Violence and American History X

While brainstorming discussion ideas for class today, Megan and I got into a conversation with a male friend of ours about the prison rape scene in American History X. We asked ourselves what, specifically, about that scene is so upsetting to witness. Was it the sheer physical overpowering, the violation of the body, sodomy itself, the guard turning a blind eye, the vulnerability, the ostracism?

We further discussed whether, individually, it was harder to behold (in the media only, we hope) the rape of a woman or of a man, and our answers were quite varied and layered. I argued that it is more difficult for me to watch a scene where a woman is being raped because, as a woman, I have a stronger understanding, indeed an embodied experience, of love, relationships and sexuality from this perspective. Our friend argued that is is more difficult for him to watch a scene where a man is being raped not because he is a man (or for the reasons I stated) but because, as men are raped less often, the prospect of male submission (especially physically) is terrifying.

What makes something more violent: the physical action or the connotations or implications to a greater social/political/etc. ideology? Does something appear more violent if we have some form of personal connection or lived experience to it, or if it is completely foreign (taboo, unimaginable, unlikely, atypical) from our perceived notions of violence? What role does violence play is specific subcultures, including skinheads?