By Nimi Princewill
It hasn’t been long since a lot of us finally got our lives back—after enduring the massive media hype that surrounded the fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. Just like every other boxing match, it’s always a memorable night of having two consenting adults punch each other silly in the ring—until it gets to the fun part when one of them is lucky to unleash a knockout blow to the head of their opponent. Isn’t that always a delightful sight for boxing fans? You bet!
Violence is a strong part of human character. While some people act on it, others think about it, and some others take delight in watching it get under way. No matter how much we evolve our minds or cloak ourselves in the best clothing, the savage nature in every human being lies in wait, and can be triggered the moment a perfect opportunity presents itself.
The most successful films are fast turning out to be the violent ones. A lot of viewers will rarely find a movie that doesn’t involve elements of shooting, killing—and a fancy bit of martial arts interesting. Kids on the other hand, learn to enjoy the art of savagery through ‘kid-friendly’ cartoons. While a child awaits adolescence—when TV restrictions aren’t often imposed, the child momentarily makes do with the funny but extremely cruel things ‘Tom and Jerry’ do to each other. Isn’t it interesting how kids giggle in amusement whenever rival cartoon characters give each other an agonizing experience?
American Football (NFL), is one of the many interesting sports in the United States. Among the numerous reasons why it is loved, the violent thrill of the sport outranks them all. In Nigeria, it’s fast becoming a social convention to ensure roadside thieves are lynched and burned alive publicly. How such barbaric acts are easily carried out by fellow human beings, terrifies me deeply. The same can be said for the weirdos who mutilate human body parts for voodoo rituals.
Religion, tribal sentiments and politics incites people, but our savage human nature engineers the violence associated with extremism. Nations are driven into senseless wars by the bloodthirsty savage nature of men. Domestic violence, rape, robbery, brutal killings by people who look quite squeaky clean—and our desires for violent sports, movies or games, are all various degrees of savagery.
With the acquisition of nuclear weapons by the World Powers and their rival prodigies, the world can be likened to a ticking time bomb!
Although, we’ve got a great deal of monstrous traits in us, if we can all tame ourselves—and pretend some more to be civilized, the world could be a little safer.
Bio: Nimi Princewill is a Nigerian-born writer and social reformer.
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