TUCSON
(another wing-nut from out of the woodwork)

The shooting event in Tucson is another horrific example of what may be going wrong with our society.

Not to downplay or dismiss the tragic impacts and consequences on so many lives by this kind of senseless violence, but we should really take a hard look at what we are as a people today. It’s not just about guns, the right to bear arms, or excessive “mama-grizzly” political rhetoric. It’s about –VALUES- and the apparent lack of them in so many of our youths today.

Frankly, worries about an epidemic of obesity among our kids should be the least of our worries. An epidemic of violence, which seems to be their mantra these days, should be of greater concern, with a mantra which says….yo, you dissin’me? bang!….teacher’s been mean to me….bang!….my peers hurt my feelings and picked on me….bang!….my boss chewed my ass out….bang!….etc., etc., etc., so, here’s another 22-year old wing nut out from the woodwork (a supposedly young adult) reacting to his frustrations in life much like a 2-3 year old throwing a tantrum because his mama said no about something he wanted.

It’s a much too common occurrence throughout our country to just blame it on the socio-economic matrix of our times. The majority of our children and youths, thank goodness,  don’t go that way, as we see so grandly demonstrated by the best and brightest of them serving in our armed forces.

There’s something else at work here.

In large part it may all be linked to the decline of the traditional nuclear family environment, with its parental discipline, boundaries, and guidance, instilling a proper respect and consideration for others. It may also have a lot to do with the evolution of a parenting style which can only be called a “fairy-tale cocoon” with which our children are brought up today. A cocoon where –reality- is made into – make-believe-, and make-believe is turned into reality, all of it enhanced and made easier by the technologies of television, internet, video games, and cell phones. Producing, as an end result, a dysfunctional behavioral pattern, in what might be called a –Caped Crusader Complex -.

Yes, in former times they played cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, and so on,  but these were never treated as more than play-acting, promoting physical activity and interaction with others, rather than isolation and inactivity, staring at some sort of electronic device. Of course, mental illness can’t be dismissed either; but then, where does such illness germinate from?

So somehow, in some way, our society is now transmitting a message of very negative values to these young ones. One that says….violence is okay when dealing with any of life’s frustrations, or, unhappiness and irritation from its petty and inconsequential matters. And guns….are the handiest instruments to deal with them.

Simply put….obese kids….only damage and endanger themselves. Wild, non-value-directed kids…damage and endanger our entire society.

CENTURION