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I'd like to
think One Punch Homicide may become one of the most watched films in the
world, but this certainly won't happen because it has an amazing plot,
incredibly talented actors, and/or is a cinematic wonder. It would happen
because people everywhere want to reduce violence and think One Punch
Homicide could be one of the best ways to do so. I encourage readers to find
a film they think will reduce violence more.
I've never known anyone
killed by a single punch, but in making One Punch Homicide, I've found
hundreds of incidents where people have been, and came to the conclusion
that these events are an international problem. While making One Punch
Homicide, I did meet two women who knew someone killed by a lone punch.
One's father was killed in Wisconsin. The other woman knew a guy she dated
in high school who was killed in Indiana.
But there's also the huge
cost to society of all the people who are permanently maimed somehow for
life by one punch, and the cost of all those who were sidelined in the ditch
of life for long periods recovering from a punch. I have known three people
who fall in to these categories. Mike grew up on Long Island where a single
hit caused him to lose his peripheral vision in one eye. John has had a
number of eye surgeries so his eye ball wouldn't literally fall out of his
head. And Black and Tan spent two months convalescing in a hospital after he
took a punch.
I've made a documentary to reduce battering. If we reduce the number of people who are battered, it should reduce the number of people who shoot guns at others, while also reducing domestic violence. Research suggests that many who shoot guns at others, perhaps a majority, were victims of violence at some time. To support this statement and find research that confirms it, click here.
Might it be the best way to
reduce violence against women and children is to reduce violence against
men? Most violence against women and children is done by men, and most men
committing acts of violence against women and children have been victims of
violence themselves. So, if you reduce violence against men, shouldn't it
reduce violence against women and children?
It's been said American
prisons are warehouses for people who had the misfortune of experiencing
violence in the families they grew up in. An AI inquiry states: "Research
indicates a significant percentage of inmates in American prisons report
experiencing violence in their families during childhood, with studies often
showing a substantial portion of inmates having been exposed to physical or
sexual abuse growing up; this is considered a major contributing factor to
criminal behavior." One Punch Homicide will hopefully discourage many from
exposing their kids to violence, and that could reduce the need for
incarcerating as many people as we do. The U.S. incarcerates a higher
percentage of its population than any nation. I hope this isn't because we
abuse our children more than any nation.
One Punch Homicide, the film I've made, has received some very nice reviews, including one from Dr. Steven Pinker, and you can read them by scrolling down. If you like them, you may want to watch the 87 minute film free. It's not a feel good flick, but it hasn't any violence. Half the film interviews five inmates who killed someone with one punch, and only one punch, and it looks at 38 cases where people were killed with a single punch.
One Punch Homicide relies on fear to discourage battering. The National Library of Medicine has done a meta analysis on the effectiveness of using fear to change behavior, and you can read it by CLICKING
HERE. Driver's Education classes often use fear by showing cars that have been destroyed in accidents. You can see fear used in TV commercials that tell you you may end up with bad breath, body odor, gray hair, going in your pants, or something else, if you don't buy this product. Also, don't forget, this sale ends in five days.
Although One Punch Homicide is shown free here, if your organization wants
to use it, you must buy it to do so. It can be bought for a one time public
screening, or to screen publicly as often as you might wish, or for use by
individuals.
If you enjoyed One Punch Homicide and want to
spread its message in your community, you may want to encourage others to
buy it, such as your library, high school, YMCA, YWCA, domestic violence
shelter, jail, place of worship, bar, or other organizations. It would be
good publicity for all of them that they're trying to reduce violence.
You could also contact
your local district attorney's office and judges and suggest anyone
convicted of a violent crime should have to watch the film. It could be good
publicity for them too.
And there are likely
families having a funeral for one of their own killed by violence who may
want to show it.
There are two powerful interests
in the U.S. that may insure we don't see any impressive reductions in
violence for years to come, or maybe ever. One is our popular media, and the
other is the nation's high school principals.
Much of our media, with
its "If it bleeds, it leads" mantra, makes money from reporting violence. It
sells newspapers and gets people online. It gets people to listen to radio
news and watch television news. Most of the commercial non-internet news
sources have been hurt financially in recent decades by the internet, and
many are reluctant to take stands to reduce violence, which could hurt them
even more financially. Craigslist has decimated one of newspapers most
important sources of revenue - classified ads. Sure, after the latest gun
violence in a school, they'll indicate how terrible and sad it all is, and
even call for new laws to reduce violence, but as the event recedes in time,
they won't mount a serious editorial campaign to reduce violence. If there
was less violence, they might make even less money.
