In a message dated 5/6/99 7:30:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time, ANASAZIFLP writes:
> >From Where I Stand: A Teenager's Voice from Inside the Culture of Death
>
> On April 20, 1999, there was yet another gruesome shooting in Littleton,
> Colorado. Kids killing kids. And again, the entire nation in its uproar is
> trying to figure out why.
>
> I am eighteen years old. I live in a small town near Madison, Wisconsin. A
> small town just like the ones where these horrifying shootings always seem
> to take place. Every time those stories come on the television, I can't
help
> but notice how easily it could be my small town next. And I want to know
why
> this is happening just as badly as any parent or police chief or
anchorman.
>
> The thing is, I am right in the middle of it. I am in the same age group
as
> all of these high school kids. So I may have some insight for the world
that
> has been otherwise unattainable since these shootings started some years
> ago.
>
> The night of the Littleton shooting, as I was flipping through the various
> news channels that were covering the story in Littleton, Colorado, I heard
> something that struck a chord in me. An anchorman was interviewing the
> mother of a victim in the Jonesboro shooting. His question was: "If you
look
>
> at
> America in the 1950's, you will find that this kind of thing never
happened;
> whereas if you look at America today, this kind of thing is becoming more
> and more frequent. Why do you think this is happening?"
>
> The woman, of course, could not answer the question. In fact, she didn't
> really even try. But I did. I thought about it for a long time that night.
> And again the next morning, when my favorite morning radio talk show asked
> its listeners why they thought this has been happening. Many people said
it'
> s
> the parents of the kids. Many people suggested television and video games.
>
> Many people even turned to popular musicians, looking to put the blame
> somewhere. But I will tell you what I think it is. What I, a regular
> teenager
> riding on the coattails of Generation X, blame it on. It is not the
parents
> or the movies or the rock stars. It is AMERICA. It is this culture of
death,
>
> this culture in which liberals and feminists and activists are so anxious
to
>
> let anything be "OK" that the once tightened, knotted rope of society is
> unraveling right beneath us.
>
> Don't you see? There can be no order without discipline. All of those
things
>
> people think are causing children to run into a school and shoot their
> teachers and peers and even kids they don't know-the movies, the video
games,
>
> the parents, the rap artists-they are only REFLECTIONS of our society.
> Society breaks down, from one big metaphoric "family" into 50 metaphoric
> "families" and so on and so on, until you have the actual FAMILY, the one
> with the parents and the kids and the dog. It is not one thing or two
things;
>
> it is the attitude of an entire "familiar" nation being reflected back at
us
>
> in the kids.
>
> Just as that anchorman suggested, something was different about the
1950's.
> WE WERE CONSERVATIVE. We had boundaries; we had a definite knowledge of
> right and wrong throughout the entire nation. We didn't have feminists
> pushing
> women so hard to go get a job that a woman who didn't have a job was
somehow
> "bad," thereby leaving kids at home with inadequate parental guidance and
> often times with parents who were truly unhappy. We didn't have liberals
> fighting so avidly to legalize everything that it was at the point of
> completely blurring the line between good and bad. We didn't have a
> nationwide media surge dedicated to sex and violence so intense that if
you
> weren't playing killing video games at age 14, then you were trying to
> choose
> between contraceptives beforehand or abortion afterwards. We didn't have
> disputes over whether or not we should help someone who is dying die
> sooner-over whether or not we should ASSIST them in committing SUICIDE.
>
> And we certainly didn't have a President who was in favor of NATO bombing
> and
> killing children in Serbia come on the television to grieve the loss for
the
>
> families of children killed in America. We live in a loosely tied society,
a
>
> culture dedicated to death. If you don't want the kid, kill it. If you
don't
>
> want to live out the rest of your God-given days, kill yourself. Or better
> yet, have someone else come help you do it. I guess, no matter how
horrible
> or gruesome or gut-wrenching it may be, it was just a matter of time
before
> someone got that "killing-as-a-means-to-an-end" idea stuck in their head
for
>
> the part between birth and death as well. Everything that happens in
> families and cities and states and countries is the mirror image of the
big
> picture.
> We are falling apart as a society. Am I-some random normal teenager in
> Farmertown, U.S.A.-the only one who sees that? It's sad and it's hard to
> believe, but what's worse is that it's scary.
>
> I think it's time for our--America's--Mom and Dad to ground us--to say,
"If
> you don't shape up by the time I count to three..." And then really count
to
>
> three. Because we are running wild and pretty soon we're going to be too
far
>
> from home to ever get back. There was once a great saying by a famous man
> that has rung true throughout the history of mankind-in every family and
in
> every society and in every social group and in every religion-it was a
> frighteningly true statement that cannot be disputed. I am reminded of it
> now, in the wake of yet another indescribably tormenting result of a
nation
> gone haywire... "By their fruits you shall know them."
>
>
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Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 07:30:36 EDT
Subject: Fwd: Worth reading
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Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 22:17:28 EDT
Subject: Fwd: Worth reading
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Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 15:15:39 EDT
Subject: Worth reading
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This is an editorial type piece from an 18-year old re: the shootings in
Littleton. He is apparently one of the few teens out there that has hit the
nail right on the head with what the problem is in America that this is going
on. I wish more people had a grasp of why America is unraveling.
