We are living in violent times
Americans love violence.
That’s a sad fact of life that is getting sadder all the time, so it should be no surprise when we are subjected to the aftermath of a basketball game where players attack fans or the outcry when a game of sport like deer hunting goes awry.
I’m not a prude, but I have just spent many years trying to manage – and perhaps not very successfully – these messages for a boy. Video games seem to be the primary method of entertainment for children these days, but violent themes permeate many forms of media, from movies to television and even our music.
For a while, TV audiences were subjected to a fad of commercials that were based primarily on violent themes – and these were commercials intended to encourage people to buy stuff. If we don’t like violence that much, then why would advertisers spend a great deal of money paying to put those kinds of messages on the air hoping to hook us on that particular product? Something is wrong with that picture.
Although it would be ridiculous to assert playing violent video games or watching some violent scene unfold before them transforms sweet little boys into adult killers, it does seem like acts of violence dominate the nation’s culture. One has to wonder what the real impact is.
The list goes on and on. Whether it’s the nightly newscast featuring the horrific acts of inhumanity or the blockbuster feature where the main theme centers around killing people, by the sheer success of those venues, it’s clear we can’t get enough.
The deer stand killings in my native Wisconsin are travesties I don’t want to believe are possible, but after reading an account that the hunters were not only concerned about a tree stand, but possibly with the nationality of the offending party, it seems like the alleged shooter apparently snapped.
It’s highly plausible the racial slurs were spoken. Emotions are high anyway during deer season as too many people lust after the big kill. The bigger the buck, the better. I’m not knocking hunting, since most of my family members hunt, but I am saying that some guy sitting in another one’s tree stand is not going to be taken lightly and it’s easy to see how things can escalate.
But why are we all living in a constant sea of turmoil with each other? Why does a man attack a fan at a ball game? It’s just ball. It’s just a tree stand.
The answer is, it’s all about competition, or perhaps, winning.
Competition is good. It spurs development and imagination and motivates. It generates innovation and makes certain aspects of life better. But like everything, there is a flip side. A fan offends, so strike back. A man offends one’s pride, so shoot him. We cannot be outdone.
Previous generations pushed morals, not mayhem. As someone who would like to see children be able to hold their innocence for a little bit longer than they presently do, I’m starting to agree with them more and more.
I have to wonder how bad it’s going to be in just a few more years when my littlest one grows up and starts to notice the world. If history is any indication, it doesn’t take much to realize it’s not going to get better.
As we look to answers of why a basketball player turns violent or why a guy kills a bunch of people, as alleged, it’s not too difficult to see what has happened to humility or turning the other cheek.
Lately, those ideas seem to have simply fallen out of fashion in pursuit of being the best, or not being outdone for fear our egos may suffer.
Amy Satterwhite is a reporter for the Standard. She can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].