the reality of this social problem.
Childhood maltreatment of any type negatively impacts victims'
self-perception and often results in adult dysfunctional
submissive behavior (avoiding speaking up for oneself or
getting one's own needs met when they compete with another's
needs) (Berber & Odaci, 2012). In other words, children who
are maltreated often interact in their adult relationships from a
place of poor self-perception and self-concept, and as a result
do little to get their own needs met. Instead, they submit to the
needs and wishes of others, making them targets for continued
mistreatment and abuse if they become involved with the type
of individual that is likely to exploit them.

The problem of child abuse contributes to the incidence of other
social problems as well. For example, there is a high rate of
substance abuse among children that have experienced
maltreatment at home (Singh, Thornton, Tonmyr, 2011). In
addition, research indicates that youth that have experienced
violence are more likely than those who haven't to perpetrate
violence on others later in life and to become juvenile or adult
criminal offenders (Widom & Maxfield, 2001). In other words,
violence becomes a learned problem-solving technique that is
transmitted from one generation to the next in a phenomenon
known as the cycle of violence.
Victims of sexual abuse experience lowered self-esteem,
withdrawal, suicidal ideations, adult sexual dysfunction, and
lack of trust in adults as outcomes (American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2011a). Further, there is some
disturbing evidence of an interrelationship among childhood
sexual abuse, compulsive sexual behavior, depression, intimate
partner violence, and drug use among adults (Parsons, Grov, &
Golub, 2012). In other words, childhood sexual abuse may lead
to a complex interaction of individual and social problems.
Clearly, violence and sexual abuse targeted at children are
pervasive problems that come with a variety of negative social
costs.
A Closer Look: How Do Societal and Personal Problems
Interact to Result in Child Abuse?
In post-Katrina New Orleans the problem of parental drug use

and child abuse is growing. As more parents use drugs, more
children are abused, and little help is available to anyone.
Watch this video and consider the link between the two.
Consider the complexity of this particular problem. Although
it's easy to blame the outcome on irresponsible parenting, what
social problems are contributing to these parents' neglect and
physical violence toward their children? Would providing more
resources to these parents help prevent the current cycle of both
drug and child abuse? What resources could turn this around?
Who is victimized? Children in the age group of birth to one
year have the highest rate of victimization. Boys and girls
appear to be victimized at approximately the same rate; and the
largest numbers of abused children are white (41.5%), followed
by Hispanic (20.8%) and African American (16.6%) (U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS],
Administration of Children and Families, 2012). Sexual abuse
of children is one of the most underreported forms of child
maltreatment, because children are fearful of telling anyone
about incidents of sexual abuse; further, some experts maintain
that the process of validating reports of sexual abuse is
cumbersome and potentially unreliable (American Academy of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2011a).
Who commits violence against children? Perpetrators of
physical violence are most often the parents of the victim, and
parents most likely to abuse their children are poor or
unemployed, have experienced abuse themselves, and/or lack
basic parenting skills and understanding of child development

(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration on Children and Families, 2008). Recently,
researchers examining the predictors and correlates to child
abuse have focused on mothers with mental health issues
(Westad & McConnell, 2012); parenting stress, high
expectations for a child's maturity and ability, and the
attributions parents make about the intentionality of a child's
misbehavior (Haskett, Scott, Grant, Ward, & Robinson, 2003);
young parents, parental substance abuse, and lack of a support
system (Fallon, Ma, Black, & Wekerle, 2011).
Characteristics of sexual abusers are much more difficult to
isolate than those of physical offenders. Children are victimized
by immediate and extended family members as well as by
individuals outside of the family such as school personnel,
babysitters, and coaches; however, parents and family members
remain the most likely offenders (Pennsylvania Child Welfare
Training Program, 2012). There is no profile of adults that
commit sexual violence against children; they represent every
socioeconomic status, occupation, education level, and
ethnicity. Males are responsible for about 90% of sexual
assaults against children, and most do not have criminal
backgrounds. Although females are responsible for fewer than
10% of these crimes overall, they are responsible for the
majority of offenses committed against children under the age
of six (Snyder, 2000).
A Closer Look: A High Profile Case of Sexual Abuse
In November 2011, former Penn State University assistant
football coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested on charges of child
molestation. Prosecutors allege that Sandusky preyed on young

boys affiliated with his charitable organization he had
established in 1977 to support and mentor at-risk youth. Within
days of Sandusky's arrest, the Penn State board of trustees
terminated the president of the renowned university as well as
the beloved head coach of the football team, Joe Paterno.
Although we caution you that the contents of the indictment
against Sandusky are graphic and disturbing, consider reading
the document here.
Consider the wide range of victims. Who is directly, and who is
indirectly affected? Assess the far-reaching prices that people
and institutions are paying for the alleged offenses described.
What are the consequences associated with child maltreatment
in general and sexual abuse in particular, and what are their
unforeseen costs?
Elder, Parent, and Sibling Abuse
Although child maltreatment is a clear and serious social
problem, other forms of violence occur at home and within
families—including adults that abuse their elderly parents or
grandparents, children abusing their parents, and siblings
engaging in violent behavior with one another.
A pair of young hands clasping an older pair of hands in
comfort.
iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Elder abuse is an underreported crime.

Elder abuse is a growing social problem that involves sexual or
physical violence, neglect, and abandonment, and financial
exploitation against older people. There are three broad
categories of elder abuse: domestic (that which occurs in and
around the home, typically perpetrated by family members or
friends responsible for the elder's care), institutional (abuse that
occurs in care facilities), and self-neglect or abuse. Like child
abuse, elder abuse is an underreported crime; only about one in
14 cases (excluding cases of self-neglect) are brought to the
attention of authorities (Pillemer & Finkelhor, 1988). About a
half million cases of elder abuse are reported each year
(National Center on Elder Abuse, 2003), with women being
reported as victims more often than men. There are no other
clear patterns of who is abused; the problem touches all
geographic areas, ethnic, and religious groups.
Why do people abuse the vulnerable elderly? Often, abusers
have personal problems such as alcoholism and drug abuse,
legal issues, or mental illness (Amstadter, Cisler, McCauley,
Hernandez, Muzzy, & Acierno, 2011) and are dependent on the
persons for whom they care. They use violence as a means to
induce their victims' compliance. For example, the man
convicted of elder abuse that we introduced you to in the
opening of this chapter had a suspended driver's license and was
dependent on his grandmother for rides. Second, experts
attribute some elder abuse to caregiver stress. Those family
members, friends, or even professionals responsible for
providing significant care to older adults may experience
frustration, burnout, and depression—and take out their burden
in dysfunctional ways on the elder (National Center on Elder
Abuse, 2002). Another theory of why people mistreat the
elderly is related to the cycle of violence discussed earlier in
this chapter: Elders that abused their own children are more

likely to be abused in their later years by family members. And
there appears to be some association between the nature of the
elder's condition and the likelihood of abuse—with dementia
being a primary correlate (Fitzpatrick & Hamill, 2011).
Conversely, elders with strong cognitive functioning and social
skills are less likely to be abused or exploited (Pinsker,
McFarland, & Pachana, 2010).
Closely related to the problem of elder abuse is parent abuse,
which is any act of a child intended to cause physical,
psychological, or financial harm to a parent (Cottrell, 2001).
Even young, healthy parents are victimized by their children's
violent behavior. Physical abuse toward parents may take the
form of hitting, kicking, shoving, or use of a weapon to
intimidate, injure, or kill the parent. Boys and girls both
perpetrate violence against their parents—by some estimates,
with similar frequency. However, children larger in size tend to
be viewed as more abusive than smaller ones. And, like other
forms of domestic violence, elder abuse appears to be correlated
with the perpetrator's substance abuse and criminal activity
(Cottrell, 2001). Mothers tend to be abused more often than
fathers, and the majority of reported parent abuse cases occur in
single parent families. The impact of any type of family
violence is clear and severe, and cases of children abusing their
parents are no exception. This type of violence results in
extreme shame, isolation, depression, and frequently, problems
for the victimized parent at work (Holt, 2009).
Sibling abuse, the infliction of physical, sexual, or emotional
harm on a brother or sister, may represent the most prevalent
form of violence in families (Eriksen & Jensen, 2009). Among
cases reported in a national study with a representative sample,