Dawn
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Subject: Fw: Worth reading
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 22:45:00 -0500
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I think the young man has hit on the answer.
Note: forwarded message attached.
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Subject: Worth reading
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Ok boys and girls, some interesting reading, kinda hits right at home.
Subj:=09A Teenager's Viewpoint - Super
>From Where I Stand: A Teenager's Voice from Inside the Culture of Death=20
On April 20, 1999, there was yet another gruesome shooting in Littleton,=20
Colorado. Kids killing kids. And again, the entire nation in its uproar is=20
trying to figure out why.=20
I am eighteen years old. I live in a small town near Madison, Wisconsin. A=20
small town just like the ones where these horrifying shootings always seem
to take place. Every time those stories come on the television, I can't help
but notice how easily it could be my small town next. And I want to know why
this is happening just as badly as any parent or police chief or anchorman.=20
The thing is, I am right in the middle of it. I am in the same age group as=20
all of these high school kids. So I may have some insight for the world that
has been otherwise unattainable since these shootings started some years
ago.=20
The night of the Littleton shooting, as I was flipping through the various=20
news channels that were covering the story in Littleton, Colorado, I heard=20
something that struck a chord in me. An anchorman was interviewing the
mother of a victim in the Jonesboro shooting. His question was: "If you look=20
at=20
America in the 1950's, you will find that this kind of thing never happened;
whereas if you look at America today, this kind of thing is becoming more
and more frequent. Why do you think this is happening?"=20
The woman, of course, could not answer the question. In fact, she didn't=20
really even try. But I did. I thought about it for a long time that night.=20
And again the next morning, when my favorite morning radio talk show asked=20
its listeners why they thought this has been happening. Many people said it'=
s=20
the parents of the kids. Many people suggested television and video games.=20
Many people even turned to popular musicians, looking to put the blame=20
somewhere. But I will tell you what I think it is. What I, a regular teenage=
r=20
riding on the coattails of Generation X, blame it on. It is not the parents=20
or the movies or the rock stars. It is AMERICA. It is this culture of death,=20
this culture in which liberals and feminists and activists are so anxious to=20
let anything be "OK" that the once tightened, knotted rope of society is=20
unraveling right beneath us.=20
Don't you see? There can be no order without discipline. All of those things=20
people think are causing children to run into a school and shoot their=20
teachers and peers and even kids they don't know-the movies, the video games=
,=20
the parents, the rap artists-they are only REFLECTIONS of our society.=20
Society breaks down, from one big metaphoric "family" into 50 metaphoric=20
"families" and so on and so on, until you have the actual FAMILY, the one=20
with the parents and the kids and the dog. It is not one thing or two things=
;=20
it is the attitude of an entire "familiar" nation being reflected back at us=20
in the kids.=20
Just as that anchorman suggested, something was different about the 1950's.=20
WE WERE CONSERVATIVE. We had boundaries; we had a definite knowledge of
right and wrong throughout the entire nation. We didn't have feminists=20
pushing=20
women so hard to go get a job that a woman who didn't have a job was somehow
"bad," thereby leaving kids at home with inadequate parental guidance and=20
often times with parents who were truly unhappy. We didn't have liberals=20
fighting so avidly to legalize everything that it was at the point of=20
completely blurring the line between good and bad. We didn't have a=20
nationwide media surge dedicated to sex and violence so intense that if you=20
weren't playing killing video games at age 14, then you were trying to choos=
e=20
between contraceptives beforehand or abortion afterwards. We didn't have=20
disputes over whether or not we should help someone who is dying die=20
sooner-over whether or not we should ASSIST them in committing SUICIDE.=20
And we certainly didn't have a President who was in favor of NATO bombing an=
d=20
killing children in Serbia come on the television to grieve the loss for the=20
families of children killed in America. We live in a loosely tied society, a=20
culture dedicated to death. If you don't want the kid, kill it. If you don't=20
want to live out the rest of your God-given days, kill yourself. Or better=20
yet, have someone else come help you do it. I guess, no matter how horrible=20
or gruesome or gut-wrenching it may be, it was just a matter of time before=20
someone got that "killing-as-a-means-to-an-end" idea stuck in their head for=20
the part between birth and death as well. Everything that happens in
families and cities and states and countries is the mirror image of the big=20
picture.=20
We are falling apart as a society. Am I-some random normal teenager in=20
Farmertown, U.S.A.-the only one who sees that? It's sad and it's hard to=20
believe, but what's worse is that it's scary.=20
I think it's time for our--America's--Mom and Dad to ground us--to say, "If=20
you don't shape up by the time I count to three..." And then really count to=20
three. Because we are running wild and pretty soon we're going to be too far=20
from home to ever get back. There was once a great saying by a famous man=20
that has rung true throughout the history of mankind-in every family and in=20
every society and in every social group and in every religion-it was a=20
frighteningly true statement that cannot be disputed. I am reminded of it=20
now, in the wake of yet another indescribably tormenting result of a nation=20
gone haywire... "By their fruits you shall know them."=20
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