Violence in TV, Movies, and Video Games. If I had a child, I would not let him or her play violent video games (or maybe any video games)...especially the ones like "Call of Duty". For all the things said...it's violent, it shows that with a push of a button you can take a life, etc. There is another reason...it glorifies being in a war. At the same time it glorifies war, there are soldiers coming back in real coffins, and with real injuries, and real disabilities.
However, we are in a world where reality is violent. Grimm's Fairy Tales (a popular thing to read to children) are, well, Grimm. Jack fell down and broke his crown. Hansel and Gretel were siblings that were abandoned in a forest by their parents, and caught by an evil witch who fattened them up so she could eat them. In the Lion King, Mustafa is killed by his brother, and then blames Simba. Snow White is poisoned by a witch, and Bambi's mother is mowed down, Gaston falls from the roof of the castle after a violent fight with the Beast. I'm sure you get my drift. When I grew up, my favorite books were the Narnia Chronicles, The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings...all full of violence.
And lets look at the latest kid book/movie series: Harry Potter. Do you know how many people that were close to Harry who were killed?? Here's who: His parents, Sirius Black, Dumbldore, Remus Lupin, Tonks, Fred Weasley, Cedric Diggory, Hedwig, Severus Snape, Mad Eye Moody, Dobby, Barty Couch Sr. Colin Crevey, and finally, Harry had to allow himself to be killed to destroy the last horcrux. It's just that these deaths were caused by wands and not guns.
And the last thing I would mention is the Bible. The Old Testament is nothing but war. The first half of Revelation scared the daylights out of me. Not to mention, the crucifixion.
Now what about music?? When I was a kid, Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest were both sued for wrongful death because some parents believed that there were "subliminal" messages in the music - or because they listened to that music - that caused their children to commit suicide. Both Ozzy and Judas Priest were cleared. And I can understand why the parents did it, they had to reach out in extreme pain and come up with the reason why their children were dead. The kids probably didn't confide in their parents, or they didn't recognize the signs. In their pain of losing their children, they had to blame somebody and they chose to target of the music their children listened too.
This prompted the PMRC...Parent's Music Resource Center. An organization organized by a bunch of Congressmen's wives with too much time on their hands. They wanted to ban certain types of music, but since they really couldn't do that, they went for labeling records. Luckily, I had a Mom that resented being told what music she should allow her kid to listen too. I'm sure if she listened to Guns N Roses' Appetite for Destruction that I got when I was 14, she might of thought differently. But then again, I was too sheltered to even know what those lyrics meant until I was an adult. But she ignored the labeling on the records, because she knew me well enough to know that it wouldn't effect me. And they got REALLY ridiculous. Def Leppard's album cover for "Pyromania" - and the name of the record, induced kids to go out and commit arson (really?). Bon Jovi had to change the cover of their Slippery When Wet album because the original was too sexually explicit. It really wasn't, but that's the control that they wielded back then. If the PMRC rejected something, the record companies jumped. They eventually went away. And people still listen to Ozzy, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi (namely me) without inciting violence or suicide.
You cannot keep violence out of what children see, read, or listen too. It is everywhere, including popular children's literature. How can you control what violence there is on TV, in movies, video games, books, and music for adults when there is so much in the classics that were written for children?
The mental illness issue should be SEPARATE from the whole gun issue. Not all gun violence...in fact, I would guess not a great percentage is because of a mental illness. HOWEVER, there NEEDS to be more comprehensive mental health coverage. A large percentage of the homeless are mentally ill, and some of them are veterans. Combat soldiers come home and commit suicide. Statistics show that most mentally ill people are the victims of gun violence, not the shooter.
Mental illness is just that - an ILLNESS. There are physical causes with chemical and hormonal imbalances and parts of the brain structurally wrong. I have known people that killed themselves, I have a person very close to me that tried and almost succeeded, and I have tried it a couple of times. They have statistics on how many people have died from cancer, heart disease, car crashes, etc. They have no statistics for how many people die from mental illness. That is because it is just lumped in with suicides. THIS NEEDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!
There needs to be services for people who have mental health issues. Our insurance companies have cut visits to psychiatrists to 15 minutes for medication management. That is barely enough time for a person to talk to their doctor about symptoms, side effects, and how new medication will help them and what to expect.
All hospitals should have a psychiatric wing. The one that my doctor was affiliated with closed down to make more beds. If I should have to be hospitalized, I will be going to a hospital where there will be another doctor making decisions instead of the doctor that knows me best. There is something wrong when you can't have your doctor treat you in the hospital. Any medication changes can cause a spiral that actually makes it worse.