14% of children were repeatedly physically attacked by a
sibling; 5% hit hard enough to result in bruises, cuts, broken
teeth, and broken bones; and 2% were hit with objects such as
rocks, toys, shovels, and knives (Finkelhor, Turner, & Ormrod,
2006). An aspect of this social problem worthy of attention is
that sibling violence is often thought of as "kids just horsing
around" or the result of common sibling rivalry—and it is often
not considered a severe issue with serious implications. In
addition to the physical harm caused by sibling violence, David
Finkelhor, et al.'s research indicates that there are severe
emotional impacts as well, including anxiety and depression,
sleeplessness, thoughts of suicide or harming others, and fears
of the dark.
Intimate Partner Violence
Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to actual or threatened
violent crimes against people by their current or former
spouses, cohabiting partners, boyfriends, or girlfriends.
Although some of us may tend to think of intimate relationships
as a source of comfort, safety, and happiness, others experience
extreme violence in their closest relationships. Women tend to
be victimized more often than men by both same- and opposite-
sex partners; 3 in 10 women and 1 in 10 men in the United
States have been raped, physically injured, or stalked by a
partner (Black, Basile, Breiding, Merrick, Chen, & Stevens,
2011). IPV results in close to 3,000 deaths annually; 70% of
these deaths are women (Department of Justice, Bureau of
Justice Statistics, 2011). Although most IPV research focuses
on heterosexual couples, the problem is evident among same-
sex partners as well. According to 2011 data from the
Department of Justice same-sex cohabitating female and male
couples actually experience more violence than opposite-sex
couples, but as in opposite-sex relationships, males remain the

most likely perpetrators of violence among same-sex
partnerships.
Moreover, we know that all racial minorities experience more
IPV than White persons (U.S. Department of Justice, 2000).
Among ethnic minorities living in the United States, American
Indian/Alaska Native women report more violence than any
other group, and Asian/Pacific Islander women report less abuse
of any kind. There appears to be no difference between the
frequency of abuse reported by Hispanic individuals and non-
Hispanics non-Whites, but Hispanic women are more likely than
non-Hispanic non-White women to report rape by a partner.
A Closer Look: How to Recognize Intimate Partner Violence
Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) may not realize they
are being abused until it is too late. It is common to make
excuses for abusers, especially if they apologize after incidents.
However, abusers often have negative behaviors early on that
indicate abuse may occur at some point. Review the checklist of
characteristics of abusers found here and be able to recognize
red flags.
Consider the characteristics of an abuser. Do you know anyone
who displays any red flag characteris-tics? What would you do
if a friend confided that he or she was the victim of IPV?
Risk factors associated with IPV strongly suggest a variation on

the cycle of violence effect that we previously discussed.
Women and men that were physically assaulted as children are
not only more likely to perpetrate abuse on others but also are
more likely to report being victimized by physical abuse (U.S.
Department of Justice, 2000). In other words, people who were
mistreated as children accept this form of treatment and are
tolerant of violence and abuse in their later-life intimate
relationships. Unmarried women are at greater risk for IPV than
married ones, but the same does not seem to be true for men.
Controlling behavior, coupled with verbal and/or emotional
abuse by the perpetrator, is the strongest predictor of violence
toward women in intimate partnerships. Status disparities also
contribute to the risk of IPV in opposite sex couples. For
example, women with higher levels of education than their male
partners are more likely to be abused than women in
relationships with men of the same or higher educational
attainment. Finally, a growing social concern is the high
incidence of intimate partner aggression, which often leads to
violence, among Afghan and Iraqi war veterans suffering from
posttraumatic stress disorder (Teten, Schumacher, Taft, Stanley,
Kent, Bailey, Dunn, & White, 2010).
Woman with bruise marks on her face looking at her reflection
in a mirror.
iStockphoto/Thinkstock Photos
Women are more often victims of intimate partner violence.
IPV results in severe negative consequences at the individual
and societal levels. Injury and costly medical treatment are
some of the more serious consequences commonly associated
with domestic abuse. However, research also indicates that
victims in abusive partnerships have difficulty maintaining

stable employment (Crowne, Juon, Ensminger, Burrell,
McFarlane, & Duggan, 2011). Abused partners sometimes
experience depression, extreme parenting stress, anxiety,
disruptive behavior disorders, substance abuse, and psychiatric
disorders at higher rates than people in nonviolent relationships
(Affifi, MacMillan, Cox, Asmundson, Stein, & Sareen, 2009).
In summary, violence in the home is a serious social problem.
We have reviewed the most common types of domestic violence:
physical and sexual abuse of children by parents and custodial
adults, elder and parent abuse, sibling abuse, and intimate
partner violence. Further, you now know some of the factors
associated with these disturbing types of violence and a range
of negative consequences resulting from family violence.
Although our closest and intimate relationships should be safe,
reassuring ones, the data we've reviewed and discussed here
indicate that, unfortunately, for many people in society, they are
not. Now, we turn to a discussion of violence perpetrated
outside the home—in the workplace, in the community, online,
and more globally.
6.3 Violence in the Workplace
Workplace violence is any act or threat of real violence,
harassment, intimidation, or any other threatening, disruptive
behavior that occurs at work. Workplace violence takes the form
of threats, physical assault, and even homicide. It affects and
involves employees, clients, customers, and visitors to
workplaces. It may result from random acts by outsiders (for
example, in the course of a robbery) or as a result of internal
disputes among employees or between employees and outsiders.
For example, recall the Immigration and Customs Enforcement

agent you read about in the introduction to this chapter that
opened fire on his supervisor during a performance appraisal.
However, workplace violence is not always related to actual
work issues. For example, in October 2011, eight customers and
employees of a beauty salon in Seal Beach, California, were
fatally wounded when the ex-husband of one of the stylists went
on a shooting rampage after being denied custody of the
couple's son. The news account of this tragedy found here offers
some illustration about how the ongoing nature of family
violence can affect the workplace.
Nearly 2 million Americans report being victims of workplace
violence every year, and in 2010, 506 homicides were related to
workplace violence (United States Department of Labor,
Occupational Health and Safety Administration, 2012). Like all
other forms of violence, the problem often goes unreported out
of fear for escalated violence. The after-effects of workplace
violence cost U.S. businesses an estimated $36 billion a year for
things like medical and psychiatric care, lost business and
productivity, repairs and cleanup, higher insurance rates, and
increased security costs. Of course, there is no dollar amount
that can be placed on human lives that are injured or taken as a
result of workplace violence. Next, let's think about the causes
and correlates of the workplace violence epidemic.
A Closer Look: Recognizing the Potential for Workplace
Violence
Individuals who are likely to commit violence in the workplace
often give off warning signs before acting out. If red flags are
noticed and reported, fewer workplace violence incidents might
occur. Workplace Violence Research Institute studied hundreds

of incidents to determine warning signs that someone might be
at risk for committing violence in the workplace. Researchers at
the institute have compiled a list of pre-violence indicators.
Read the signs here: https://www.rose-
hulman.edu/media/1268875/RESPECT-Pre-
IncidentIndicators24Jun09.pdf .
Next, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydRVWdCTc0E&feature=rel
ated.
How do social issues unrelated to work exacerbate workplace
aggression? In what ways might the communication patterns and
technologies that people rely on in the workplace contribute to
dys-functional or violent behavior? Consider whether you have
ever witnessed any of these indicators in coworkers, classmates,
or yourself. While these signs may be helpful in preventing
violence in the workplace, could they lead to false accusations
or stereotyping of coworkers?
As the experts in the video in "A Closer Look: Recognizing the
Potential for Workplace Violence" suggested, a wide range of
factors can lead to workplace violence. In addition to some of
the correlates discussed in the video, there is also some
evidence that these work-related circumstances might contribute
to the problem:
Exchanging money with the public

