The phenomenon of kids shooting kids is a sad reflection of
a modern society whose moral bar has been lowered to frightening levels. While
Hollywood provides a virtual classroom of increasingly violent behavior where
children learn firearms abuse, some irresponsible parents ignore the inherent
danger in that. When challenged by
responsible citizens however those same Hollywood elites quickly defend their
work citing First Amendment rights and irresponsible parents just as quickly
direct the blame anywhere but home.
Everyone who has ever taught anything knows how effective
visual images are as a teaching tool. Students
learn more from visual images than any other media.
Movies and video games are tremendous training aids—they can train
responsibly or irresponsibly—it’s up to society how those tools are employed
acceptably. Hollywood has been
reckless with these tools and refuses to accept accountability for the results.
Does that mean we need more government censorship of films?
No, what we need is more parental censorship at home…and less patronage
of Hollywood.
I’m a firm believer in personal responsibility and
parental obligation to instill solid values as the most effective form of crime
prevention and establishing a moral society.
I’m also firmly opposed to government censorship of the
movies—censoring what children watch is the job of parents not government.
What I’m interested in here is truth, devoid of hypocrisy or distortion
regarding the responsibility for influencing impressionable young minds.
In our search for truth, has anyone seen honest outrage
from the left that seriously relates Hollywood violence to juvenile
violence? I haven’t.
What you might see is superficial lip service paid to curbing Hollywood
violence while the real attacks continue on guns and the Second Amendment
whenever the opportunity arises. The "intellectual elite" i.e.
the press, Hollywood and their mouthpieces are quick to defend their work using
the First and just as quick to kill the Second with no sign of embarrassment
regarding the hypocrisy of it all. The truth however sings a different tune
under a spotlight of fact rather than fiction.
Unconscionable criminal behavior is more the result of an
overall lowering of society’s moral standards than the existence of guns.
Guns have been around for hundreds of years but shooting up schools is a
relatively modern phenomenon. When
I was a kid, guns were much more visible and accessible than today, yet we never
thought of shooting our classmates. Why?
The moral bar of socially acceptable behavior was significantly higher and
Hollywood hadn’t yet sunk to today’s lows.
So what changed over the last 45 years—guns or society?
I’ve read reports stating many young criminals admit that
Hollywood violence and video games influenced their actions and methods when
committing such crimes. How many of these youngsters attributed their actions to
bad influence from gun manufacturers, SASS or the NRA?
I haven’t found any! If
even one child cited legitimate gun enthusiasts as having influenced them to
shoot up their school, the press would be all over that.
When was the last time you saw an NRA film or a TV shooting show
portraying firearms used as they were in the movie, "Natural Born
Killers"? Hollywood not
only plants the seed but provides a visual "how to" glorifying such
behavior and making heroes of the actors. The
ultimate proof of what Hollywood values lies in what they honor with their
awards—you be the judge.
Additionally, I found evidence that many children who
illegally obtained guns end up committing gun crime. No surprise there but how about gun related crimes committed
by children who legally obtain firearms and are taught by conscientious adults?
Although there might be some, I haven’t found any! Yet where is most of the media-generated blame thrown?
“Those Gun nuts who support
that evil gun lobby!” Where
then does the real evidence point in terms of responsible vs. irresponsible
behavior—the NRA's Eddie Eagle, ignorant parents or Hollywood?
Society is the changing variable here not firearms.
The lower moral standards of today coupled with an open agenda of lies
and the distortion of misplaced blame is much more prevalent in America these
days than the truth of freedom, personal responsibility and moral behavior among
a growing number of Americans. Those
who are most egregious, reckless and careless continue to act with impunity
while denying any culpability. Hollywood
is part of America’s liberal community and the media finds it very difficult
to castigate their own—publicly or privately.
We should recognize this for what it is—cultural
domination of the apathetic segment of our society with no honest discussion of
the facts. Were this an honest
discussion, those most responsible would be held accountable starting with the
criminal, regardless of age or tool used, the parents who failed to instill
proper values and then with outrage justifiably focused on the creators of these
theatrical classrooms of firearms violence.
Now there’s a twist! How
about conscientious parents and gun owners suing Hollywood for firearms abuse!
Until Americans raise the bar, refuse to patronize
Hollywood’s trash and instill a solid set of values in children this trend
will likely continue. That however
may seem akin to reversing the flow of the Mississippi since irresponsibility is
always the easier trail to ride than the responsible one. Conscientious parents and citizens must ensure they’re not
tainted by the trendy but rather tied to the traditional.
Those who stand firm in the face of society’s pressure to do otherwise
are the true American patriots and it is they who will build a lasting legacy
for future generations to emulate.
To those who stand fast while others around them falter, I
render a sincere salute of respect and admiration and my chest swells with
genuine pride knowing I live alongside such noble citizens.
It’s steadfast Americans who made and kept our United States the
greatest country on the planet. You are America’s real heroes.
Just the view from my saddle…
Contact Colonel Dan: coloneldan@bellsouth.net