If they were truly
concerned about reducing violence, those that editorialize would have been
editorializing years ago that the nation's high schools should be used to
teach teens to be less violent after they leave high school.
There are over 26,000 high
schools in the U.S. In the vast majority of them principals have the right
to show programs they want to show, yet there isn't a single high school I'm
aware of that has made efforts to teach students to be less violent after
high school. Why? Parents around the world don't want to send their children
to schools where there is violence or where there is perceived to be
violence. If high school principals were to show One Punch Homicide or some
other program aimed at reducing violence after students leave high school,
they are likely to fear they would be inundated by contacts from parents who
are concerned that the program was used in school because that school has a
violence problem. So why bother bringing all this unwanted, time-consuming
attention to yourself? Don't bother with trying to make life less violent.
I hope your film gets wide
distribution.
Dr. Steven Pinker, Harvard Professor and author of numerous best sellers, including one about violence - The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, Massachusetts
Pinker has also twice tweeted his 175,000 followers and
told them to check One Punch Homicide out online.
This
is an incredibly important initiative.
Tommy Thompson, former Governor of
Wisconsin,
former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services,
and
author of Tommy: My Journey of a Lifetime. Wisconsin.
I encourage you to show it to your kids.
ShelterMe Nebraska, a domestic
violence shelter, on its Facebook page.
"I thought it was valuable....those in jail for one punch homicide tended to
say the old Karate maxims. This is mainly seen in the idea of walking away
from the fight, how killing someone destroys many lives, and that violence
is not the solution....This documentary is important for all ages to
watch....As a martial artist, someone who works with children, and someone
trained in the medical profession, I believe that if you teach or work with
children that might get in a fight you have an obligation to watch
this...and...once a child is 14 they should watch it as well, especially if
they have been in fights or are training in martial arts."
Rafael
Gutierrez, MD and martial arts instructer. California.
__________
The men who attended...felt that your documentary had great content and a
great message.
Eva Zhou, Sigma Psi Zeta sorority, Drexel University,
Pennsylvania (Sigma Psi Zeta showed One Punch Homicide to raise money for
their local domestic violence shelter.)
Racine Public Library, Racine, Wisconsin, hosted a showing of "One Punch
Homicide" and a discussion with the director afterwards. The audience
members were amazed at the number of people jailed for murder, because of a
single punch. There was a good discussion of how this information should be
shared, with schools in particular because many of the inmates were very
young. The director, Steve Kokette, focused on letting the young men talk
about their situations. I recommend this program."Jessica MacPhail,
Director, Racine Public Library
Hollywood has convinced us it is ok to hit a person in the head....People
need to watch your film....New and very young recruits at basic
training...need this information.
Major Van Harl, USAF Ret. and
writer, Oklahoma
One
Punch Homicide brings to light a topic that has been completely overlooked
in many violent cultures---and it needs to become a larger conversation.
Why? Boxing and mixed martial arts aren’t just the fastest growing sports in
cultures like the US: They are part of many younger people’s workout
routines. Throwing a punch is becoming more acceptable—and that brings with
it more potentially lethal outcomes. And we all know how much more violent
Hollywood movies have become, which concomitantly is increasing as we became
a more impatient, reactive culture. We need this topic—and movies like One
Punch—to become part of a growing awareness among Millennials and Gen Z.
Andrew Reiner, author of Better Boys, Better Men: The New Masculinity That
Creates Greater Courage and Emotional Resilliency. Maryland.
...the film
successfully makes the point that a simple punch thrown in a dispute...can
have disastrous results. Those who counsel youth on choosing non-violent
solutions to disputes will find this film useful.
LIBRARY JOURNAL
"This meaningful project depicts how
these incidents ruin the lives of not only the victim's family, but in many
cases those of the perpetrator. These senseless types of incidents result in
the destruction of many lives of those individuals and families who were
never even close to the scene of the incident.
If you could get this
documentary before the eyes of our youth, it could certainly and hopefully
make someone think about throwing that punch in the heat of the moment that
can change so many lives."
Arthur S. Lawson, Jr.