Working with people that suffer from mental illness, substance
addiction or abuse problems, or volatile and disruptive behavior
disorders
Working alone, in isolated areas, or in locations with high crime
rates
Providing services and care to others
Working where alcohol is served or consumed
OSHA has identified several jobs that carry high risk for
violence: delivery drivers, health care professionals, public
service employees, customer service agents, and law
enforcement personnel.
6.4 Violence in Communities
Although community violence tends to be linked with urban
areas such as South Central Los Angeles, New York City, or
Miami Beach where drug trade influences incidences of violent
crime, violence strikes communities large and small, in all
regions. For example, an organization known as CeaseFire in
the small community of Rockford, Illinois, promotes
nonviolence in response to an escalated incidence of shootings
and gang-related violence in that city (WIFR, 2012). Such
community violence affects children, adults, and the elderly and
is defined as exposure to acts of interpersonal violence
committed by individuals that are not intimately related to the
victim (National Center for Children Exposed to Violence,
2012). Typical examples of community violence include sexual
assault, homicide, use of weapons, muggings, the sounds of
gunshots, hate crimes, property crimes, and issues such as the

presence of criminal gangs, drugs, and racial tension.
Although crime rates in the United States overall tend to have
fallen over the past 20 years, these issues represent serious
social problems when they occur with any frequency. Gun
violence, for instance, claims the lives of more than 30,000
people in the United States annually. According to the FBI, in
the United States in 2010, the two most violent communities
were Los Angeles (with close to 4 million violent crimes
reported) and New York (over 8 million reported). In 2009,
81,820 rapes were reported as either attempted or committed in
the United States; and in 2008, there were over 16,000 murders
(U.S. Census, 2012c). In 2010, over 10 million incidents of
property crime were reported in the United States, resulting in
losses of over $15 billion (FBI, 2012). Although some of these
statistics include reports of domestic violence, violence of any
type has a negative impact on the vitality of our communities.
Particularly serious community violence problems that are
distinguished from domestic violence involve hate crimes,
murder, rape, and gang activity.
Amish man with beard wearing a straw hat stands among a
group of other Amish men wearing straw hats.
Richard Ellis/Getty Images
Twelve men were charged with hate crimes, which are
motivated by biases, in the "Amish beard-cutting attacks."
Violent Hate Crimes
Also known as bias-motivated violence, hate crimes take place

when an offender targets a victim because of his or her
membership in a particular social group, such as a racial group,
religion, sexual orientation, gender identification, disability,
ethnicity, nationality, age, sex, social status, or political
affiliation. (Hate crimes are discussed as they relate to sexual
orientation in Chapter 5). Hate crimes are not new; Ku Klux
Klan activities in the Southern United States in the late 1800s
and early 1900s represent an early example of organized, and
often violent, bias-motivated community activity. More
recently, in 2011, 12 men were arrested in the so-called "Amish
beard-cutting attacks" and charged with hate crimes for
committing an act considered deeply offensive within the Amish
community against individuals with whom they disagreed on
fundamental religious issues (Associated Press, 2012). In
another example, three "Occupy Oakland" protesters were
arrested in Oakland, California, and charged with a hate crime
after they physically assaulted a woman and made vulgar
references about her sexual orientation when she told them not
to protest in her neighborhood (NBC, 2012). And, recently,
there is a growing focus on violent hate crimes toward the
elderly (Beckford, 2012).
The Internet and widespread use of social media have given rise
to new forms of hate crimes such as electronic aggression (the
use of technology to harass, threaten, target, or embarrass
another person) and digital spying. Although very little research
has been conducted on cyber-harassment, experts indicate that it
is often a precursor to violent behavior, especially among young
people (Hemphill, 2012). For instance, a former Rutgers
University student was convicted of bias intimidation against
his gay roommate, who committed suicide days after he
discovered his roommate was using digital equipment to record
his sexual activities (Glaberson, 2012).

A Closer Look: Hate Crimes
The events of September 11, 2011, contributed to an increase in
hate crimes against Muslims around the world and especially in
the United States. In the first year after the September 11
attacks, anti-Islamic hate crimes in the United States rose more
than 1,000%. Read a report on hate crimes against Muslims
between September 11, 2001, and October 11, 2002, here:
http://www.mbda.gov/sites/default/files/September_11_Backlas
h.pdf, and then read a more recent article on hate crimes against
Muslims here.
How has post-9/11 anti-Muslim and anti-Arab backlash and
discrimination affected local and global communities? How are
hate crimes related to fear and/or ignorance? Why do some
individuals and groups believe that violence directed at
Muslims, as a form of revenge, is acceptable more than a decade
after 9/11? What efforts are being made to smooth over tensions
between Muslims and other religious communities in the United
States?
Murder
Murder is the unlawful premeditated killing of another human
being, distinguished from other types of criminal homicides in
which premeditation is absent (such as manslaughter or self
defense). Murder is generally considered one of the most
serious of societal crimes for a range of reasons—from the
nature of the violence associated with the commission of murder
to the enormous grief and other negative impacts that murders

have on surviving community members. Poverty,
unemployment, drug use, and closure of major employers all
tend to coexist with elevated murder rates; however, it is
difficult to establish whether these factors cause the problem or
simply coexist with the problem. Murder rates in America are
highest in urban African American communities and in the
Southern United States (Schneider, 2009) and in communities
where poverty and unemployment are high. For example, once-
thriving industrial U.S. cities like Gary, Indiana; Youngstown,
Ohio; and Camden, New Jersey, far outpace the national
average for murder—a newspaper columnist from Youngstown
observed that "if people were murdered [here] at the national
average, the city would have met its annual quota for homicides
one cold night in January" (de Souza, 2007). Indeed,
sociologists have identified income inequality as a primary
correlate of community murder rates. The greater the disparity,
the higher community murder rates tend to be (Babones, 2008).
Additionally, murder rates are higher in communities with
higher than average rates of drug use (Palermo, Smith, DiMotto,
& Christopher, 1992). We also know that murder is a highly
gendered form of violent crime, with male offender/male victim
homicides accounting for 63% of all cases. But these
generalizations, based on data reported to federal agencies by
community organizations and law enforcement agencies, do not
explain all murders that occur in our communities.
Sexual Assault and Rape
Sexual assault is a sexual act committed on another person
without his or her consent. Examples of sexual assault include
inappropriate touching and forced kissing. One particularly
violent form of sexual assault is rape, the instance of forced
oral, vaginal, or anal penetration without the victim's consent.
All forms of sexual violence represent serious community

problems that threaten the security of men, women, and
children. In this section, we are referring to sexual violence
committed by and against adults over the age of 18; child sexual
abuse was discussed earlier in this chapter.
Victims of rape may be either male or female; however, the
FBI's definition of rape was only updated to include male
victims in early 2012 (Johnson, 2012). For this reason, many
experts believe that rape statistics have underestimated the
scope of the problem for decades—but agree that more women
than men are victimized by sexual violence and rape. According
to U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics, 99% of rape perpetrators are
male, and 91% of victims are female.
Individuals may be raped by those familiar to them, as in cases
of date rape or even by their spouses and partners, or by
strangers. However, most perpetrators of adult sexual violence
are known to their victims (National Institute of Justice, 2012).
Like all violent crimes, rape is underreported, and some groups
such as the American Medical Association believe that it is the
most underreported. The FBI estimates that about 8% of
reported rapes and sexual assaults in the United States are
unfounded. Researchers have discovered some general risk
factors for rape. However, like those associated with murder,
these variables should be read with caution. People of all
economic levels, educational background, ethnicities, and
geographic location are at risk. First, adult alcohol dependence
and heavy alcohol use or binge drinking are common risk
factors, based on analysis of previous cases with both male and
female victims (Martino, Collins, & Ellickson, 2004). Victim
marijuana use may be another potent correlate. Further, there is
some evidence that women who were sexually abused before the

