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To the Editor:
I agree with William Raspberry’s column of May 23rd (Children of
a poisoned culture) and share his belief in the analogy of Lani
Guinier between the miner’s canary (a precursor of dangerous
conditions) and the increase in sensational acts of violence by
America’s children.
While I agree that the stand taken by the NRA and its supporters is
beyond logic, and that America has a violent past woven firmly in its
tapestry (the ‘Wild’ west / lynching), I feel that our
society has only recently become unable or unwilling to explain to a
child the difference between right and wrong.
Yes, it is the incredible prevalence of violence on TV, in music, in
movies, in video games. As a parent, I am appalled at what I see,
knowing that other parents, through their children, must be
supporting these products and industries (or the items would have
quietly disappeared from the store shelves years ago). I support both
Hillary Clinton’s chastisement in her book ‘It takes a
Village’ and the call to arms from Bob Dole to the Hollywood
establishment to present an image of actual American values (not
censorship here, just an end to the methodical brainwashing)
I grew up in an era when there were no excuses (I was on drugs, or
ate junk food, or most recently was bit by a mosquito with Lymes
disease). To paraphrase George Will there was a time in prior years
when a person’s giving into a vice that altered or diminished
his judgment was grounds for additional, not lesser, punishment. I
long for the day that parents (and then society) will teach children
both ‘right and wrong’ and ‘actions and
consequences’. I am tired of excuses, and plea bargains, and
insanity defenses. I am tired of seeing teachers and school boards
sued for expelling an unsocialized child, and of new ‘rights and
privelges’ for defendants (against victims) being discovered
during litigation instead of legislation.
I was saddened when my own child, reading the front page of the same
Saturday’s paper asked “why is the funeral for a killed
policeman such a big event, doesn’t that happen all the
time?” No, I had to explain, only on television (both
entertainment and the sensational news media) is human life,
policemen in particular, treated so cavalierly. In real life, each
human loss is a full blown tragedy and each perpetrator must be
forced to pay fully for their actions; regardless of their
motivations, socioeconomic class, or role in America’s history.
If it is not already too late for our children, we must raise both
the floor and the ceiling for America. We must simultaneously provide
a way out of failed institutions while holding each individual
responsible for their actions and consequences. |
