FREE ESSAY ON MALE AGGRESSIVENESS

MALE AGGRESSIVENESS

Compared to many other places in the world, the homicide rate for Miami-Dade County is
troublingly high. The principal contributors are men. It is known that men are more prone
to commit homicides than women. It is not known, though, what makes men so much more
aggressive than women. Experts propose various theories, yet none provides a definitive
explanation. Should one look to the side of genetics for answers or explore social
structures and cultures? It may be some combination of genetics and social structure that
will lead us to the answers, including to the question of why Miami's homicide rate is
comparatively high.
Some say that aggression can be traced to genetics. Testosterone, a male hormone that is
linked to aggressive behavior, pumps through the veins of all men in large quantities,
whereas only a small amount is found in women. By contrast men have low levels, but women
have high levels, of the neurotransmitter seratonin, which inhibits aggression and
impulsivity. Female have a larger verbal portion of the brain which is said to be the
reason why they can express feelings and emotions more readily than males. These facts
point to genetic reasons why men are so aggressive, but there is still another side of
the question to explore.
Why is the homicide rate in Miami-Dade County higher than that of, say, urban areas of
Switzerland which have virtually no violent crime? If biologists are correct, there are
no rational differences in the genetic makeup of males, or for that matter females, that
can account for such variation in rates of homicide and other kinds of violent crime.
Thus there must be some nongenetic reason why homicide rates differ from country to
country. In areas of Europe such as Switzerland, a homicide is nearly unheard of; people
rarely kill each other. They live in peace with one another and learn to respect other
men and women. Such societies teach their men and women to be tolerant and to solve
disputes in peaceful ways. It would seem, than, that such societies are more effective
than U.S. society in dampering expressions of genetic propensities to commit violent
acts. 
Cultures differ in so many ways, from the tolerance that people within a society have
towards each other to the way that children are taught in classrooms. For example, in the
Arab world people are tuaght to be very open and sensual with each other. They live
together in close proximity and spend time together in, often, one room. This could lead
to a higher tolerance for fellow human beings and a deeper understanding for others. 
Japanese teach their children in a group oriented fashion. Students work together and not
individually to teach each other and to solve problems as a class. They are not put in
groups based on their ability, but rather the brighter children help the slower children
to learn. At lunch time boys and girls work together to serve food and clean up. Then
after classes, the children clean up the school and prepare for the next day. This
arrangement fosters mutual respect and cooperation rather than belligerence. So too do
practices such as bringing in a mediator to resolve disputes between two parties. This is
an effective way to avoid conflict and keep harmony.
The testosterone levels in the male's body combined with his surroundings and manner by
which he was brought up can all take affect and be the deciding factors in his
aggressiveness. People with different tolerance levels, upbringing and many other factors
can clash when put together into a common place. The variations in the way males are
taught and brought up change from group to group as well as from place to place. These
variations are a cause for the differing homicide rates from Miami- Dade to a city on the
other side of the world. This is seen in the troubling homicide rate for Miami- Dade. I
am sure that culture and social structure take over what genetics started in a male's
body, and continue the path to a male's aggressive or non-aggressive tendencies. 
As the commission's head, I propose that we begin to work toward reducing Miami-Dade's
homicide rate by focusing on our children. If we model our educational system on Japan's
we might begin to reverse the aggressiveness in our boys. We should have them feel as if
they are part of a group and teach them to care for each other rather then fend for
themselves and compete for attention. We should also require that schools and businesses
appoint mediators to mitigate conflicts. More importantly, Miami- Dade County needs to
teach its people to be more tolerant of each other. This can be taught in the schools but
it should mainly be instilled in children by their families.