Honor.  Violence.

You wouldn’t think the two would go hand in hand, but they’re undeniably tied together.

Think about it.  The “good guy” is always the guy with the gun that kills the most people and gets the girl in the end.  It comes at us every day.  TV.  Movies.  Video Games.  The Media.  Fame, fortune, and ladies--through violence.

Don’t think so?  Let’s go by the numbers:

Top Grossing Movies of 2017

I struggled with Beauty and the Beast, but the same logic applies.  In the end, the Beast kills Gastogne in an epic battle, achieves redemption, and gets the girl.  Every other movie in this list is highly financed Hollywood violence.  

Top Selling Video Games of 2017

60% of the top selling video games from 2017 are what most people would consider “violent” games and labeled with that “mature content” sticker.  And they’re played by kids.

Let’s look to our military--a reliable source of inspired leadership in America.  Recruiting videos dazzle you with teamwork, mission, and… Honor.   You’ll be the good guy with the gun, save others, and live a life of honor.  By what we’ve been taught from birth, the military route to honor is the most commonly validated path.

What’s the highest award you can receive in the military?  That’s right.  The Medal of Honor.  A medal awarded for overcoming violent conflict against all odds to save those around them.  In every citation, at least one human being dies.  And because of that death, our nation’s Commander in Chief awards an individual with a cherished medallion that represents the greatest achievement in service--Honor.

The two are tied together.  And it’s fed to us from birth. Can we separate them? Can we as a society hold teachers, servants, and leaders in the same regard as we hold servicemembers or actors?

We need to.

As a nation, we’re currently screaming at each other over the death of children because of guns.  Is it because of guns?  Really?  Could it be a rapidly growing mental health issue?  Could it be a rise in broken homes?  Or could it be that we’ve been taught that fame and redemption are achieved through abhorent levels of violence?

Years of entertainment and gaming reinforces the point that if you kill more, you’re rewarded.  Dehumanize people as points on a game to rack up a body count and achieve victory.  Glorify actors and actresses with huge social media followings and fat paychecks.   Repeatedly associate honor with violence with modern media technology--to our children. It's a shameful thing to do in the name of profit.  

Until we figure out how to separate honor from violence, impressionable minds will grow up under the belief that the shortest path to honor is through killing.

~Griff