age of 12 and then again between the ages of 13 and 17 are at
much greater risk for sexual violence than other women (Siegel
& Williams, 2001). Moreover, women who are sexually active
as children and those with at least one alcoholic parent are at
risk.
Rape and sexual violence victims are at high risk for mental
health problems and emotional problems. These may include
acute stress disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder (Elklit &
Christiansen, 2010), depression and depressive symptoms
(Gelaye, Arnold, Williams, Goshu, & Berhane, 2009), fear,
guilt, feelings of powerlessness in all aspects of their lives,
inability to trust others, mood swings, and diminished
satisfaction with their personal relationships. Additionally, they
experience physical health symptoms including trauma, skeletal
muscle tension, illnesses of the reproductive system, sleep
disorders, gastrointestinal distress, and diminished sexual
performance (Hewitt, 1980). Rape victims are at heightened risk
for revictimization.
A Closer Look: Is Violence Against Women Rooted in Gender
Socialization?
In this dynamic talk given at TEDWomen
http://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men.html,
Tony Porter makes some compelling and sometimes entertaining
arguments about the ways in which men are socialized into "the
man box," or social norms for men. He goes on to discuss the
darker side of masculine socialization and its relationship to
violence against women. Porter makes a direct correlation
between gender norms and violence, especially sexual violence.

How is the prevalence of "the man box" evidenced in our
society? Do you think there is a "woman box" that has
contributed to flaws in the socialization of women? To what
extent do you believe that gender socialization is related to the
rape and sexual violence problem in America?
Gang Violence
Los Angeles Police gang unit official searches a car that
belongs to the group of suspected gang members who are
standing nearby with their hands clasped behind their backs.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
Some communities do not want to acknowledge gang problems
publicly.
The gang violence problem in America's communities is heavily
related to the lingering and pervasive problem of racial tension
and divide. Most gangs are racially homogenous, or grouped by
race, such as black gangs (like the well-known Crips and Bloods
and their many offshoot groups), Hispanic gangs (for example,
the Mara Salvatrucha ("MS13"), Mexican Mafia, and Latin King
groups), White gangs (for example, the Aryan Brotherhood),
and Asian gangs (such as the Asian Boyz and Wah Ching
groups). Some are more heterogenous and focus on individual
member commitment to the gang's activities (for example, drug
trafficking) or hatred of another group (for example, White
supremacist groups). Although gangs are predominantly male in
membership by a 2:1 margin, females affiliate with organized
criminal enterprises as well.

Alternatively known as criminal gangs or street gangs, gangs
are self-formed groups of peers with mutual interests, clear
leadership and organization, which act collectively to achieve
group goals, usually including illegal activity and control of a
particular territory or enterprise (Miller, 1992). For example,
most gang activity is targeted toward generating revenue from
drug trade. However, gangs are involved in many forms of street
crime, including extortion, kidnapping, robbery, and theft. They
traffic drugs inside and outside the prison system, and gangs are
prevalent within U.S. prisons (Fleisher & Decker, 2001). Gangs
take over territories in communities under the guise of
providing protection for residents and business owners (usually
from the gang itself) and as a front for extorting money from
those they "protect" (Cantrell, 1992). About 8% of U.S. youth
affiliate with gangs by age 17, and that number is as high as
30% in larger cities and those labeled "gang-problem"
communities (National Gang Center, 2012). One byproduct of
gang activity is violence, often targeted toward innocent people
and property.
Identifying the true extent of gang violence and criminal
activities is difficult, because many communities do not want to
acknowledge publicly that they have gang problems. Thus,
police often do not label crimes as "gang-related" (National
Gang Center, 2012). Although the statistics vary according to
city, experts estimate that 70%–90% of all community violence
committed by adolescents and young adults is attributable to
gang membership (Thornberry, Huizinga, & Loeber, 2004). We
also know that violence toward community members is typically
associated with recruiting and initiating new gang members.
When violence is targeted toward innocent community
members, the implications of the social problem of organized

crime become quite prominent. For example, read this news
account of the violent crime spree reported during Buffalo, New
York's "gang initiation week" in 2010:
http://buffalonews.com/2010/07/30/violence-rules-during-
initiation-week/.
Researchers and law enforcement officials have isolated some
common risk factors for youth gang involvement (Howell &
Egley, 2005). Risk factors for gang membership and violence
include previous involvement in serious violence and
delinquency—particularly drug and alcohol abuse. Youths in
neighborhoods with gang presence and access to firearms and
drugs are more likely to join gangs than those who do not. Other
factors that seem to predispose young people to gang affiliation
and eventual violence include problematic relationships with
parents, poor family management or absent parents, poor school
performance and negative labeling by teachers, and association
with aggressive peers that engage in delinquency and that may
already be gang-affiliated. As with many social problems, the
red flags and risk factors tend to become more powerful as they
add up.
6.5 Global Violence
Global violence is a great paradox. Much of the world's
violence is committed as a measure to protect the lives,
securities, or freedoms of some individuals at the expense of
others. For example, the Armenian Genocide, which occurred in
post-World War I Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey), was
an effort to exterminate Armenians living in the Ottoman
Empire based on the premise that they were a threat to the
empire's security. In the 1990s and 2000s, the brutal Al-Qaeda–

affiliated Somalian militia Shebab has been accused of
brainwashing and training young suicide bombers as a way of
driving out international military presence in the African nation
intended to stabilize the war-torn region. And the war on
terrorism resulted in the loss of far more lives than were lost in
the trigger events—the World Trade Center and U.S. Pentagon
attacks on September 11, 2001. War and terrorism have been
among the world's most significant and consequential social
problems since the beginning of time.
War
War is an organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict
between or among states, nations, or other parties in pursuit of
some objective or objectives. War is characterized by extreme
social disruption, violence, and usually death rates within the
affected regions. The many wars that have affected the world
over the course of history are too numerous and complex to list
here, but several serve as prominent examples—World Wars I
and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam Conflict, and the most
recent war on terrorism and its related international military
presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Woman standing in remains of a destroyed home in a suburb of
Gaza City, Gaza Strip.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Conflicts over land or resources are the causes of some wars.
Some wars are caused by conflicts over land and similar
resources. For example, the long Israeli-Palestinian conflict

centers, in part, on the role of the contested West Bank and
Gaza Strip as locations for a Palestinian state. Oil-rich Kuwait
was seized by Iraq over this valuable resource in 1990. Other
wars are the result of differences in political ideologies; for
example, World War II was a contest of democracy versus
fascism. Racial, ethnic, and religious hostilities may give rise to
war as well. For instance, the September 11, 2001, attacks have
been blamed variably on an Islamic jihad (a type of holy war),
Islamic beliefs themselves, and Islamic fundamentalist zealots
that divide the world into "believers" and "nonbelievers"
(Williams, 2003). Other wars are civil or revolutionary in
nature; these involve citizens retaliating against their
governments with the objective of political, economic, and
social change. One recent high-profile example was the Libyan
Revolution, in which forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi
fought citizens seeking to overthrow his government.
Some wars are characterized by more violence than others. For
example, in a case brought to international attention by the
series of viral videos featured on YouTube in early 2012,
Joseph Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for
war crimes (violations of laws and treaties applicable during
armed conflicts), including abducting children to use as militia
fighters and sex slaves. Take a look at the follow-up of the
original Internet sensation spotlighting this violence here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=c
_Ue6REkeTA#!.
World War I, the most violent of all wars in history in terms of
death and injury, resulted in more than 15 million military and
civilian deaths worldwide, and more than 20 million injuries.
Other global conflicts are characterized by the threat of

