My Unqualified Opinion of Some Possible "Whys" Behind the Insanity of Child Murderers
First of all, let me say that I am by NO MEANS any kind of expert as I merely possess a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Nor am I a prude or religious zealot, pacifist or bleeding heart Liberal. I am simply the [i]fairly[/i] intelligent mother of two children (ages 9 and 13) and someone who has carefully paid attention to the changes in our society for the past two decades (which means I was 20 yrs old when I began to notice and become concerned about the changes I am talking about). Normally I don't share my opinions on such matters because I detest discussing controversial topics with people who do so for the mere love of appearing superior as a result of the argument or the thrill of winning the 'fight' and 'one-upping' someone more than actually learning something or sharing something communication-wise with another; which seems to occur often when broaching such controversial subjects. However, I am going to break my own rule regarding this topic because (at least the appearance) of the increasing insane crime wave of such young children and teenagers is really bugging the shit out of me!
I've had a theory for many years that the increasingly constant barrage of sexuality in advertising, magazines, marketing of products and more recently[i]even cartoons[/i] is consciously and more importantly - subconsciously - causing children to grow up much faster by inundating and focusing them on such things much earlier than the older generations - [b]clearly to their detriment[/b]. I've also thought the same about the ever-increasing violence in movies - who hasn't joked about "the body count" in a Schwarzenegger (sic?) or Stallone film? The intensity and frequency of violence and sexuality has crept up on us so slowly since approximately the early 80's, that what used to be considered outrageous is now considered "no big deal".
Additionally, although I hate to admit it because I love music more than any non-human 'entity' in this world, I think it has had a tremendous impact on the psyche of children and teenagers. Look at the lists of favorite artists in the MySpace profiles of the majority of the kids we're reading about in the news and they are filled with such artists as: Cradle of Filth, (WTF?!), Dying Fetus (Ditto!), Devildriver, Hatebreed, Demon Hunter, Murder Dolls, Twiztid ShitMy Life with the Thrill Kill Cult - just to name a few. Admittedly I haven't taken the time to look up each of these groups to check out their lyrics and music - but guess what?! - I don't want to bother because the names of such groups tell me enough information that I am pretty sure I would not be interested in subjecting myself to such - UNLESS I knew one of my kids was listening to them. That would give me the motivation to 'go there'; otherwise I am going to take it for granted that those groups have picked such names to reflect their music. I'm willing to bet big bucks that if you took anyone of any age and made them listen to these groups for a minimum of 8 hours per day that you could document a significant change in their psyche and attitude. Attitude change being a key concept behind my entire hypothesis, by the way.
In addition, we have what is supposed to be the most reliable and trustworthy sources of information currently called the MSM which translates into our homes as our local and world newscasts. How often do you see human interest stories on POSITIVE subjects? The lead stories are always the attention-grabbing gore-filled accidents, rape, horrifying murders, arson, theft, beatings, war, and etc. The ONLY newspaper I know of (which isn't saying much) that attempts (and IMO succeeds) in covering a well-balanced representation of both the positive and negative happenings in their region - is an obscure little weekly publication that my 94-yr-old grandfather still subscribes to from Eastern KY, (where he and my aunts and uncles were born), called [url=http://www.troublesomecreektimes.com/pages/front/]The Troublesome Creek Times[/url].
For the more cynical, the TCT may seem a bit 'hokey' and the occasional spelling errors 'get on my nerves' ever-so-slightly, (but that's [i]my[/i] OCD pet peeve). [b]As I was reading this paper a couple of days ago[/b] while waiting for my grandfather (whom I've been helping take care of) to finish eating dinner; [b]it occurred to me that this 'little' publication actually had something 'BIG' going for it because not only does it spotlight the usual macro happenings of a community such as births, deaths, marriages and accidents and the occasional murder; it reflects the micro - the achievements and goals, struggles and triumphs of its members as they work together to survive in and better their community.[/b]
Then last but certainly not least by any means, there is the ability of young people to access anything at any time - according to the rules in their homes and the access they may have outside of the latter. Look at girls such as **** and ****. These girls have both been described by friends and teachers as "nice", "sweet", "normal" young ladies. The missing link and the door that opened both of them to the outside influence that ended up taking them down was their use and choice of contacts via text messaging and the Internet. Both were able to stay in touch with the males they had been forbidden to be in contact with and both managed to circumvent their parents best efforts with at least one of these mediums. God knows I AM NOT SAYING THE INTERNET IS THE DEVIL - LOL! I am as big a junkie as you can be! I am just pointing out that there are so many different ways for young people to be barraged with negative influences in these modern times that if you have a kid who already has a predisposition or attraction to negative people and/or influences - it is MUCH easier for them to succeed in gaining access to whatever influence they choose because of today's technologies.
