I was in the Infusion Center where I volunteer a couple days a week when I saw the news about the bombing in Boston. I watched bits and pieces during my shift trying to keep a positive, happy demeanor for my patients. My self-appointed job is to make their treatment a positive experience…no matter what is going on outside those doors. But in the back of my mind I couldn’t help but feel affected by what was unfolding on television. What the Hell is going on with us? I mean we humans? When will we get it through our fat-heads that shooting, bombing, stabbing… is not the answer?
I can’t imagine how I would explain these events to my son if he were a child. I think the worst thing he saw was the explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle. I was at work and he was home alone and he probably watched the footage at least 20 times. All I remember is that he was really upset about it. What do parents tell their kids when they see atrocities these days? Or are kids numb to seeing these events because of violent video games and movies?
I took a break in the waiting room and thumbed through a magazine, while the sound of the news played in the background, I came across a page that read, ” We have failed our children if we do not teach peace.” The timing was almost an eerie coincidence.
Last night there was breaking news that the possible suspects were still in the Boston area. Even now as I write this, the update is that the bombers are brothers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev. One is dead and the other is still on the run. Before this news there was all kinds of theories floating around social media from Al Qaeda to home grown Jihadists to Alex Jones “false flag” conspiracy theory.
A relative of the suspects gave a quick plea to the media directed to Dzhokhar — to do the right thing and turn himself in to the police. He expressed his disbelief and anger toward the fugitive for shaming his family. I don’t think I ever heard that sentiment before…not publicly anyway. Relatives and friends always say how shocked they are and how that person was such a “nice, quiet” boy/girl. Well, people who do these acts are not hatched from an egg… they are influenced by their environment and right now our environment is all about who can hit the hardest. It’s all about swift justice. It doesn’t matter if its domestic or outside our shores.
Our lawmakers use the excuse that drones and carrying out pre-emptive strikes in other countries keep us safer in the U.S. But who will keep us safe from ourselves? We are teaching our children that the only way to end violence is to use violence. How crazy is that thinking? It’s like fighting cancer by injecting more cancer cells into the body.
Our collective body called the United States has cancer and it’s cancer of the mindset. We are raising another generation of violent human beings… I don’t mean intentionally. I seriously doubt a parent gets up in the morning intending to teach their kids to harm others, or at least, I hope not. They do so by not paying attention — by feeding their fear/phobias to their kids…like hating Gays, Blacks, Mexicans…fill in the blank. Parents are failing their kids by not supervising what they do on social media, who they spend time with, buying them violent video games, not talking with them about what they see on television, asking their opinion about bullying… and her’s a big one for me…rape.
Every time I turned on NPR this week I was more shocked than the day..no the hour before. A teenage girl committed suicide last fall because she was gang raped and the video and pictures of that rape circulated social media. She killed herself because she was humiliated by her peers. It was apparently funny to these kids. The boys involved did not get officially charged until last week — a good six months after the crime took place. Why is rape seen by these kids as “ok?” Is it because the boys charged are once again school football heroes? Or is it because some video games show rape as part of the game?
Who is raising our children? And what are we, as parents going to do about this behavior? We are their role models and it is up to us to teach our kids what is acceptable behavior and what is not.
I did find out more about an organization that has a satellite group in Los Angeles (hopefully someone will bring it to the OC) that focuses on peaceful conflict resolution called, Peace First. Ironically it started in Boston Massachusetts. It shouldn’t be (once again) the sole responsibilty of the schools to teach our kids. It is up to us — parents, teachers, clergy, neighbors — yes, it takes a village to turn this around because our lawmakers showed us this week, they have no intention of doing it for us. We have to decide there is a better way. We have to teach our kids to make better, peaceful choices before a fight breaks out, or a rape, or a bombing, otherwise we are all doomed.
Whats wrong with us? Humans?
Ya know every single kid in Africa, and the Middle East would look at what you just said and call you a pussy to your face. That stuff goes down every single day in other countries. Now that its come home to roost here in America suddenly its a tragedy?
