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Monday, June 1, 1998

Killer kids

VIOLENCE: Society must step up to solve

growing problem of violent children who lack needed attention

By Lena Kasahara

Juvenile violence. It's a deadly epidemic sweeping the country. It's already taken the lives of hundreds of people and continues to wreak havoc upon society. Its virulence is mounting and seems virtually unstoppable. What's more, the population is without a cure and helpless against its effects. It hits without warning, leaving communities wondering: "When will it strike next?"

Sadly, it is no longer unusual to hear stories of brutality instigated by the hands of a child. Children are slowly assuming the roles of the notorious mass murderers of the past. The "Jack the Ripper" and "Night stalkers" of today are more often youths. Homicides, shootings, rapes and murders are no longer "adult" crimes. These are all acts where children and teenagers can and have assumed the role of the aggressor.

The natural question to ask, then, is, "What drives these children to pursue such heinous acts?" Childhood is supposed to be a time of innocence. Of course, acts of rebellion are a common part of growing up. However, children are pursuing increasingly violent means of expressing their dissatisfaction with the world.

Where once "criminal activity" for children meant stealing a pack of gum from the neighborhood store or smoking a cigarette behind school grounds, such benign acts are becoming obsolete. Many children and teens are pursuing more drastic media for acting out their aggression. Senseless, violent acts are the instrument of choice for many of today's youth.

Reports of kids bringing guns to school and opening fire upon classmates are becoming the norm. Within this year alone, there have been three such acts of aggression. Children undoubtedly view violence as an effective way of being heard. Are we tuning out the voices of children so much that they feel they must resort to such acts? Are we, as a collective society, pushing children to rely on shock tactics to communicate with us?

Juvenile violence has de-evolved over time. School bullies no longer threaten to take your lunch money; they threaten to take your life. Fist fights have turned into gunfights. The power of communication has been virtually lost in this day and age. Violence is increasingly replacing communication as an outlet for the emotional baggage of children.

Our natural inclination is to find blame for the violence. Social problems are much easier to swallow if we can place the responsibility on someone or something else. It's the familiar, "the-bad-guy-did-it" syndrome, a paradoxical phenomenon where finding a scapegoat is considered "doing something about the problem." It is easy to fall prey to this finger-pointing phobia because it distances us from the situation. Assigning blame reduces any personal ties to the violence. But the sad truth is, it is society (us) that is inextricably linked to juvenile violence: It is our lives which have been shattered and our communities that have been torn apart by this problem. Thus, it is up to us to actively solve the problem.

With this said, the question arises: "What can we do?" Of course this is not an easy question to answer. There are various facets of teen violence to cover before arriving at a solution, but there are definite starting points. For beginners, we must possess passion for alleviating the condition. Like the saying goes: "Doing nothing is doing something." Complaining idly about the state of the world is not going to fix it. If we want our children to live in a better world, we need to become active now.

One area we can begin to improve is the institution of education. Proper education is the first step to alleviating juvenile violence. Sadly, some public schools are forced into situations where quality education has become less of a concern. Teachers and administrators must work around dwindling funds and resources from the state, cramped, decrepit buildings and outrageously high student-to-teacher ratios. With these horrid conditions, it is no wonder that children do not receive the individual attention that they so desperately want and need.

Schools are places where social interaction and mores are learned as well. If children are accustomed to getting away with certain acts, they will continue to test the limits of their actions. Thus, if teachers and administration have no time to dedicate to discipline children, problem students will continue to get worse. If these students are indeed punished for unacceptable actions, it is usually in the form of expulsion. This seems counterproductive because rather than readjusting and modifying behavior, schools are ultimately allowing students to continue with such actions outside school boundaries. This is just another example of getting rid of the problem rather than attempting to solve it.

There should be programs headed by school counselors dedicated to help problem youth. Often times, children act out because of problems at home. They are frustrated and confused and don't have any other way of expressing their emotions. All they really want is for someone to listen. Is that really too much to offer?

Schools have the responsibility to educate. This is not limited to book learning alone, but extends to life lessons as well. By avoiding dealing with problems at its inception, we create bigger problems for society down the road. Thus, money should be poured into helping kids while they're still in an educational setting rather than waiting until they have done greater damage.

The importance of family should not be underestimated. Children learn a lot from parents and adults purely by observation. Families should be supportive institutions where children learn the value of communication. If children view parents expressing feelings and grievances in a rational manner, they will tend to follow suit. Children would not have to find hostile means of expression if they were raised in environments conducive to open communication. There should be more social programs informing parents of proper parenting techniques. It's true that there are many parents who simply don't care. But then again, how many more individuals just don't know how to be a good parent?

On this coming election day, we can begin our road to recovery by voting for candidates who uphold similar ideals of education and family. Although juvenile violence may have reached epidemic proportions, society certainly has not been rendered incapacitated. A potential panacea does exist, but it is up to us to actively pursue it.