I caught a story a few days ago about a 14 year old girl who got on a school bus in Yazoo City, Mississippi and pulled a gun. It was widely reported with particular attention applied to the bravery of the boy who disarmed her and defused a situation that could have been tragic. But what I have failed to find in any of the reports is why the girl did it. It was reported, somebody “…on the bus was either messing with her or picking on her.” But that’s not a reason to pull a loaded gun on someone; well at least I don’t think so.
The online edition of the New Zealand Herald has been reporting a lot of violence, the last couple of days, involving children. A YouTube fight, in-class beatings, school “invasions” and that’s just from one article. Let’s not forget last month’s rugby field incident. Then there’s a report from the US of a man slapping a toddler to shut her up. Then we have the horror of what two brothers (aged 10 and 12) in the UK did to two boys aged 9 and 11. So we go from one extreme of kids having a “punch up” to dropping a sink on a child’s head, with a gun somewhere in between.
The fact that I am only paying more attention to this now reflects as poorly on me as the actual incidents. This happens every day in some part of the world, and worse. It is reported; we voice our obligatory outrage and then wait for the next time. What has raised this issue above the “general” evils of the world for me was the attention paid to the “Anti-smacking” law. I did not vote as I felt it had no real effect on me, having no kids. But it did make me read, enquire and think.
The crux of the matter is that on one hand, you have parents saying that they have the right to discipline their children any way they see fit. On the other side are the rights of the child to enjoy the same legal protection, to be free of violence, afforded to any adult in this country. After thinking about this I have to side with the second and support the law as it is now.
Violence involving children, whether on, by, or between is a virus. I use the term virus because we may try to kill it off, but it still seems to be here. Maybe the “Anti-smacking” law, as a law, isn’t the point. Maybe it’s simply a symbol, “a line in the sand” or a big red “Stop” sign that says violence isn’t the answer and should not be tolerated in a civilised society no matter who is dishing it out, or who is receiving it.
If I remember my literary references correctly, the “Augustans” believed that we were born with sin and it had to be beaten out of us. The “Romantics” on the other hand believed we were born pure and that it was the world around us that corrupted us. I’m certainly not saying that smacking or non-smacking are either cause or the cure for what ails the world. But those people in the above stories learnt somewhere that violence, to some degree or another was the answer to their problems. Those fights reported in the Herald had instances where bats were being brought to the fight. Violence begets violence and it usually escalates. Where they learnt it from I don’t know but I doubt it could be attributed to a single incident. If we start young and teach them that all forms of violence are wrong no matter the person, situation, or provocation, then maybe we can do some good and not have to read the same terrible headlines again and again. Maybe the law will not cure the world’s ills. But it is time to give it more than just lip service and a chance to change our behaviour and give the kids a better future.
No comments:
Post a Comment