We, as a nation, perpetuate this kind of violence on a daily basis in other parts of the world. Its time we look at ourselves, a a nation, as a member of the global community and check our own behavior that stimulates this kind of activity all over the world.
This is exactly what I am talking about Paul. I don’t live in Africa. I live in the USA. This is not exclusive to any country. Its a human thing. It’s a universal problem. But I wrote this to us, in the USA…not to point fingers to any other country. Get it???
And by the way, I have been called a lot worse to my face. I can take it.
I agee with Paul, Inge.
and as for the Children? what about the adults? The Embryos, THe Autistic! Damn it.
Double,
I don’t think either of you read my post or don’t understand what I wrote. Your responses don’t make sense to me.
Inge, Our response is that “We have failed our children” is a stupid and childish headline! rediculous sentimentality doesn’t do much to advance an intelligent cause. It kind of makes people like me not give a shit about the article at all.
double eye,
that’s your opinion and you know what the rest of the line is 😉
I’m willing to bet you don’t give a shit about a lot of things unless it’s about double eye.
*Having spent multiple hours watching the news coverage, pundits, security experts, legislators, wise nonsensical news folks and of course the grandiose apologists for bad behavior…..here is our read:
Inge…you are right. The brothers stupid father in Russia, the brothers stupid Aunt…living in Boston, the stupid mothers living in a undisclosed location and and wife of the older terrorist are all saying: “They was framed!”. You would think that Jody Arias was giving them free consulting advice. You might think that Lindsay Lohan was calling them every 10 minutes between shots of Tequila. You might think that reality TV…..Lost, Survivor, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars had taken over their minds and hypnotized them into another reality.
Good grief, the only light in the tunnel was Ruslan Tzarni, the boyz Uncle who had been turned into an real American somehow. The Uncle that called them “Radicalized Losers”. That the older brother had ruined the life of the stupid younger brother. But as we know, there is a lot more to this story that just watch appears.
Let’s start with the FBI interrogation of the older brother because the Russian Security Agency had requested them….”to check him out”. First off, the CIA should have been the Agency in charge with the FBI backing it up. CIA covers International issues, FBI is supposed to handle Domestic Terror. In the day of internet, most issues might be considered International in scope. If the older brother was communicating with his “Cell Leader” in Russia……..would we consider that “Domestically Radicalzed or Internationally Radicalized”. When he spent the six months in Russia……there is little doubt that he was trained in bomb making for given explicit information in that regard.
The nonsensical responses of their family members….saying he was just visitin family and friends…..for six months, to re-up his Russian passport….hard to believe, especially when he was traveling under an assumed name. This Boston Event is deep….way deep. The local terror associates will be many. The International terror associates will be shocking in scope. This all did not take place in a vacuum. Family members knew…friends knew…..terror suspects knew. Lot’s of people knew and when this all comes out…………Inge will be vindicated in her appraisal of our current lack of ethical social morality. “Greed is Great!” needs to be re-assessed as a value system in this country and the world. “Terror in the Name of Social Justice” is a failed concept that went out when the SLA got burned up by the LAPD – during the Patty Hearst kidnapping. Joining the likes of Charles Manson and his Family – the two boyz from Boston that killed, maimed and mutilated innocents are not Americans…..they both are Terrorists……and neither deserved anything but Enemy Combatant status……..whether they were born in this country or not…….which they weren’t. Once anyone engages in terrorism….The Unibomber or anyone else…..they have just become “Enemy Combatants” and should be sent to “Gitmo” for interrogation….for about 20 years…..to start.
*Death Penalty?……..would be too quick for this jerk! 20 years at “Gitmo” then he can go to trial.
Are you hooked on the Jodie Arias trial too??? That girl is one piece of work.
The motivation for the terrorist attack is quite clear; it’s even in black and white.
Surah 5:33
“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: That is their disgrace in this world and heavy punishment is theirs in the hereafter.”
Understanding the Islamic Bombing of the Boston Marathon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SoXs-0_rHY