Exploring the Ubiquity of Brutality in Society

We hear the word “Brutality” being used a lot more in our society by friends, through the media, by law enforcement and in our schools. It may seem as though the reports of violence have increased over the years or maybe we have grown more attentive and sensitive to these occurrences in our community. Due to mobile devices like cellphones and smaller video cameras we are made aware of it on a constant basis as breaking news updates chime on our phones or the ability to record the action live and then broadcast the video on Youtube.

After all the use of brutality is nothing new and it’s been around for centuries in our society. Signs of brutality can be seen everywhere: i.e. school yard bullies and work place violence, even at home (domestic abuse). People who have authority can sometimes brutalize us, for instance: Church priest who misuse our faith with their sexual pleasure or police officers who use "excessive force" and take a life without just cause.

I have been asked to define and exemplify brutality and to me it is inhumanity, it is vicious and cruel but even with these words I find myself unable to give a complete definition of brutality.

However I know brutality is not equality and individual understanding, it is not humanity and it lacks compassion and, void of love. I list these terms because brutality extends to animals as well as humans.

Animal brutality:

IS CRUELTY TO ANIMALS THE MERE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY? The Highway Dog-killing And Animal Rights

By SHERRY F.

COLB

Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2001
On February 11, 2000, Sara McBurnett went driving with her 10-year-old dog, Leo, near the San Jose International Airport in Northern California. It was raining, and traffic was heavy. A man driving a sports utility vehicle cut McBurnett off. Her car then bumped into his. According to witnesses who saw the minor collision, the man promptly stormed out of his vehicle and approached McBurnett's open window. He then reached into her car, grabbed her dog from her lap, and threw him into the path of oncoming traffic.
The dog was immediately run over by a car, and he died right in front of McBurnett. Of her loss, she said: "Words can never convey the depth of love I had for my dog, Leo." She added that "[f]or me, it was my child. He killed my baby right in front of me."
Works Cited
Colb, Sherry. "Is Cruelty to animals the mere destruction of property? The Higway Dog-killing And Animal Rights."FindLaw (2001).
What is workplace violence?
Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. It can affect and involve employees, clients, customers and visitors. Homicide is currently the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), of the 4,547 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United States in 2010, 506 were workplace homicides. Homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace. [More...] However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a major concern for employers and employees nationwide.
Works Cited:
Labor, U. S. Department Of. Safety and Health Topics-Workplace Violence. Newsletter. Washington, DC: OSHA.gov, 2009.

Conclusion: Still inprogress
Has our curiosity to see things like:vicious high school kids fighting or Cop shooting videos for ourselves, somehow increased ? Maybe our social awareness has made us more proactive in the fight to stop signs of brutality?