There needs to be more support groups...for the sufferer and the family and friends that have to live with or support the sufferer.
And there needs to be more awareness when it comes to kids developing symptoms. I started showing symptoms when I was 9 years old. I started responding to stress by mutilating myself...mostly cutting my arms. When I got towards middle school and high school, I was bullied terribly and the school psychologists were a joke. They knew I was cutting myself and did nothing, didn't recommend a doctor - nothing. I also started having severe asthma attacks regularly enough that I missed a lot of school. I ended up quitting at 17 and getting my GED.
And Mom was at her wit's end. She knew I needed help, but I was uninsured for pre-existing conditions, and she didn't know where to turn...except to the "professionals" that were at the school.
There has to be more comprehensive education about mental illness in schools and and in society in general. There is a terrible stigma associated with being mentally ill. And in school it can be traumatic. I was bullied horrifically in school. And I can tell you that the words "Sticks and Stones can break your bones but words can never hurt you" is NOT TRUE. Please, give me the broken bones! The way I was treated in school affects my thinking to this day. Everything that is said to me is taken personally...and cause problems like panic attacks. My self-esteem has severely been beaten up. If I do one thing wrong, I take it out on myself the hardest, which causes me to be more symptomatic. I have yet to figure out that I live in an adult world where people aren't as judgmental children are. These are all things I can trace back to how I felt when I was being bullied.
So this leads to schools needing to stop bullying. It is not "this is just a normal phase that kids go through". It is not. People need to recognize that being bullied like that during the developmental part of growing up is going to have effects that last a lifetime.
It is better than it was when I was a kid. But it needs to be better. Kids need to be taught to be accepting of their fellow classmates, whether they have mental problems, ADD, are mentally disabled, etc. They have to know that the things they do have consequences that can last the victim's entire life. The suicides of kids that were bullied should be a huge sign.
Ciao...
On December 14, 2012, my faith in humanity was shaken. I watched with shock and sadness as I listened to the news about a gunman who went into an Elementary School and shot and killed 20 first graders, between the ages 6-7, and 6 teachers/staff. I cannot imagine what those parents are going through. Those children had their whole lives in front of them. And for those children that survived, they will live with this tragedy forever, no matter how much therapy they receive, they will forever have the memories of that day seared in their brain. On December 14th, they lost their innocence.
My heart has been broken, and I feel guilty for having a "normal" life and the ability to feel joy when so many families have suffered their worst nightmare with Christmas next week.
The shooter, 20-year old Adam Lanza, had a history of Asperger's
(which I don't believe contributed to the shooting) and another mental problem. He went to gun stores in the days before but was turned down. So he got a hold of his mother's guns...and shot her in the face. He went to the school armed with a Bushmaster with a 30 bullet capacity, a glock 10mm caliber, a 9 mm sig sauer, and enough ammunition to kill everyone in the school and the first responders. And he broke in. God, I can't even imagine how scared those children must have been.
There are many questions. Mr. Lanza had the forethought to destroy his computer. But there is also the question of gun control and help for the mentally ill.
I AM NOT AGAINST THE 2nd AMENDMENT! But I do believe there is no reason why we have to have military assault weapons or the ammunition that goes with it. We do not need these type of weapons to protect ourselves or hunt. We need laws that make it MANDATORY that everyone purchasing a gun should go through an extensive background check, possibly a psychological exam before being able to get the gun. And the gun needs to be registered. I believe that if someone wants to get rid of their guns and sell them, they take them to a designated place where they are compensated, and the guns could be resold legally. There should be no gun shows...that is one of the major sources for illegal weapons. And those restrictions should be for online sales as well.
Does this mean that people aren't going to illegally acquire illegal weapons and ammunition? No, I realize that it won't stop mass shootings. Criminals are going to do what they do. And there probably isn't a law in this country that hasn't been broken. But this could make it harder to get a gun. If ONE life is saved because of laws for gun control being passed, then it is worth the trouble.
I just know that it shouldn't be harder to register to vote than it is to purchase a gun. 40% of guns purchased legally don't require background checks or registration. Yet you have to register to get a decongestant at the pharmacy so they know that you're not using it for a meth. lab. It's ridiculous.
AND PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT PEOPLE WANT IS GUN CONTROL, NOT BANNING GUNS. It NEEDS to happen. We should not have to go through these weekly or monthly mass murders. We need to do something before it becomes so common that it doesn't bother people that it's happening.
Ciao,
Carrie
