Friday, February 15, 2008

I found this article under the Memphis blog, named “Eighteen and out.” It was about the last school shooting and that a nineteen year old man was involved. The author wants that people who are older than 18 years should not be allowed to go to a regular school anymore because they have a negative influence on the other pupils. In my view that is not the problem of the school shootings. The problems of the school shootings are more complex. It is the entire life situation of the youth and their families, our society and the way our politicians approach problems. Our politicians try to solve problems the easy way. If a tragedy took place they find a guy who is the scapegoat very fast and the problem is solved for the politicians. But sometimes problems are more complex and cannot be solved by just changing one small thing. We have to improve the entire situation and the living conditions of our people. If the family of this nineteen year old man would not have to live from minimum wage than his mother could sometimes talk about values with him because she might be sometimes at home and not 10 hours a day at work. If this nineteen year old “killer” would be equipped with values by his parents than he would probably not join a gang, sell drugs and shoot other kids. It is a problem of an entire society and not just a problem of age!

1 comment:

Wendy said...

Excellent insight, Michael, into the fact that these problems are very complex. Blaming one source, be it parents or "society" (whatever that means), etc., is foolish and, in the end, detrimental, because it cuts off opportunities for creative problem solving.