What does this have to do with 12-yr-olds blowing away their parents or setting strangers on fire for the hell of it? I think that along with the increase in divorce, which has made for broken homes and tough situations for children; the loss of extended families, which used to allow for a more supportive environment for parents and children, to a more nuclear and isolated state of living; in addition to the increasing violence in our society and the increase of the portrayal of that violence, along with the over-sexualized marketing of products of all types that inundates every communication medium today, that it’s all too easy for the predisposed - AS WELL AS THE “GOOD” KIDS FROM HEALTHY BACKGROUNDS to get sucked in to a whirlpool of negative activities with sometimes irreversible consequences.
But that’s just me.
I've had a theory for many years that the increasingly constant barrage of sexuality in advertising, magazines, marketing of products and more recently[i]even cartoons[/i] is consciously and more importantly - subconsciously - causing children to grow up much faster by inundating and focusing them on such things much earlier than the older generations - [b]clearly to their detriment[/b]. I've also thought the same about the ever-increasing violence in movies - who hasn't joked about "the body count" in a Schwarzenegger (sic?) or Stallone film? The intensity and frequency of violence and sexuality has crept up on us so slowly since approximately the early 80's, that what used to be considered outrageous is now considered "no big deal".
Additionally, although I hate to admit it because I love music more than any non-human 'entity' in this world, I think it has had a tremendous impact on the psyche of children and teenagers. Look at the lists of favorite artists in the MySpace profiles of the majority of the kids we're reading about in the news and they are filled with such artists as: Cradle of Filth, (WTF?!), Dying Fetus (Ditto!), Devildriver, Hatebreed, Demon Hunter, Murder Dolls, Twiztid ShitMy Life with the Thrill Kill Cult - just to name a few. Admittedly I haven't taken the time to look up each of these groups to check out their lyrics and music - but guess what?! - I don't want to bother because the names of such groups tell me enough information that I am pretty sure I would not be interested in subjecting myself to such - UNLESS I knew one of my kids was listening to them. That would give me the motivation to 'go there'; otherwise I am going to take it for granted that those groups have picked such names to reflect their music. I'm willing to bet big bucks that if you took anyone of any age and made them listen to these groups for a minimum of 8 hours per day that you could document a significant change in their psyche and attitude. Attitude change being a key concept behind my entire hypothesis, by the way.
In addition, we have what is supposed to be the most reliable and trustworthy sources of information currently called the MSM which translates into our homes as our local and world newscasts. How often do you see human interest stories on POSITIVE subjects? The lead stories are always the attention-grabbing gore-filled accidents, rape, horrifying murders, arson, theft, beatings, war, and etc. The ONLY newspaper I know of (which isn't saying much) that attempts (and IMO succeeds) in covering a well-balanced representation of both the positive and negative happenings in their region - is an obscure little weekly publication that my 94-yr-old grandfather still subscribes to from Eastern KY, (where he and my aunts and uncles were born), called [url=http://www.troublesomecreektimes.com/pages/front/]The Troublesome Creek Times[/url].
For the more cynical, the TCT may seem a bit 'hokey' and the occasional spelling errors 'get on my nerves' ever-so-slightly, (but that's [i]my[/i] OCD pet peeve). [b]As I was reading this paper a couple of days ago[/b] while waiting for my grandfather (whom I've been helping take care of) to finish eating dinner; [b]it occurred to me that this 'little' publication actually had something 'BIG' going for it because not only does it spotlight the usual macro happenings of a community such as births, deaths, marriages and accidents and the occasional murder; it reflects the micro - the achievements and goals, struggles and triumphs of its members as they work together to survive in and better their community.[/b]
Then last but certainly not least by any means, there is the ability of young people to access anything at any time - according to the rules in their homes and the access they may have outside of the latter. Look at girls such as **** and ****. These girls have both been described by friends and teachers as "nice", "sweet", "normal" young ladies. The missing link and the door that opened both of them to the outside influence that ended up taking them down was their use and choice of contacts via text messaging and the Internet. Both were able to stay in touch with the males they had been forbidden to be in contact with and both managed to circumvent their parents best efforts with at least one of these mediums. God knows I AM NOT SAYING THE INTERNET IS THE DEVIL - LOL! I am as big a junkie as you can be! I am just pointing out that there are so many different ways for young people to be barraged with negative influences in these modern times that if you have a kid who already has a predisposition or attraction to negative people and/or influences - it is MUCH easier for them to succeed in gaining access to whatever influence they choose because of today's technologies.
What does this have to do with 12-yr-olds blowing away their parents or setting strangers on fire for the hell of it? I think that along with the increase in divorce, which has made for broken homes and tough situations for children; the loss of extended families, which used to allow for a more supportive environment for parents and children, to a more nuclear and isolated state of living; in addition to the increasing violence in our society and the increase of the portrayal of that violence, along with the over-sexualized marketing of products of all types that inundates every communication medium today, that it’s all too easy for the predisposed - AS WELL AS THE “GOOD” KIDS FROM HEALTHY BACKGROUNDS to get sucked in to a whirlpool of negative activities with sometimes irreversible consequences.
But that’s just me.
posted by Brooke Lee at 12:13 AM
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