A young friend posted this on Facebook this morning: "Cannot
adequately express how DEVASTATED I am that the legend of my generation
seems to be shootings and terrorism. what is wrong with this world?"
That heartfelt post got me thinking about the question and contemplating my favorite irritant, "Media and the end of a Civil Society". I doubt that anyone will disagree that the alleged shooter, James Holmes, was mentally unbalanced, but what are the cultural influences that feed the manifestation of that unbalance?
We've always dealt with random acts of violence and senseless chaos and mayhem, of one sort or another, but with the invention of Television and the subsequent proliferation of instant, mindless and unfiltered (not censured; filtered) daily delivery of horrific images and thoughtless and discourteous human interactions, the slide into incivility and arrogance became accepted.
Violence is part of human nature, it is a protective mechanism which, under mindful circumstances, can be useful, even life-saving. Violence untempered with civility and the recognition of the humanity of our fellow beings leads to the kind of violence to which my friend refers.
We're not that long, as beings, off of all fours. As societies emerged and the competition for resources increased and we formed extended family units, tribes, to ensure our survival. Tribes led to territorial imperative and thus the dehumanization of those of other tribes, cultures, races and attitudes.
We dehumanize because it's easier. It's easier to call someone an asshole than to empathize with what may be causing that behavior. It's easier to dehumanize than to accept someone's differences as we wish them to accept ours.
This dehumanization manifests itself in the absence of courtesy and acknowledgement, the disappearance of the simple civilities of "please" and "thank-you", "if you don't mind" and "may I?".
We dehumanize all Middle-Easterners as "terrorists". All African-Americans as "lazy", all Latinos as "illegals." All Poles as "dumb" all Irish as "drunkards". Get the idea?
All kids, have always played war games, whether they've been fighting with sticks or acting out militant motion pantomime as in mock sword fights.It's part of our nature. Today those games take on a frightening reality with the addition of the electronic devices of our generation and thus the dehumanization, violence and takes on a fantasy aspect that transfers to our relations with actual people.
These games, the violent cartoons, the blood and mayhem newscasts, the plethora of bloodthirsty, demonic maniacal movies and Television shows are not the cause, they are the reflection. They are a mirror of our attitudes not the initiator. They reinforce our innate need to separate to protect ourselves and our turf. Our source of survival.
So what is the answer? It starts at the moment of birth with a loving, nurturing parent who views the newborn as a whole human being, an independent being that deserves respect and affirmation of sovereignty.
That may not be the magic panacea for all of society's ills, but it's a damn good start.