violence and escalating military presence or power, but little
actual violence. For example, the Cold War was a state of
political tension and military and economic rivalry between the
United States and the former Soviet Union from the 1950s
through the 1980s. Although the conflict never resulted in a
violent war, it was the basis for extreme spending on military
preparedness and the development of nuclear armaments.
War is a social, economic, and environmental problem that
threatens, harms, and takes lives. War robs people of their
ability to work at making a living and siphons government
resources from more positive social causes such as education
and health care. Sociologists and other social scientists have
examined a wide range of social problems associated with war.
For instance, in one study of Palestinian and Israeli mothers and
their children, researchers found significant evidence of
depression, anxiety, aggression, and problems with mother-child
attachment security when exposed to political violence
(Guttmann-Steinmetz, Shoshani, Farhan, Aliman, &
Hirschberger, 2012).
More generally, time-series designed research (that which is
based on data collected over long periods) indicates that there is
a negative relationship between war-related expenditures and
the satisfaction of other social welfare needs in affected
countries. In other words, as war impacts regions, spending on
social welfare needs such as care for the aging and children,
health care, and education declines. And, as revealed in a study
by Kaufman (1983), the social development of even neutral
nations may suffer when surrounding countries are involved in
war. Similarly, in a study of Bosnian war refugees, Daiute and
Lucic (2010) observed lowered cultural development, critical

evaluations of others, and problems clarifying one's personal
identity among adolescents that escaped the worst violence. In a
simple but apt summary of the social consequences of war,
sociologists Carlton-Ford and Boop observed that "war
adversely affects life chances (i.e., economic well-being, food
production, and education) that are key to social and economic
development . . . these life chances, potentially, affect the most
basic life chance—mortality" (2010, p. 75).
Terrorism
Closely related to the social problem of war, terrorism is the
premeditated use of violence as a means of coercion with
disregard for the safety of civilians, typically with religious,
political, or ideological objectives. According to the U.S.
Department of State, terrorism is the greatest security threat in
the world. In 2010, there were more than 11,500 terrorist
attacks worldwide, and more than 8,000 of these resulted in
death or injury (2011b). Nearly 50,000 people were killed or
injured as a result of terrorism in 2010 alone. According to the
U.S. Department of State, the greatest terrorist threat comes
from the Al Qaeda network—a well-known group that aims to
overthrow "the existing world order and replace it with a
reactionary, authoritarian, transnational entity" (2011c).
Some examples of terrorism include state terrorism, which
occurs when a state uses force or threat of force to accomplish a
political goal. Nazi rule has been used as an example of this
type of terrorism. Sometimes state terrorism has international
social implications; for example, Iranian arms groups such as
Hizballah promote and support terrorism worldwide as a means
of carrying out Iran's foreign policy. Nuclear terrorism refers to

the use of nuclear materials in an attack; nuclear terrorists may
exploit nuclear power facilities and weapon storage arsenals. As
a result, in a 2009 address in the Czech Republic, U.S. President
Barack Obama declared "securing all vulnerable nuclear
material around the world" a top international priority (Embassy
of the United States).
Members of a biohazard team standing in front of the Hart
Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Toxic biological agents, such as anthrax spores, are sometimes
used as weapons.
A third type of terrorism is bioterrorism, which refers to the
intentional release of toxic biological agents with the intent of
harming others. For example, a letter sent to U.S. Senate
Majority Leader Tom Daschle in 2001 containing anthrax spores
killed two postal workers. Cyberterrorism includes any type of
attack on information technologies to intentionally disrupt
services, such as Internet connectivity or access to data. For
example, in March 2012, access to the websites of Britain's
Ministry of Justice, as well as the Prime Minister's office was
disrupted in a Denial of Service "hack." The group Anonymous
claimed responsibility. A final group of terrorist threats are
related to the concept of ecoterrorism—violence committed in
the interests of environmental concerns. The perpetrators
typically carry out such acts against individuals or industries
seen as harming animals or natural resources. For example, a
group known as Animal Liberation Front (ALF) has taken
responsibility for freeing animals from laboratories where they
were the subject of experiments, and even from pet owners
along with related property damage and destruction (Anti-

Defamation League [ADL], 2012). According to the ADL,
ecoterrorism groups have perpetrated arson, bombings,
harassment, vandalism, and animal release from owners.
Terrorism is rooted in multiple, complex causes. The U.S.
Department of State has identified a number of underlying
conditions, including communal conflicts, failed or weak states
unable to control terrorist groups, extreme religious or secular
ideologies, a history of political violence and civil wars,
repression by a foreign invader, mass racial or ethnic
discrimination. Even the presence of a charismatic leader has
been identified as an underlying cause of terrorism; those with
radical ideologies or agendas will be adept at gaining support.
Clearly, violence at home, in the workplace, in our
communities, and on the global stage are significant social
problems with high social costs. More than a few people are
affected by violence and the related issues we have defined
here, and violence threatens one of personhood's most basic
values—that of security. Although researchers have investigated
and found evidence of a number of causes and correlates to
various types and examples of violence, sociologists also have
used theoretical lenses to describe, explain, and predict violence
in society. In the next section, we will explore how several
important theories of sociology help illuminate the violence
problem. Subsequently, we will review how society is reacting
to this problem with potential solutions, and then examine how
select sociology scholarship might apply in the solution of
violence.
6.6 Theoretical Perspectives on Violence

Manhood and Violence: Fatal Peril
How has violence been taught as a masculine trait?
How have domestic violence courses helped reform violent
offenders? Why are they successful? Why might they fail?
Recall that a number of sociological theories were described in
Chapter 1 (1.3) and that these perspectives help us achieve a
better understanding of social patterns and how we might
address social problems. Several theories offer different
approaches to the problem of violence in families, the
workplace, communities, and the world—most notably,
symbolic interactionism, functionalism, conflict theory, and the
feminist perspective.
Symbolic Interactionism
Mead's theory explains the social violence problem in terms of
our social interactions with others, the labels others use to
describe us, and how society influences the development of our
self-concept. All of these factors impact our attitudes about
violence—the likelihood that we will perpetrate it, be
victimized by it, or tolerate and accept it within our
communities. Recall that in Chapter 1 (1.3), we described how
symbolic interactionists argue that many of society's problems
are created and recreated through patterns of social behavior,
and that over time, individuals and their social groups begin to

believe that "this is just how the world works." What concepts
highlighted in our definitions of the various types of violence
does this sound like? Symbolic interactionism is a useful
framework for understanding many types of violence. For
example, it illuminates the cycle of violence and helps us better
understand the dynamics of family and intimate partner
violence. In our definitions of many of the types of violence
discussed in this chapter, we pointed to research suggesting that
persons who were victimized by violence early in life are more
likely to perpetrate violence on others at home, at work, and in
the community later. Similarly, we mentioned that gang-
affiliated youths are more likely than not to have been
physically abused as children or adolescents. In an extension of
symbolic interactionism, Edwin Sutherland advanced the idea
that violence that occurs early in life and that is repeated
frequently contributes to a learned and enduring attitude
favoring violence as a means for coping with frustration and
life's problems.
Two teenage boys with red mohawk haircuts smoking a
cigarette.
Jochem D. Wijnands/Photodisc/Getty Images
Negatively stereotyped youths are more likely to engage in
violent behaviors.
Negative labeling is another common correlate to involvement
in violence, and its impact can be understood through the lens
of symbolic interactionism. For example, we mentioned earlier
that adolescents who feel negatively stereotyped by instructors
or who have been addressed with negative labels by these
authority figures (e.g., "punk," "hoodlum," "gangbanger," or
"bad kid") are more likely to engage in violent behaviors than

