When Did Violence Become Entertainment…in Belize?

The growing popularity of videos showing street fights and other violent incidents may show how violence has become normalised as entertainment, according to mental health counsellor Aimee Jex.

Jex says people can become accustomed to violence from a young age, including through behaviours they see and experience at home. She says that can affect how people respond to anger, hurt and other difficult emotions.

“When we look at these things as normal, how else do we learn to control ourselves?” Jex said.

She also pointed to the way people record and share violent incidents, including street fights and traffic accidents, often treating them as something entertaining to watch.

“We think of it as entertainment, but we have to go back and see what our entertainment is rooted on,” she said.

Jex said repeated exposure to violence can contribute to its normalisation. “When we think of it as, oh, the neighbours are always fighting. Oh, we watch this on the TV all the time. We have to understand that we are perpetuating it as normal,” she said.

She encouraged people to think about what they consider normal and acceptable and to be more aware of the content they consume and share.