Chief of Police
Gretna, Louisiana
"The interviews
were absolutely riveting. And it's clear how prevalent this problem is...far
more than anyone would imagine. I would think One Punch Homicide would have
a significant impact on young people when they first start drinking. High
school and college age people should see one Punch Homicide, especially if
it is followed by a well-facilitated discussion. The discussion would keep
kids who most need to take its message to heart from blowing it off after
watching it." Jack Mitchell, retired teacher, Texas
"I really do think you hit a raw nerve and families and society should watch
it." Ross Thompson, Homicide Victims' Support Network, Queensland, Australia
I found the video vignettes very powerful and compelling both in the
sincerity of the perpetrators' remorse and in the tragic impact verbalized
by victims loved ones. I think the ideal target audience would be high
school freshmen who are on the cusp of self-discovery and developing
awareness of how their choices and behaviors have direct and immediate
consequences, often positive, but sometimes tragic and irreversible. Another
group for potential impact would be those offered a community-based early
intervention program following interpersonal trauma, either as a victim or
assailant. Dana Underdahl, RN, BSN - Coordinator, Clinical Risk Management -
Level One Trauma Center, Oregon
It was VERY informative.
Cecil
Washington, martial arts instructor and software tester, Maryland
We owe
a debt of gratitude to Steve Kokette...for producing One Punch Homicide.
Dean Weingarten, writer and reporter, Arizona
...sobering...
On
Wisconsin Magazine
Half of One Punch Homicide is interviews with five inmates in five U.S. states who killed someone with one punch. It also has interviews with loved ones of seven who died from one punch, and about 30 gravestones of those who died from a single punch in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, with brief comments on each incident. (It looks briefly at 38 one punch homicide incidents. I found over 300 such incidents while doing research for the film, and you can see a list of most of them below.) It also shows the Garden of Angels, a hillside near Fort Worth dedicated to murdered children.
One Punch Homicide is a documentary that will reduce violence, crime, murders, and bullying, possibly more than anything in our time. It's about people who killed and were killed with one punch, and only one punch, and their loved ones. It will reduce violence against everyone - the elderly, disabled, lgbt, children, women, and men.
In 1998 the American Psychiatric Association stated that by the time Americans reached the age of 18 they had seen, on average, 200,000 acts of violence on screen. Aren't we cheating today's young by allowing them to watch so much violence without educating them that one punch can kill?
Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg of King County, which includes Seattle, Washington, says King County has four to six one punch homicides every year. If King County's one punch homicide rate is average for the U.S., which is impossible to tell because no one in the U.S., including the FBI, keeps statistics on the subject, then the U.S. has between 500 and 1,000 one punch homicides every year. Although this isn't a huge number, it has other implications. Most single punches don't result in a death, but for every death by one punch, how many other people experience serious injuries, including brain damage, because of one punch - 10, 20, 50, 100, or more?
I didn't make One Punch Homicide because I knew someone who had died from one punch. I was inspired to make it because I read of two one punch homicides within days of one another - One was the actual event, which happened in Madison, Wisconsin, in December of 2008, and the other was the sentencing hearing for an assailant.
I enjoy showing the film publicly and answering audience questions afterwards. The first time I showed it publicly, a man in his 50s came forward and said he'd started many a fight by throwing the first punch, and One Punch Homicide made him feel incredibly grateful he'd never killed anyone, and he vowed to never throw another first punch again.
An NBC news report called Why Domestic Violence Prevention Programs Don't Work claims there aren't any successful programs for getting men to stop being batterers after they've started. The new focus is on trying to change the behavior of males at a young age before they become domestic abusers. One Punch Homicide was made for showing primarily to those in their teens and 20s so they won't throw punches against anyone.
With the five interviews One Punch Homicide has with inmates
talking about the bleakness of prison life, it should also discourage teens and
others from committing crimes in general. It should be beneficial for
girls to watch too, because it may inspire many to get out of violent
relationships more quickly.
One
Punch Homicide
(87 Minute version.)
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This One Punch Homicide version has English subtitles for the deaf and those learning English as a second language.
Please consider buying your viewing of One Punch Homicide after you've seen it. (For those paying to see One Punch Homicide in the U.S., because you are making a purchase and not a donation, the transaction cannot be written off on your taxes.)
If you wish to use One Punch Homicide as a fund raiser, please contact Steve Kokette.
To hear a 12 and 1/2 minute interview with Steve Kokette, the maker of One Punch Homicide, on Crime and Punishment, a nationally syndicated Canadian radio program produced by CJOB in Winnipeg, click here.
To see the credits for One Punch Homicide, click here.
To see a list of over 200 one punch homicides, click here.
Other work by Steve Kokette, the maker of One Punch Homicide, click here.
Contact:
Steve Kokette
PO Box
2302
Madison, WI 53701
(608) 441-5277
signit2@hotmail.com