Taped Beatings
Entertainment
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Opinion
The acts of adolescent brawls prove to be no new concept in societal views; however, the video tapings of these viciously cruel beatings have become a common trend in recent years.
Just two weeks ago in Polk County, Fla., six teenage girls were arrested and face charges for kidnapping and battery against another 16-year-old girl. The six girls held their victim in one of the attacker's homes, while assaulting her for 30 minutes before releasing her. Even more shocking than the malicious attack, the girls videotaped their wrongful deed and planned to post the video on MySpace or YouTube.
The video showed the victim being beaten repeatedly in the face and stomach as she curled into the fetal position on the couch. During the beating, the attackers also berated the victim with insults.
The New York Times also reported on Billy Wolfe and his unfortunate incessant bullying. In one incident, Wolfe received a beating from a boy who pulled up in a car next to him, while the attacker's brother recorded the fight with his cell phone camera. The boys later showed the video to their friends at school.
Given the power and simple accessibility of the Internet, disgraceful acts of this sort have become easier for current teen generations to exhibit their so-called victories of shameless and at times brutal bashings. The concept of bullying has gone beyond the stealing of lunch money and presents itself as a major problem.
In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 25 percent of high school girls claimed they had been in a physical fight in the past year and by 2006, a Justice Department report released that by age 17, 21 percent of girls claimed they assaulted someone intending to cause serious harm.
Adolescents no longer find it fulfilling to just boast about whom they beat up or whom they verbally confront. They feel the need to take it a step further and show what they can do, almost as if they provide some form of amusement for the world to rave and laugh about.
In a report on CNN, psychologist Susan Lipkins said that these youths "think the entire society is doing it, and they think it's funny. So they put it on YouTube."
As the videotaping of fights persists, the acts of violence recorded will only continue to worsen when teens begin to try to upstage one another.
In an attempt to help minimize this problem, actions should be taken against those who post such videos, as was the case with the Polk County incident. Also, officials of sites such as YouTube and MySpace should take steps in trying to reduce the number of videos of this nature being posted and check their content more frequently. Only with the source providers can this problem begin to get resolved.
Even more importantly, those who participate in this type of activity need to be punished by local law enforcement and can only be stopped if society stands for the opposition and discards these vile forms of what some may call "entertainment."
Just two weeks ago in Polk County, Fla., six teenage girls were arrested and face charges for kidnapping and battery against another 16-year-old girl. The six girls held their victim in one of the attacker's homes, while assaulting her for 30 minutes before releasing her. Even more shocking than the malicious attack, the girls videotaped their wrongful deed and planned to post the video on MySpace or YouTube.
The video showed the victim being beaten repeatedly in the face and stomach as she curled into the fetal position on the couch. During the beating, the attackers also berated the victim with insults.
The New York Times also reported on Billy Wolfe and his unfortunate incessant bullying. In one incident, Wolfe received a beating from a boy who pulled up in a car next to him, while the attacker's brother recorded the fight with his cell phone camera. The boys later showed the video to their friends at school.
Given the power and simple accessibility of the Internet, disgraceful acts of this sort have become easier for current teen generations to exhibit their so-called victories of shameless and at times brutal bashings. The concept of bullying has gone beyond the stealing of lunch money and presents itself as a major problem.
In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 25 percent of high school girls claimed they had been in a physical fight in the past year and by 2006, a Justice Department report released that by age 17, 21 percent of girls claimed they assaulted someone intending to cause serious harm.
Adolescents no longer find it fulfilling to just boast about whom they beat up or whom they verbally confront. They feel the need to take it a step further and show what they can do, almost as if they provide some form of amusement for the world to rave and laugh about.
In a report on CNN, psychologist Susan Lipkins said that these youths "think the entire society is doing it, and they think it's funny. So they put it on YouTube."
As the videotaping of fights persists, the acts of violence recorded will only continue to worsen when teens begin to try to upstage one another.
In an attempt to help minimize this problem, actions should be taken against those who post such videos, as was the case with the Polk County incident. Also, officials of sites such as YouTube and MySpace should take steps in trying to reduce the number of videos of this nature being posted and check their content more frequently. Only with the source providers can this problem begin to get resolved.
Even more importantly, those who participate in this type of activity need to be punished by local law enforcement and can only be stopped if society stands for the opposition and discards these vile forms of what some may call "entertainment."
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