INTD 1010- Final Reflection Paper
By: Katie Kudlak
Tags: Violence, BDSM, Media

At the beginning of the course I was looking forward to learning about violence because it is such a broad topic. I had no idea going into the class what areas of violence we would be discussing. I was excited to touch on sexual violence and animal violence because they were the most interesting to me. One area of violence that shocked me the most, and was something I knew little about, was presented in the lecture and discussion on gun violence. I learned so much about gun violence in Canada vs. gun violence in America and other countries. The laws and people’s opinions about them were the most interesting to me. For example, I learned a lot when we discussed how there are some cities in the world where you can carry a gun in the open, and when we discussed the news report about the young guy carrying a gun around his neighbourhood while he picked up trash. Hearing other people’s points of view on that really made me think. I also enjoyed all the other debates/ discussions we’ve had in class when it comes to violence.

When I first started this class I was pretty set on my views on violence when it came to certain areas like sexual abuse, gun violence, animal violence, BDSM, violence against women/ hate crimes, etc… I truly didn’t think my views would change but as each class went on, and after hearing others classmates discuss their point of view, I have become more accepting and open minded about their opinions on violence.

I really enjoyed everyone’s presentations on violence because they gave me a new way of looking at people and the world. Everyone’s topics were interesting and well done and I learned a lot. I found that when I was doing my project and was researching things, a lot of information shocked, and even surprised me. For example, I was surprised to learn from statistics about the amount of males that experience sexual abuse and rape, and how sexual abuse is always seen as men abusing women and not the other way around. I was also very surprised that many people see physical violence as more of a thing males do and women are more verbally violent.

I’d also like to touch on violence in the media and in sports. I find that violent videogames don’t necessarily give children the sense that violence is okay in “real life” so to speak. I do think it can mess with a child’s development if it is not discussed by the parent with the child. I think violence in sports like football, hockey and the UFC are ok since the fighting is done in a way that has legal limits and is regulated by officials and referees. If someone does do something illegal within these sports, there are and punishments to make sure the rules are followed.

Another discussion we’ve had is on BDSM and violence within the bedroom. When we had this discussion many people were all for BDSM because it was consensual, but when it was about women consenting to being hit and abused in relationships many people disagreed and said that wasn’t okay. This really shocked me because the people who said BDSM was okay, and consensual violence for men to beat their wives was not, were mostly the females in the class. I believe that it is okay for women to consent to BDSM if that is what they are into and there are guidelines and safe words being used. When it comes to men beating their wives with consent I feel that the woman may be pressured into consenting or that they have a disorder and are not in the right set of mind to make a decision like that. To me it is weird that a women would want to be hit and abused by her husband for no apparent reason, and that no one in a relationship should beat one another.

Overall I’ve really enjoyed and learned a lot in this course. My views on certain areas of violence have changed. I have become a more open-mined person and have learned to think more critically about certain situations.