I heard the weirdest thing yesterday…..and it got me thinking. How many problems do people make for themselves? Anyway….I digress as I’m wont to do….
I heard about a young man who thought it would be funny to put a FB status up that he was bringing an AK 47 to his HS graduation……..WTH? In this day in age? I was speechless (which is almost unheard of!) Has he not read any on-line news in the last 5 yrs. about violence and the ZERO TOLERANCE of violence in schools? Have his parents had no interaction with him in his whole life? Again WOW, WTF? I was amazed…..having raised 2 young men in my home with my husband, having told them since they were about 2 that you don’t make jokes about violence, guns, bombs, killing, etc, it just blew me away…..
I understand kids are known to be stupid at times, but this raises my hackles and raises all kinds of red flags……
I heard “he’s a good kid”? Really? That may very well be, but if he was my kids’ friend, he wouldn’t be any more. You just never know….didn’t all of Ted Bundy’s neighbors say he seemed like the nicest guy when questioned “after the fact”?
I understand I’m finding him guilty before he’s actually physically done anything, but if it saves my kids lives, Oh, well….I’ll err on the side of caution. I’m sorry, I really am. But do we know if there are guns in that house, do we know if that child, no should we say almost man has ‘issues”? NO we don’t. Could saying something stupid like that post on FB be a cry for help? It very well might be. It could just be a stupid prank, perhaps, but it is not my job nor my children’s safety that needs to be tested. That boy and his parents need to take a long hard look at themselves. Do they read the paper, are they aware of what goes on in the world?
Did you know since the Columbine shooting there have been 75 school shootings? Unfortunately, it has become an epidemic…kids who are troubled have found a cool way to solve their problems with a bang. After hearing all the publicity others get, some with perhaps mental issues have decided that it’s a great way to solve their angst and get attention, not realizing that suicide is forever, punishing others into the bargain. It’s a sad sad thing and this type of instant gratification lasts forever.
I wonder if that boy will now spend an inordinate amount of time on a psychologist’s couch working out his issues. I really hope it was just a stupid prank and he gets the attention he so obviously craves.
As for bullies, having thought about this issue, too I think I’ve come up with an idea that might be part of a solution. Tell me what you all think. Since schools have a “No Tolerance Policy” what if as soon as they’ve detected bullying in their school, they took all means of social media away from every student. I’m talking twitter, facebook, cellphones, IMing, etc. Every means of abusing the other children that go viral and can be abused and cause such ridiculous unruly, debasing bullying that it can’t be contained by adults. What if it was a charter signed by all the students and parents when they agreed to attend all public schools, part of the “No Tolerance Policy”. Let’s make the no tolerance Policy real! So then there would be NO real means of bullying except with words which we’ve all survived.
I’ve heard enough excuses about bullying and that being the reason for shootings….how about you? Why do you think guns have been around forever and no one ever shot their bullies before? I think it’s a cop out that people are so upset, their feeling are so hurt, etc. that they are willing to take other people “out” along with themselves. Why does no one feel accountable for their own shortcomings and problems? Is it this politically correct, “touchy feely” society we’ve created? We’ve all been bullied in life and survived it. Life ain’t for wimps. Problems actually make you stronger and more empathetic and sympathetic. I do understand that social media makes people braver to say whatever obnoxious, toxic garbage is floating in their mind, for there is no accountability, no one can see you , you’re not talking face to face to your nemesis. I do not believe people would ever have the nerve to say what they do in person nor without the anonymity that social media affords people. It’s a shame, but we must hold people accountable and make people realize it’s NOT okay to say anything without regard and violence is never acceptable. Age is not an excuse, but commonsense should be used. Talking about bringing a gun to graduation is different than a young child of 4 making a gun with his fingers playing Cowboys and Indians.
Where has common sense gone?? And common decency??
© Evelyn Garone 6.12.14
The Oracle Of Ahwatukee . . . 