PAYING THE PIPER
It has been a while, now, since we have had a high school shooting and the lack
therof is somewhat disquieting.
Does the basic evil still lurk out there in our lesser the academic halls or was it all a
series of passing manifestations if a passing fancy for some easily excited individuals who
did their thing and have now been imitated by their peers and largely forgotten?
I have felt, just as many other have, I’m sure, that most of the incidents have
been copy cat versions of the “Columbine” School shootings with each attempting to
“improve” or “ “perfect” some element of the shootings.
The reasons for “Columbine” and others are still varied, of course, and highly
debatable in some cases.
I feel it to be grossly wrong for us to attribute any such actions to specific causes
and in this case many have condemned “television” violence as the cause. It may well
have been a factor in the problems’ growth but it is, by no means, the sole cause of
such emotional social collapse among teen agers. TV is a handy culprit to blame, but in
doing so - or in saying it was the violence movies of recent years - causes us to blame
such obvious elements and to stop looking for the real, underlying and much deeper
causes which might bring about such radical changes in the mind set of young people.
When such incidents occurred in times we think of as being long gone, the same
group of knee-jerk, self-appointed judges placed the blame on the dime novels the
youngster were reading. Each generation seems to have its favorite whipping boy on
which to blame shortcomings of their own which should be taken more to heart.
Think about it for a moment. Isn’t there a common thread through most of the
violent displays which points, again and again, to the area of parental negligence?
The failure of unified mother and father need to guide their children into socially
acceptable paths. Instead we see parents rearing their children haphazardly and, in
many cases, in accordance with changeable rules set by existing social cliques which
may be compared readily with crude improvisations so evident replacing diplomacy,
tact and conscientious dedication to service found so frequently in present-day politics
which are said to be “politically correct”. Such “socially correct” upbringing ideas often
emphasizes the wrong themes upon which children are expected to build their lives.
We can, if we wish, view it all as passing phase and make remarks about having
to pay the fiddler now and then if we wish to continue to trip the light fantastic. For
true solutions we must examine ourselves and make some changes in the manner in
which children are trained to be worthy of a place in adult living. We need to be
prepared to be shocked in doing so, at times, even hurt, but, in the long run, it should
work to our mutual advantage if we can make such alterations...soon.
A.L.M. May 27, 2002 [c513wds]
