Floyd Petersen, 2014
Dear Editor;
Since the Isla Vista rampage, I have been searching the
thousands of written words and hours of TV news and commentary in vain for any
hint of support for my hypothesis on why we are experiencing these horrendous
acts of public violence.
We expose our children to math expecting they will learn math. We expose our children to reading expecting they will learn to read. We expose our children to science, expecting they will learn science. We expose our children to a steady diet of violence and illogically expect a different outcome.
Thousands of video games glorify violence. Movies and TV portray violence hour after hour. A child can blow away hundreds of people between supper and bed time, then go safely to bed, sleep the night and all is well in the morning. We shouldn’t be surprised when the result is violence. Any observant parent can tell you after watching their children at play that there is a fuzzy line between fantasy and reality and unfortunately there are a lot of emotionally and mentally handicapped adults that suffer the same challenge.
We expose our children to math expecting they will learn math. We expose our children to reading expecting they will learn to read. We expose our children to science, expecting they will learn science. We expose our children to a steady diet of violence and illogically expect a different outcome.
Thousands of video games glorify violence. Movies and TV portray violence hour after hour. A child can blow away hundreds of people between supper and bed time, then go safely to bed, sleep the night and all is well in the morning. We shouldn’t be surprised when the result is violence. Any observant parent can tell you after watching their children at play that there is a fuzzy line between fantasy and reality and unfortunately there are a lot of emotionally and mentally handicapped adults that suffer the same challenge.
I see that Jack Dangermond, the founder of ESRI has pledged
1 billion dollars to get geographic mapping software in our schools. Well, a
lot of education happens outside of schools. Here is a challenge: Let those creative
programmers at ESRI create a mapping video game that is even more exciting than
stealing cars and killing people. Why should violence be more attractive and
interesting then mapping?
Why is violence so attractive?
Why is violence so attractive?
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