At this point in society, we are no strangers to violence. If you own a computer, a television, a cellphone, you know that violence is everywhere. It's at the tip of your fingers when you're bored in class, it's in your face while you're waiting in line at your local deli, in the headlines, even in the music...

We've witnessed and are still witnessing the Black Lives Matter movement, acts of terrorism, high school fights broadcast on the internet as if it's something to be proud of, music videos portraying brutality both against police and at the hands of police, etc. But this week, I saw something different...

This week, as I was scrolling through Facebook, a music video put out by rapper XXXTENTACION. You might be thinking, "what's this girl talking about a music video for? They come out all the time". This wasn't your average music video. The rapper rhymes about Black Lives Matter, police brutality, racism, etc. But instead of just showing videos that make police look bad, he did something even more repulsive.

Picture this: two young boys, one white and white black, standing on a dimly lit stage with a noose hanging in between them. The rapper then proceeds to show each boy the noose, and gesture to the black boy as he ties the noose around the white boy's neck and proceeds to hang him.

Shocked? You should be.

It's clear that the message behind this video was something along the lines of turning the tables. How would society react if white people were treated the way it is perceived that other races are? But why are we using children? Typically in pop culture, children are seen as a sign of innocence and here, what are we doing? Exposing the young mind to the terrors of adulthood?

Now, I know that music is a work of art and I'm sure that this artist had a very specific goal in mind: to shock. But why use children? Personally, this is the kind of thing that causes desensitization of children to the things that should shock them, to the things that (when they're older) should make them ask questions and wonder why violence and death seems to be the only way people handle things. So why are we exposing them to these themes at such a young age? And why would someone allow it?

As someone who believes that all lives matter, this video took everything a few steps too far. From the videos of police shooting civilians to the lyrics that suggest we turn things around and kill other races, you would think the rapper would have gotten his point across. But no, he involved children.

What does this video teach children? It certainly isn't demonstrating acceptance of all races, ideals that violence is not the answer. What it is doing is showcasing that this kind of behavior is expected in society. If you're a certain race, you should expect to be treated differently, if you're a police officer you're expected to be rougher than necessary towards certain people, if you're a child you should face the worst of the world around you...

These expectations are wrong, this video is horrible, and although I linked it above, it's wrong. Stop desensitizing people to the things that should shock them. Stop promoting violence as a means of getting a point across. This is not the way it should or has to be. When does it stop?