Is there hope for humanity?
When I was 21, I was in NYC for two weeks to take a course in video editing. I was from a small town, so being in the big city alone was somewhat intimidating.
I didn't go out at night, instead, after class, I went to my hotel room, did some exercise and watched the news. I was used to Boston news and was completely unprepared for the New York version, which was effectively "murder, murder, murder, arson, murder, death, kill..." You get the idea.
After about the first dozen murder reports, the newscaster read off another, which said, "Man drops his sister's infant child out of a 13th story apartment balcony, because the sister refused to give him money for drugs."
I dropped on the bed and bawled my eyes out for the next half hour. To this day, even retelling that story, I break down in tears.
The incident is horrible enough on its own. But, there is something that I realized that is far worse than that horrendous act.
What was truly and even more deeply disturbing was the fact that the newscaster read through the story as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
To this day, I hate New York with all my heart. It disgusts me that this kind of thing can happen, and there is absolutely no sense of outrage. It's just another day. When I relayed this to a friend, their response was, "Well, NY is a much bigger city, so proportionally it's no worse than anyplace else. If it's 10 times bigger, then you can expect 10 times more crime, it's just that they are fitting more into the 1/2 hour of news."
I don't think so.
I grieve for my loss of innocence that day. I grieve for that small child, even though my only contact with him/her was a one-line announcement from a bored newscaster. I grieve for the human race, and the pitiful, selfish, unfeeling people that we've become.
Just like Columbine, this incident in Connecticut will fade from our thoughts in a few weeks, and the people affected will be left to deal with their loss on their own.
Do I advocate gun control? Absolutely not. I'm quite certain, that if if this crackpot didn't have access to a gun, he would have found another way. After all, think of places like Northern Ireland in the 80's, or the guy in China who did just as much harm with only a knife.
But, I digress... my point is that violence in our society is the norm. The average child witnesses something like 16,000 acts of violence and murder on tv, movies, news by the time they are 18. Parents provide nurturing games, like Grand Theft Auto, that simulate killing people with nice, realistic HD graphics. Our younger generation is completely desensitized to violence. In fact, few (even the well-behaved ones who otherwise seem normal) will show any empathy when a violent crime is brought up to them. It's become the norm.
A co-worker told me his brother started his kids on Friday the 13th movies when they were 8.
Another woman I know told me her 4 year old's favorite movies are anything with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
A 12 year old girl in my life was in a serious dating relationship with a 16 year old boy. I was mortified and desperately thought it was wrong. When I confided in a friend who had a daughter of a similar age, I got, "You have to let kids do that. If it's not in the open, they'll just do it behind your back." They considered putting moral limits on a 12 year old to be old-fashioned.
Another friend had a 17 year old stepson who would go to any friends house where the parents weren't home, steal liquor and party. I offered the idea that if he did stuff like that, they should refuse to allow him to play hockey. Again, the response was "this is what kids of today do."
Have you watched the Simpsons lately? How about any of the current crime dramas? And let's not forget the hero worship of losers (yes, L-o-s-e-r-s) like Amy Winehouse, Brittany Spears, the Kardashians and the like.
Seriously? And you blame the gun? I don't think so. Society needs a serious kick in the ass.
I didn't go out at night, instead, after class, I went to my hotel room, did some exercise and watched the news. I was used to Boston news and was completely unprepared for the New York version, which was effectively "murder, murder, murder, arson, murder, death, kill..." You get the idea.
After about the first dozen murder reports, the newscaster read off another, which said, "Man drops his sister's infant child out of a 13th story apartment balcony, because the sister refused to give him money for drugs."
I dropped on the bed and bawled my eyes out for the next half hour. To this day, even retelling that story, I break down in tears.
The incident is horrible enough on its own. But, there is something that I realized that is far worse than that horrendous act.
What was truly and even more deeply disturbing was the fact that the newscaster read through the story as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
To this day, I hate New York with all my heart. It disgusts me that this kind of thing can happen, and there is absolutely no sense of outrage. It's just another day. When I relayed this to a friend, their response was, "Well, NY is a much bigger city, so proportionally it's no worse than anyplace else. If it's 10 times bigger, then you can expect 10 times more crime, it's just that they are fitting more into the 1/2 hour of news."
I don't think so.
I grieve for my loss of innocence that day. I grieve for that small child, even though my only contact with him/her was a one-line announcement from a bored newscaster. I grieve for the human race, and the pitiful, selfish, unfeeling people that we've become.
Just like Columbine, this incident in Connecticut will fade from our thoughts in a few weeks, and the people affected will be left to deal with their loss on their own.
Do I advocate gun control? Absolutely not. I'm quite certain, that if if this crackpot didn't have access to a gun, he would have found another way. After all, think of places like Northern Ireland in the 80's, or the guy in China who did just as much harm with only a knife.
But, I digress... my point is that violence in our society is the norm. The average child witnesses something like 16,000 acts of violence and murder on tv, movies, news by the time they are 18. Parents provide nurturing games, like Grand Theft Auto, that simulate killing people with nice, realistic HD graphics. Our younger generation is completely desensitized to violence. In fact, few (even the well-behaved ones who otherwise seem normal) will show any empathy when a violent crime is brought up to them. It's become the norm.
A co-worker told me his brother started his kids on Friday the 13th movies when they were 8.
Another woman I know told me her 4 year old's favorite movies are anything with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
A 12 year old girl in my life was in a serious dating relationship with a 16 year old boy. I was mortified and desperately thought it was wrong. When I confided in a friend who had a daughter of a similar age, I got, "You have to let kids do that. If it's not in the open, they'll just do it behind your back." They considered putting moral limits on a 12 year old to be old-fashioned.
Another friend had a 17 year old stepson who would go to any friends house where the parents weren't home, steal liquor and party. I offered the idea that if he did stuff like that, they should refuse to allow him to play hockey. Again, the response was "this is what kids of today do."
Have you watched the Simpsons lately? How about any of the current crime dramas? And let's not forget the hero worship of losers (yes, L-o-s-e-r-s) like Amy Winehouse, Brittany Spears, the Kardashians and the like.
Seriously? And you blame the gun? I don't think so. Society needs a serious kick in the ass.