those who have not. These labels negatively affect the self-
concept of youths, often leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy, a
prediction that comes true because an individual believes the
things that others say about him or her. Similarly, intimate
partner victimization can be explained by this same pattern.
Victims that are negatively labeled (e.g., "useless," "nag,"
"loser") often become convinced that they are deserving of
violence and abuse as a result of these patterns of interaction.
Social groups and cultures develop norms and patterns of
behavior within which they are reinforced and recreated over
time. In this way, symbolic interactionism explains how rigid
ideologies (such as attitudes toward racial or religious groups)
might lead to violence and how that violence over time becomes
normative and acceptable. Through interactions with other
members of social groups, individuals develop attitudes about
themselves and about violent behavior that inform their own
behavioral choices and willingness to accept violence in their
communities. For instance, in Sierra Leone, which has been torn
by violence and civil war for decades, women and men have
long accepted violence as part of married life. Experts attribute
the extreme brutality of the ongoing civil war, which has
included amputation, rape, torture, and forcible impregnation of
children, to this legacy of accepted violence. In other words,
when social groups develop a tolerance for one form of
violence, they become more inclined to tolerate or participate in
other types of violence.
Functionalism
Recall that functionalists describe society as a series of
interdependent and interrelated parts, each required to be in

functioning order for the overall good of the whole. Thus,
according to this perspective, violence serves particular
functions in society. This theory can be used to understand the
sociological nature of war. For example, in many cases war
functions as a "common cause" that unifies and strengthens ties
among members of social groups. For example, during World
War II, U.S. citizens bought war bonds, used ration coupons,
and "did their part" to defeat the enemy. Men went to fight,
women left home to work in ammunition factories and to
provide medical care and aid to wounded soldiers. Most
industry was halted in the United States as automotive plants
and other factories ceased operating and were repurposed to
produce war-related tanks, vehicles, ammunition, and weapons.
Durkheim, a prominent functionalist who has been discussed in
previous chapters, used the theory to help explain violence in
cities. He examined the social shifts brought about by the
Industrial Revolution—the move from an agrarian society to an
urban, industrial one—which included a more expensive cost of
living and fewer social bonds with family and intimates. Recall
the concept of anomie, used to describe feelings of social
disconnection— that decreased solidarity and increased anomie
leads to an increased likelihood of deviant acts in society, such
as violence. Durkheim and other functionalists argued that these
factors lead to urban environments that are more anonymous
and where relationships are less common than in farming
communities, and as a result, give rise to violence.
Conflict Theory
Conflict theorists, as you will remember from Chapter 1 (1.3),
posit that social groups compete for power and resources. This

perspective is another useful one for understanding the social
problem of violence in its many forms. We can think of violence
as an expression of conflict, or a manifest struggle between two
parties that have goals they perceive as incompatible and scarce
resources to be shared (Pearson, Nelson, Titsworth, & Harter,
2008).
Hoffman, Kiecolt, and Edwards (2005) argued that the conflict
perspective is particularly relevant for understanding violence
in family structures, where competing interests such as the
division of household chores, competition for parental
favoritism, and attempts to gain valuable rewards are common.
Although these examples of conflict may seem interpersonal
rather than sociological in nature—recall that violence in any
form is a social problem because of its far-reaching effects,
which we described earlier in this chapter.
Similarly, within the community, we described gangs as
"owners" of certain territories, streets, or businesses—and one
of their objectives is to keep rival gangs off their turf so that
they can continue to reap the financial benefit of dominating
that area. Wars are obvious examples of conflicts, too—during
the U.S. Civil War, the Northern and Southern states fought
over ideological differences; today, the Israelis and Palestinians
and countless other groups conflict over similar differences or
for control of resources and land. When social life is viewed as
competitive, and when resources are defined as limited, conflict
is an expected byproduct of interaction in society. Conflict
theorists would argue that violence is normative and inherent in
society as a result of these conditions.

Brother and sister pushing and fighting in the car.
Thomas Northcut/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Boys are often more violent than girls in family contexts.
Feminist Perspective
The feminist perspective was articulated to better understand
the social structures and processes that contribute to gender
inequality and can today be used as a lens to examine many
forms of violence, including rape and intimate partner violence.
Feminist scholars have analyzed these social problems in terms
of how they support male patriarchy, or control of a
disproportionate amount of power and dominance in society.
Feminists argue that male-perpetrated violence is widely
accepted in society and that boys and men will tend to engage in
violence more frequently than girls and women as a way of
building and reinforcing their identities as males. Feminists
examine intimate partner violence, which you will recall
victimizes far more women than men, as a means of dominance
over women. And, in one theoretical model, sociologists used
the perspective to examine sibling violence and proposed that
boys are more violent than girls in family contexts (Hoffman,
Kiecolt, & Edwards, 2005).
6.7
Solution
s to Violence

Given the seriousness and pervasiveness of the social problem
of violence, a number of potential remedies and solutions have
been enacted. These include initiatives at the local level such as
after-school youth programs and neighborhood watch
organizations, and criminal justice responses, such as law
enforcement programs, the penal system, treatment programs,
and capital punishment along with legislative action by state
and federal lawmakers that are designed to curb and punish
violence. Communication campaigns intended to disseminate
anti-violence messages, and international efforts to bring peace
to war-torn areas of the world are also means of addressing the
social pattern of local and global violence.
Local Initiatives
Neighborhood Watch Groups

What are the roles of community groups in relation to police
work?
What are copycat gangs?
Numerous programs and initiatives exist at the local level to
enhance awareness of the violence problem and to prevent,
limit, or stop it. Often, these programs are funded by grants
from the federal or state government, private foundations, or
religious institutions. In one example, the state of Ohio
Department of Health administers the "Keep Yourself Alive"
program to youths in high-crime areas. The initiative involves
curriculum taught in high schools, middle schools, after-school
programs, juvenile detention centers, and community-based
programs that focus on anger control, peer pressure,
forgiveness, self-esteem, and healthy conflict management
alternatives to violence. A similar community-based program
called "Reach Back" couples violence prevention measures with
career planning and mentoring. The state of Minnesota has
developed a unique community-based program designed to
prevent sexual violence, which involves leadership training for
interested adults. Leadership teams throughout the state
promote education, policy, and awareness of the sexual violence
problem and design message campaigns focused on the problem.
Area Councils on Aging provide resources and support to

victims of elder abuse. Many communities nationwide have
active neighborhood watch programs; one program sponsored by
the National Sheriffs' Association supports citizens becoming
involved in the "fight against crime . . . [and providing] an
opportunity for communities to bond through service"
(http://www.nnw.org/). And in another example of local
initiatives designed to prevent violence, many communities
sponsor gun buyback programs in which citizens can exchange
illegal or unlicensed weapons in exchange for a cash reward
without fear of prosecution.
Community policing makes use of relationships and
partnerships between local law enforcement and community
groups such as private citizens, private businesses, nonprofits,
and religious organizations. These relationships are seen as
positive ways to empower community groups to become
involved in the solutions to violence. Community policing
involves, for example, training of local business owners to spot
potential criminal activity and working to educate community
groups on effective communication skills for resolving conflicts
without violence or bias. Finally, the Internet provides a means
to remedy the violence problem locally; local sheriffs' offices
and courts post descriptions and photos of sexually violent

offenders and photographs of allegedly violent individuals at
large in the communities and wanted for questioning by law
enforcement.
Measuring the effectiveness of community-based initiatives is
difficult since their goals vary, and typically, their effects are
difficult to sort out from other factors influencing the violence
rate in communities (Mareschal, McKee, Jackson, & Hanson,
2007). Add to this the underreporting of violence, described
earlier in this chapter, and the true impact of community
initiatives designed to curb violence is difficult to assess.
Criminal Justice Initiatives
Convict in handcuffs standing in a prison corridor.
Kevin Horan/Stone/Getty Images
The criminal justice system is designed to deter and punish
criminal behavior in society.

