Domestic Violence The Songs example essay topic

In the article "Killing Women: A Pop Music Tradition" by John Hamerlinck, he expresses how in society today has become tolerated to domestic violence towards women in songs. "Hey Joe, Where you goin' with that gun in your hand?" is a line from a song that portrays a man with a gun about to shoot his wife. The lyrics given by Hamerlinck show how pro domestic violence the songs are. However, songs can't be the soul reason of causing domestic violence.

There are greater factors that influence domestic violence besides misogynistic songs. One reason that contributes to domestic violence can be income related. For example, statistics show that domestic violence rates are five times higher among families below poverty levels, and severe spouse abuse is twice as likely to be committed by unemployed men as by those working full time. This illustrates that the lower the income the more chances of having domestic abuse within the family. Another example comes from a statistic from the Taylor Institute. They state that the majority of welfare recipients have experienced domestic abuse in their adult lives and a high percentage are currently abused.

This helps prove the point of domestic violence being more common within low income families because if someone is a recipient of welfare, they do not make much money. A second reason why men abuse their significant other is for control. For example, "Battering is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through violence and other forms of abuse. The batterer uses acts of violence and a series of behaviors, including intimidation, threats, psychological abuse, isolation, etc. to coerce and to control the other person. The violence may not happen often, but it remains as a hidden (and constant) terrorizing factor". (Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1990).

Hamerlinck also mentions this at the end of his article saying that the songs are not about love but is about power and control. Getting control in relationships, the men can use aggression to acquire it. Women usually do not leave their husbands or boyfriends. According to National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Women who leave their batterers are at a 75% greater risk of being killed by the batterer than those who stay. Being afraid of leaving, allows the men to empower themselves and force the women to stay.

Another example of control can be seen on talk shows like Mary Pov ich, where there are segments on these issues. And the men on the show say that they like keeping their women in check and do it by domestic violence. A third reason that influences domestic violence is stress. For example, the husband is having a hard time at work. Stress related problems at work causes him to take it out on his wife when he gets home.

Another example in connection with the stress is alcohol. With the husband or boyfriend receiving stress, it is common for the man to turn to alcohol. It is not uncommon to find domestic violence associated with the man being drunk. A fourth reason that effects men to abuse their loved ones is exposure to it at a young age. For example, a report from the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family indicates that a child's exposure to the father abusing the mother is the strongest risk factor for transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next.

You can see that it runs through the family, like father like son. The son is used to that environment and so when he grows up, he does the same thing. Last couple of reasons that domestic violence occurs among a couple are age and race. For example, it just so happens that when a man is under the age of 30, the likelihood of domestic violence transpiring is double. This gives a range of the age expected to be more likely to commit domestic violence. Another example, when a family's income is above thirty-five thousand dollars.

Seventy percent of those abusing their spouses are Anglo, about ten percent are Black, and about nine percent are Hispanic. With this information, you can assume that with people of higher income, it is presumably an Anglo person to commit acts of domestic violence. Overall, domestic violence is something that occurs all around us. It is caused by various of reasons one being income.

Men who desire control over their spouses will result in abusing them. Stress would lead men to take actions among the wives in a negative manner. Being young, growing up and seeing your father mistreating your mother can effect you psychologically into doing the same thing when you grow up and have a wife. Being a certain age and a certain race at a given income also increases the probability of domestic violence. All in all, different factors influences a man to perpetrate domestic violence.