James, thanks for the post. The sociologists make very valid points (another good example: "Jaws" - considered very scary in 70's is also tame by today's standards). However I don't buy in to their suggestion that "less than 3 percent of Americans retain a capacity for shock, revulsion and dismay when faced with violent dismemberment, beheadings, or other displays of sadistic, inhuman cruelty."
For example, what percentage of Americans are active Christians or Jews? Far more than 3% of the population. OK, people could argue a large % of those who say in surveys they are active in church or synagogue etc. but are only religious at a very specious level (ie, go to church on Christmas and Easter at the most), plus others that advocate violence in a religious context (ie, some anti-abortion activists who support terrorism). But, after removing extremists and surface-level religion-people, you still have a core group of people who will certainly not lost their "ability to be disturbed by such atrocities...by the summer of 2001, if not sooner."
Please note I am not suggesting only actively, genuinely religious people have a monopoly on ability to "retain a capacity for shock, revulsion and dismay when faced with violent dismemberment, beheadings, or other displays of sadistic, inhuman cruelty"; I am just trying to provide some measurable proof debunking the researchers' overly cynical conclusion. I am not ready to ensconce myself in a bomb shelter just yet, as the researchers seem to suggest may be our only hope come Summer of 2001!
But the core problem of too many people who instead pray to the gods of materialism, self-gratification and disregard for other people, who could not care less about the atrocities in Bosnia or the Littleton killings is a point well taken. Real example: the superintendent of a local school system just wrote that school officials had contacted a parent of a student regarding the student's erratic behavior. The parent's response? The school was told by the parent, "My attorney will contact you." Unbelievable!! I do not know what we can do in the face of such rabidly selfish, anti-social behavior on the part of the child AND the parent! And this exchange apparently happened AFTER the Littleton atrocity! What planet is this parent on?!?
It is precisely such hands-off, don't-care, keep-your-face-out-of-my-business behavior on the part of killer kids' parents that ensured the Littleton killings would be realized. I have no idea how one can enforce/require/mandate civility, concern for others ahead of one's own selfish wants, and ethical behavior...does anyone?!? Cheers to all... |
