{"id":10165,"date":"2017-10-07T23:31:50","date_gmt":"2017-10-07T23:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=10165"},"modified":"2017-10-07T23:31:50","modified_gmt":"2017-10-07T23:31:50","slug":"what-makes-american-society-so-violent-4-essential-reads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/what-makes-american-society-so-violent-4-essential-reads\/","title":{"rendered":"What makes American society so violent? 4 essential reads"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emily Costello<\/a>, The Conversation<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"\"
\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: On Friday, Oct. 6, \u201cThird Rail with OZY\u201d will discuss violence in the United States.<\/em><\/p>\n

These stories from The Conversation archive explore how violence permeates different aspects of American society.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

#1. Kids today<\/h2>\n

Do American parents teach their kids violent behavior through the use of corporal punishment? <\/p>\n

A professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Tufts Medical School, Ronald Pies<\/a> takes up the question \u201cIs it OK to spank a misbehaving child once in a while?<\/a>\u201d <\/p>\n

Pies begins by acknowledging that researchers and parents often disagree on this topic, but ultimately concludes \u201cspanking a child may seem helpful in the short term, but is ineffective and probably harmful in the long term. The child who is often spanked learns that physical force is an acceptable method of problem solving.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet, Pies doesn\u2019t feel that parents who spank their children need a stern lecture \u2013 and certainly not an even stronger punishment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t that the parent is “evil\u201d by nature or is a \u201cchild abuser,\u201d Pies writes. \u201cOften, the parent has been stressed to the breaking point, and is not aware of alternative methods of discipline \u2013 for example, the use of “time-outs,\u201d removal of privileges and positive reinforcement of the child\u2019s appropriate behaviors.\u201c<\/p>\n

#2. Paddling still frequent<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, parents\u2019 belief in corporal punishment often follows their children to school.<\/p>\n

As Joseph Gagnon<\/a> of the the University of Florida writes, “19 states still allow corporal punishment [in schools], despite research that clearly indicates such public humiliation is ineffective for changing student behavior and can, in fact, have long-term negative effects.\u201d <\/p>\n

According to Gagnon, every day approximately 838 students are paddled in American schools<\/a>. And children in less affluent communities were more likely to be hit.<\/p>\n

Why is this practice still so pervasive? Gagnon and his colleagues talked to school principles to find out. They learned, \u201cprincipals cite pressure from parents as a primary reason for using corporal punishment. Despite the science, the idea that corporal punishment is effective, “Because that\u2019s how I was raised,\u201d pervades the discussion.\u201c<\/p>\n

#3. A culture of aggression<\/h2>\n

Of course, schools aren\u2019t the only institutions in the U.S. were physical violence takes place. The criminal justice system is another.<\/p>\n

Paul Hirschfield<\/a> of Rutgers University studies violence perpetuated by police in various countries.<\/p>\n

“American police kill a few people each day, making them far more deadly than police in Europe,\u201d Hirschfield writes.<\/p>\n

Although the cause of police killings is complex, Hirschfield believes one factor is American gun culture<\/a> \u2013 which causes the police to fear for their own safety in too many situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerican police are primed to expect guns \u2026\u201d Hirschfield writes. \u201cIt may make American policing more dangerous and combat-oriented. It also fosters police cultures that emphasize bravery and aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n

#4. Behind prison walls<\/h2>\n

Too few of us take the time to think about how that culture of aggression follows prisoners behind bars, writes Heather Ann Thompson<\/a>, a professor of History and Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat so many are blissfully unaware of just how many people are, or have been, subject to containment or control is, perhaps, unsurprising,\u201d Thompson writes<\/a>. \u201cPrisons are built to be out of sight and are, thus, out of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet, Thompson writes, \u201cthe closed nature of prisons remains a serious problem in this country\u201d \u2013 and one that demands closer scrutiny.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn September 2016, prisoners at facilities across the country erupted in protests for better conditions,\u201d Thompson writes. \u201cIn March and April of 2017, prisons in Delaware and Tennessee similarly exploded. In each of these rebellions, the public was told little about what had prompted the chaos and even less about what happened to the protesting prisoners once order was restored.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheBut, she writes, \u201cit is obvious that much trauma takes place behind bars while we aren\u2019t watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emily Costello<\/a>, Senior Editor, Politics + Society, The Conversation<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This article was originally published on The Conversation<\/a>. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Emily Costello, The Conversation Editor\u2019s Note: On Friday, Oct. 6, \u201cThird Rail with OZY\u201d will discuss violence in the United States. These stories from The Conversation archive explore how violence permeates different aspects of American society. #1. Kids today Do American parents teach their kids violent behavior through the use of corporal punishment? A professor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":10166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[3298,1896,2480,3297,3299,876],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10165"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10167,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10165\/revisions\/10167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}