The U.S. criminal justice system encompasses law enforcement
agencies, the courts and probation systems, and the corrections
system. Each play a unique role in solving the violence
problem. According to the Bureau of Labor Occupational
Outlook Handbook, law enforcement is comprised of police and
detectives that protect people and property from violence and
other crimes. However, groups vary in the degree of confidence
they have in law enforcement's ability to effectively protect
them from violent crime. For example, a 2009 Pew Social
Demographic study revealed that Black and Hispanic Americans
have far less confidence than Whites in their local police to
effectively and fairly address the violence problem. Regardless
of race, Americans' perceptions about law enforcement's ability
to protect them from violent crime are relatively unfavorable;
just 53% of Americans believe that police provide "quite a lot"
of protection from violent crime (Shaw & Brannon, 2009).
In addition to prevention, law enforcement is charged with
apprehending violent criminals and bringing them into the
criminal justice system. The criminal justice system is made up
of practices and institutions designed to deter criminal behavior
in society, and it includes entities such as the court system,
correctional authorities, and probation departments. How the

system deals with violent offenders is a matter of great debate.
One alternative is rehabilitation, a philosophy that the
likelihood of an individual committing another crime, called
recidivism, can be reduced through court-mandated training,
education, and counseling. In opposition to rehabilitation is
incarceration, a criminal justice philosophy that recidivism will
be reduced only by isolating a convicted violent offender from
the public, usually in jail or prison. In some cases both goals
are served by incarcerating offenders; most modern prisons
offer schooling or job training as well as substance abuse
counseling and spiritual or faith-based support to assist in
rehabilitation. Probation departments and officers oversee the
conditional release of violent offenders and supervise their
interactions within the community for a specified period after
conviction. One highly controversial punishment of violent
criminals is capital punishment, which involves the state taking
the life of a person as punishment for a crime.
Legislative Action
Law-making bodies at both the state and federal levels routinely
debate, and have enacted, policies designed to prevent and
reduce the number of violent crimes in society. Gun control has

been one of the most controversial of these proposed measures
in the past few decades. Gun control involves any law, policy,
or practice designed to limit the possession or sale of firearms
by citizens. Gun control policies vary widely throughout the
world, and the United States has one of the most relaxed codes.
Those that oppose gun control believe that citizens have a
constitutionally guaranteed right to own guns. Advocates, on
the other hand, view lax gun control policies as a leading factor
in our country's violence problem. Although U.S. gun control
laws remain somewhat lax in comparison to other countries, the
1993 Brady Bill represented a significant victory for gun
control advocates. The law presently requires instant
background checks for those wishing to purchase handguns,
rifles, and shotguns. Under federal law, the following groups
are excluded from gun ownership:
People convicted or under indictment for felonies
Fugitives
Mentally ill people
Individuals with dishonorable military discharges

Those that have given up U.S. citizenship
Illegal residents
Illegal drug users
Anyone convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors or under
personal protection orders related to domestic violence
In addition to federal regulations, states and municipalities can
establish their own gun restriction codes. For instance, some
states, including California and New York, have banned so-
called assault weapons (which refer primarily to semiautomatic
rifles, similar to military firearms); some states, such as Ohio,
issue permits to conceal and carry weapons, and others, like
Vermont, prohibit this practice. States vary in their licensing
requirements, with some states not requiring guns to be licensed
at all.
In addition to guns, legislation addresses forms of violence and
issues related to the violence problem. The U.S. Congress has
passed two laws related to violence against women and children,

including the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and the
Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. The VAWA
stiffened penalties for those convicted of violent crimes against
women and enhanced services and programs for victims,
including,
protection for victims evicted from their homes due to events
related to domestic violence or police activity,
funding for assistance programs like rape hotlines and crisis
centers,
legal aid for victims, and
services for children and teens with abused parents.
The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA)
established the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which
employs trained advocates that offer advice, referrals, support,
and crisis intervention to callers. Additionally, FVPSA provides
grant funding and other resources to community programs
involved in tackling the significant social problems associated
with family violence.

Numerous local and state statutes have been implemented to
deal with the youth and gang violence problem. In a move
representative of similar ones in other communities, Orange
County, California, cities have enacted a 10:00 p.m. curfew for
minors, and law enforcement apprehends minors seen in public
after 10:00 p.m. without their parents. Consequences range from
misdemeanor charges to jail time for parent, child, or both. In
another example, in 2009, Illinois passed legislation that
toughens penalties for crimes committed by gang members with
illegal weapons.
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 is
the largest crime-related bill in the history of Congress. This act
barred the possession, sale, and use of 19 types of
semiautomatic weapons, and it restricted gun ownership for
convicted violent offenders and domestic abusers. It expanded
federal death penalty in cases of violent crime, and defined new
crimes related to hate, sex, and gang-related activity. A 2007
amendment (Violent Crime Reduction Act of 2007) written to
strengthen the 1994 code, failed before a Congressional vote.

In addition, numerous federal, state, and local laws address the
growing problem of child sexual abuse. Most notably, Megan's
Law is a federal mandate to communities requiring a sex
offender registration and community notification program. For a
comprehensive list of federal legislation related to sex crimes
against children, including links to state statutes, click here:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/smart/legislation.htm.
Communication Campaigns
Another ongoing initiative of various nonprofit agencies, local,
state, and federal governments is the implementation of
communication campaigns designed to increase awareness of the
violence problem and to enhance prevention efforts.
Communication campaigns rely on strategically designed
messages, media, and an organized set of communication
activities with the objective of shaping attitudes and behaviors
toward desirable social outcomes, such as avoiding drugs and
alcohol or violent activity. Elements of a campaign might
include a slogan, website, videos, educational programs, and T-

shirts—all designed to reinforce the campaign's primary
message. Campaigns you might be familiar with are the
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and Character
Counts programs implemented in schools. Campaigns specific to
violence include Say No to Violence, Drop the Weapons, and A
Community that Cares.
International Efforts
United Nations flag fluttering in front of a building damaged
during violent conflicts.
Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images
Organizations such as the United Nations work to develop
solutions to violence and war.
Finally, numerous international agencies and nonprofit and
nongovernmental organizations have developed a wide range of
solutions to the violence problem. For example, the United
Nations has developed a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy;
NATO has implemented strategies to protect its member nations
from terrorism

(http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_77646.htm); and the
National Commission on Terrorism monitors the changing
nature of international terrorism and makes policy
recommendations
(http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/commission.html). End Violence
Against Women International is focused on the diverse nature of
sexual violence around the globe. Amnesty International
advocates against any type of abuse toward women, including
mutilation, in wartime and peaceful countries
(http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/women-s-
rights/violence-against-women). Invisible Children focuses its
efforts on the violent abuse of children in war-torn African
nations. And, a final example from a long list, the International
Rescue Committee is a global organization dedicated to ending
and preventing sexual violence toward women during war.
6.8 Using Sociological Tools to End Violence
Sociologists Judy Porter and LaVerne McQuiller Williams
(2011) of the Rochester Institute of Technology are interested in
rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence on college
campuses. Troubled by data that indicate one in five women are
sexually assaulted during their college years, they launched a

research program to investigate the sociological aspects of this
serious problem. From their sociological lens, they observed
that most research into these issues focused on the experiences
of White, heterosexual females. They argued that the
experiences of underrepresented groups, including gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and other sexual orientation students; racial and ethnic
minorities; and hearing challenged students may not mirror
existing research findings.
In a 2011 publication in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence,
they reported that college students in all of these groups were
more likely to be victimized by any type of violence than White
students. More specifically, they found that racial and ethnic
minorities and gay, lesbian, and bisexual students were more at
risk for sexual abuse and rape. Overall, members of
underrepresented groups appear to be victimized by violence at
higher rates than those in majority groups. Subsequently, the
authors made recommendations to practitioners such as
counselors, college health professionals, campus life officials,
and resident advisors that emphasize "population-specific
interventions." Specifically, they suggest that educational
materials and messages be culturally relevant to the groups they
target, and that these individuals be aware of the heightened

risk for violence that exists for nonmajority groups on college
campuses.
This research program illustrates how the sociological focus on
the experiences of groups in society may help us better
understand the social problem of violence. Their research
findings suggest potent solutions to violence against
underrepresented groups on campuses by illustrating the
problem with cookie-cutter prevention solutions, which may not
be culturally relevant to all intended audiences.
In a 2009 paper published in the Journal of Family Violence,
Kendra Pennington-Zoellner took a sociological approach to
examining how the violence problem might be addressed in our
communities. Focusing on intimate partner violence (IPV),
Pennington-Zoellner noted that most community-based solutions
to IPV are related to the criminalization of the perpetrator's
behavior and into reactive counseling for victims. That is,
community resources are spent primarily on dealing with IPV
after it happens. She argued that an enhanced solution would
include training and counseling of at-risk women in the areas of

financial literacy and life skills so that they would have less
fear about leaving their partners and be less likely to drown
further into the escalating violence problem. Additionally, she
advocated for expanding the notion of "community" in the
solution and prevention of IPV from the primary focus on the
criminal justice system, counseling centers, and shelters. She
argued that counselors and social workers should assess and
involve a wider range of formal and informal groups in the
network of prevention and survivor support resources, and
pointed out that because violence is a social problem, it requires
a social solution. From Pennington-Zoellner's perspective, some
groups that should be integrated into the community of support
resources include churches, synagogues, friends, siblings,
parents, employers, and nonviolent intimates.
Using the Sociological Lens: The New World of Bullying
Unlike with in-person bullying, there is little escape from
cyberbullying—it can take place around the clock on all of a
person's electronic devices.

