Murderous Consequences When Disappointment Can’t Be Tolerated

Within the past months, two young adults have been killed allegedly by their “friends” because each planned to break up a relationship. What has happened to our children and youth that they cannot tolerate a disappointment or a rejection?

Having been a teacher in junior high schools for 27 years, this is my observation: Over the past 20 years, it seems that parents have been rescuing their children and not making them face up to responsibilities, while at the same time our children have been learning from the movies, TV and computer games that the way to solve a conflict is to get rid of the offender.

When a situation as simple as a boy or girl wanting to stop dating occurs, the rejection is taken so seriously that taking the life of another human being seems to be acceptable.

Just as a drug user builds up tolerance to certain drugs and needs more and more to get the same effect, those who watch explicitly violent films need more and more “action” to get the same effect.

The primary attenders of these films are young men ages 17 to 30.

What can we do to try and stop these increasing, senseless deaths? A concerted effort in the schools to teach constructive ways to deal with conflict, beginning in the elementary schools, would be a start.

Encouraging parents to teach responsible behavior is another. Unless the media lose money on their violent products, we will continue to get more and more. We can support the films that teach courage and integrity.

Beverly Weatherill

Orange