Rappers[/caption]A recent news article details an incident where a group of teens severely beat a veteran suffering from PTSD, but this violence toward a special needs individual is just an example of a growing epidemic of teen violence towards persons who have disabling conditions, who are elderly, or whose status is seen as “less than” that is filmed and viewed by millions.
Edward Schaefer, age 64, was beaten nearly to death by six males, who were identified as teenagers, only two of whom have been charged in the incident. Schaefer not only suffers from PTSD but lost an eye during combat in Vietnam. Donald Jones, called a good Samaritan for his intervention, witnessed the violence and rushed to the aid of Schaefer.
One of the police officers who responded to the attack was quoted as saying, “These animals are specializing on our elderly people out here and a gentleman who served our country. I’m disgusted by this whole thing. I’m surprised he survived.”
In some cases the violence is filmed by the perpetrators or their audience or accomplices, as in the case of a homeless man in New Jersey. The headline of one of the New Jersey papers describes the attack, as well as the YouTube video, as fuel for increasing teen violence. The video soon went viral, reflecting the market for the violent material, as assessed by an editorial in one of the New Jersey online publications that goes on to report how violent videos like the one of the beating of Schaefer, on the homeless and helpless in Massachusetts and Chicago were presented to a site that aggregates these types of material for rappers who produce music related to public fights. fights.
While many of the rap videos do not show explicit violence, the level of speech, both verbal and non verbal, accents the issues some publications have raised in response to teen violence, where being a problem is advertised as something good and a goal for others. A look at the YouTube response shows the popularity of these videos that young people can access readily and find their entertainment.
Does rap music cause teen violence? The topic is controversial; however, science observes some connection between rap and the increases in violent speech and behavior. In 2003 Gina M. Wingood, ScD, MPH, of Emory University along with her colleagues from Emory and the University of Alabama, looked at risk behaviors of 522 African American adolescents from low income neighborhoods. They found a high correlation between violent acts and sexually transmitted diseases and the involvement of these same teens in watching rap videos. Those who spent more time than others watching these videos had a higher incidence of arrests, attacking teachers, and having sexually transmitted diseases.
YouTube continues to be an outlet for these videos, despite its listing of community standards, reflecting how audience appreciation for material becomes the chief selling point for social media that, according to science, enhances the level of teen violence.
