A valid point has been made about the difference between today's youth and those of the past.
The different generations are not at all the same.
I, too, grew up during a time and in a place where EVERY child had access to firearms. There wasn't a young male who didn't hunt and fish and carry shotguns to school in the trunk in order to be prepared for an afternoon afield.
During the first four decades of my life there was never an incident in the state of Arkansas where one student shot another.
The were any number of reasons why we didn't declare war on each other. First, our fathers took a personal interest in what we were doing. They spent time with us and taught us gun safety and personal responsibility. More importantly, we were taught respect for others.
Secondly, there was no gang culture in our schools. If two guys had a difference of opinion, they duked it out and then forgot about it. They did not get five more guys together and attempt to snuff the other guy's lights out.
Lastly, we were not as spoiled as the generation of our grandchildren. I can't emphasize this enough. Having observed the development of American society for at least half a century I have come to the conclusion that the level of violence amongst our youth and our society is in direct proportion to how egotistical, self-centered, and nihilistic a given generation is.
Many parents today do not deny their kids anything. Watch the new show The Nanny sometimes. The feather-headed notions about child-rearing exhibited by the parents is fairly typical of many American families.
Ya wanna let a three-year-old cross the street by himself, well, that's perfectly fine with ole dad!
Junior wants to punk his hair and get tattoos and watch hate-filled gangsta-rappa-all-my-buds-are-bad-ass-gun-totin-blount-smokin-ho-beatin-studs... then let him.
If 12 year old Susie wants to put on tons of makeup, bare her mid-riff and wear cut-off jeans with lots of derrier showing, well...mom is perfectly willing.
But...and most especially...when they get in trouble at school or on the streets or in someone else's home the parents teach them that they are neverevernever going to be held responsible for their actions.
Is it any wonder that a culture of youth-punk-gang-substance-abuse-is-cool-and-respectful-kids-should-be-picked-on mentality has spread across the country like a cancer?
Now some of you are obsessing over a symptom and ignoring the root causes of the problem.
If fathers were to become fathers and taught responsibility and respect and mothers became mothers and not advocates for their children then the cause of much of this violence would disappear.
