Quote:
Originally posted by
Supervixen
My argument wasn't "because Israel does it..." All I was saying is that it's not that scary to have extra precautions in place and that people are adaptable enough to get used to something as innocuous as metal detectors. And
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My argument wasn't "because Israel does it..." All I was saying is that it's not that scary to have extra precautions in place and that people are adaptable enough to get used to something as innocuous as metal detectors. And without getting into a discussion about Israel...Israel does NOT have one of the highest violence rates in the world, and the conflict has a LOT more to do with land, cultural, and political disputes...not just religious discord. I lived there for a year, I'll be going back very soon, have lots of friends and a boyfriend over there, studied it throughout most of my higher education years, it's something I pay close attention to as a Jew, and it's just...not at all how it gets portrayed in the media. I walked the streets by myself at night and felt way safer than I would doing that anywhere in the States. Don't get the wrong impression because of what you see on the news. Israel is a country that is on alert because of the conflict flaring up now and again, but the violence that we see in the States is of a different nature. And since it's a different animal altogether, I'm not suggesting that we just act like another country that we aren't.
That being said, I really am on the fence about metal detectors at schools. I think that it would much more worthwhile for our culture to come to understand psychological and mental issues, to take them seriously, and recognize warning signs. And maybe working to get rid of the stigma attached to psychiatric care. There are a lot of mentally ill people in this country going without treatment. Most of them are harmless, and it would be impossible to say, "that person could snap and hurt people," but maybe it's not about trying to find the potentially criminally insane people, but just cultivating an awareness and compassion for people who could be at risk, before they become criminal in their actions.
Trust me, I have passionate views about this too, and I'm not trying to finger point or assign blame. That never gets us anywhere. But I do think our cultural outlook is a problem. We have movies and media filled with characters who are greedy, mean spirited people, and that's supposed to be funny or make them likable, and that's something I think is even more insidious than violent media. We don't take mental health seriously and see it as a weakness when someone needs counseling, prescriptions, therapy, etc. We don't take bullying in school seriously. We have an entire generation of young people who feel like the future is bleak and who are more self centered and unmotivated than ever--these shooters ten years ago were teenagers at high schools like Columbine, Springfield, Jonesboro...and now they're in their 20s, like what happened in the Colorado theater during a showing of Batman over the summer, or the mall shooting at the Clackamas Town Center in Portland, just a few days before the school in Connecticut. All young guys in their 20s. I often feel like my generation feels lost (I'm 27), and the generation after me inherited that. There's a lot more going on here than I feel like a lot of people are willing to talk about. If the problem is rooted in our culture, then where do you even begin?
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There's a lot more going on here than I feel like a lot of people are willing to talk about. If the problem is rooted in our culture, then where do you even begin?
I agree, one-hundred percent. There are so many intricate factors that need to be considered here and I am so sick of the media right now it makes my brain hurt. I'm just overwhelmed by the lack of compassion and directions they're pointing this story in; no one wants to state the truth. Everyone wants to use it as a way of pushing their agenda and it's tragically disgusting; if I may be so bold as to state almost, if not more tragic, than the actual event.
This town is being hounded by the media - people are pounding on their doors
demanding to speak with these poor families. It's like my god can't you let these people grieve in peace? This is something that should have been met with silence and every media outlet in this country should have said "this is so horrific we aren't going to capitalize on it; these people died; this is the gunman who is also dead; leave these people alone". It's not happening and in some sick and twisted way I actually get it. I understand why they're doing this but I don't understand how they can go to sleep at night. I'd be beside myself as a journalist and would refuse to report on it. I mean everyone is in on it from Anderson Cooper to Dr. Phil. I think the only tv personality who hasn't sent a crew up there is Ellen Degeneres and if she did, it would be to whisk the family off to Disney World or Fiji where they could get some peace and quiet.
I don't think beefing up security is going to be that miraculous fix. What needs to be fixed is our broken culture - our materialism, our greed, our lust for fame, our need to be recognized for every small albeit inconsequential accomplishment we make in life. I fear for the generations that are coming up behind mine. My generation is already borderline apathetic and incapable of handling constructive criticism and these helicopter parents and tiger moms are the ones adding this immense amount of pressure that doesn't need to be there. Yes, being an adult is scary at times and there is a certain amount of pressure in regards to expectations and productivity needs when it comes to being a functioning member of society, why add more to that pile? I don't think these expectations and demands are always out of line, though in some cases employers expect more than anyone can deliver. That's when you start looking for another job.
I look around the internet and all I see are complaints about not getting what someone wants the instant they open their mouths and declare they want it. Life doesn't - and it shouldn't - work that way. Back in the day, families had to work for generations to pay off land debts and debts for materials that built their homes. Now? You can choose to live anywhere you want, work anywhere you want, be with whoever you want and it's still not good enough. You can order that newfangled bobble off the internet and have it arrive at your door and never leave your house. Still not good enough.
The general lack of respect in the way people communicate...is a direct result of the television programs that babysat them as children while their parents struggled to pay for the roof over their heads. Personally, I blame all of this on a two-working-parent household. There isn't anyone there to constantly monitor a child's progress and be a positive influence in their life. I think children are allowed to be children for far too long and they should be given adult-like responsibilities when they become a teenager. By adult-like, I mean having to answer for their behavior and contribute to the household in a real and meaningful way (housework, paper route, dog-walking, whatever).
It's Utopian of me to think that there is ever a set way of perfectly raising a child and it would be disingenuous of me to say that it's possible. People aren't perfect; murder seems to be a natural instinct in human beings and society has successfully beaten it out of the majority of humans on the planet, but there are those rare cases that society can't reach and if you do the math it really is rare. Diseases and automobile accidents and alcohol/drug use are the leading causes of death; not murder.
It's situations like this that really makes me wonder if any of us really know what the hell we're doing. Which makes me quite sad.