Cyberbullying is when a person is harassed, mocked, taunted, or
otherwise tormented via the Internet or on other electronic
devices, such as cell phones or tablets. One example of
cyberbullying would be a group of people writing cruel posts on
a user's MySpace or Facebook page; another would be ganging
up on a person via text messages, perhaps sending hundreds of
them per hour. Another example might be impersonating
someone by creating a social media page in their name and
using it to make inappropriate or embarrassing comments to
others; still another might be taking a photo or video of a
person without permission and posting it online.
The anonymity the Internet affords to users, coupled with its
scathingly public nature and the way in which it encourages
mob-like behavior are among the many reasons why
cyberbullying is increasingly viewed as more dangerous than
traditional schoolyard bullying. Unlike with in-person bullying,
there is little escape from cyberbullying—it can take place
around the clock on all of a person's electronic devices. It can
even take place in someone's cyber-absence; it is very damaging
to know that even after a person turns off the devices, cruel
conversations continue to take place. Furthermore, once brutal
comments or cruelly edited photos are posted online, they are

often a permanent feature of cyberspace, hard to delete or
remove. This gives the bullying an ongoing, eternal quality,
allowing it to persist long after both parties might have left a
physical space.
In addition, unlike traditional bullying, which is typically
witnessed by only a handful of people, hundreds or thousands of
people can witness or participate in cyberbullying, publicly
humiliating a victim on a massive scale. Finally, the anonymity
of the Internet tends to encourage people to be more cruel and
aggressive than they would in person. Indeed, people who might
be too shy, embarrassed, or sensitive to bully someone in person
seem to have less problem doing so from the safety of
cyberspace. Cyberbullying has a bandwagon effect, in which a
feeding frenzy of negativity and hate haunt a victim 24 hours a
day.
Though it is still a new field of study, research is increasingly
showing that cyberbullying is more dangerous, harmful, and
more often results in death than traditional bullying. In 2010,
researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human

Development examined bullying behaviors in more than 4,000
teens. They concluded that cyberbullying is more likely
damaging to victims than are physical beatings or in-person
taunting. "Unlike traditional bullying which usually involves a
face-to-face confrontation, cyber victims may not see or
identify their harasser," wrote researchers. "As such, cyber
victims may be more likely to feel isolated, dehumanized or
helpless at the time of the attack." The researchers found the
victims of cyberbullying were significantly more likely to be
depressed and more seriously depressed than those frequently
bullied in person (National Institute of Child Heath and Human
Development).
Surviving a Cyberbully
In 2012, a massive survey published by the global research
company Ipsos made clear for the first time that cyberbullying
is a global problem. After polling more than 18,500 people in
24 countries, Ipsos released a treasure trove of data that gave a
unique, if chilling, glimpse into the state of cyberbullying
around the world. Although the data revealed that a disturbing
number of children have been the victim of cyberbullying, it
also revealed that the majority of them survive the experience.

About 12% of international parents said their own child has
been cyberbullied; 26% said they know a child in their
community who has been cyberbullied. Cyberbullying was
found to be most common in India, where 32% of parents said a
child in their house had been cyberbullied. Next was Brazil
(19%), Saudi Arabia (19%), Canada (18%) and the United
States (15%). Countries in which parents were least likely to
report cyberbullying were Italy (where just 3% of parents said
their child had experienced cyberbullying), Russia (5%), France
(5%), Turkey (6%) and Spain (6%).
The minority (23%) of parents polled believe the problem can
be addressed using anti-bullying measures already on the books.
Rather, three quarters—77%—think cyberbullying is a challenge
that requires new solutions and increased attention.
A cyberbullying case from Newark, New Jersey, illustrates the
tenacity and creativity often required to catch a cyberbully and

the strength and support a teen needs to survive it. The
following perspective details the experience of 15-year-old
Nafeesa Onque, who was tormented for 3 years. Onque's bully
was relentless and creative: Instead of simply posting online
insults, the bully undertook a full-fledged identity theft
campaign. The bully registered social network pages in Onque's
name and used these accounts to impersonate her to
embarrassing ends. The bully posted forged nude photos; real,
personal and sensitive information, such as Onque's home phone
number and address; and fake, embarrassing information about
her, such as who she had supposedly had sex with. The bully
sought out online connections with real people Onque knew,
such as her relatives or fellow students, and once they were
connected, blasted them with sexually explicit comments,
threats, and other upsetting content. The police eventually
caught the bully, but the following perspective details that
difficult and time-consuming process.
James Queally, "Newark Teen's Online Identity Stolen and Used
to Destroy Her Reputation," Star Ledger (Newark), February 13,
2011.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/someone_had_stolen
_a_newark_te.html

Bullied to Death
Although cyberbullying occurs around the world, cyberbullying
that results in a suicide—also called bullycide, or when a young
person is "bullied to death"—is a problem more common in the
United States than in other countries. There have been a few
international cases in which a teen has committed suicide after
experiencing cyberbullying, such as British teen Megan Gillan,
who in 2009 fatally overdosed after experiencing months of
online bullying, or Gail Jones, also from Britain, who took her
life after receiving dozens of silent calls on her cell phone
every half hour. Similarly, 15-year-old Canadian Jamie Hubley
killed himself in 2011 after being tormented by classmates over
his sexuality. Most of the known cases come from the United
States, however, where victims have included Phoebe Prince,
Jessica Logan, Ryan Patrick Halligan, Jamey Rodemeyer, Alexis
Pilkington, and Amanda Cummings, just a few of the dozens of
teens who have committed suicide after relentless online
bullying campaigns.

Among the most well known of the cyberbullying suicides is
Megan Meier, who in 2006 killed herself after a 47-year-old
woman named Lori Drew created a fictional teenage boy for the
sole purpose of tormenting Meier online. Drew's daughter had
been friends with Meier, but a falling out between the two led
Drew to seek revenge on Meier in a particularly cruel way.
Drew invented 16-year-old Josh Evans and used him to befriend
13-year-old Meier. Evans told Meier he thought she was pretty
and that he liked her. Meier was overweight and suffered from
attention deficit disorder and depression, and the online
flirtation with Evans made her feel happy, attractive, and
confident. After gaining Meier's trust over several weeks' time,
Evans turned on her, ultimately telling her, "You are a bad
person and everybody hates you. . . . The world would be a
better place without you" (Popkin, 2009). Dozens of other
people jumped in on the assault, which ended with Meier
running to her room and hanging herself with a belt. Drew
claimed she just wanted to get back at Meier for how she had
treated her daughter and did not intend the prank to end in the
girl's death.
Another heavily profiled cyberbullying suicide was that of
Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old student at Rutgers University

Answer the Questions then response to post 1 and 2What are the e.docx

Answer the Questions then response to post 1 and 2What are the e.docx

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from boyfieldhouse

More from boyfieldhouse (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Answer the Questions then response to post 1 and 2What are the e.docx