Young Violence

We are all shocked by the violence in our world today.  A young man enters a school building and begins shooting kindergarten children and teachers.  A young man plants a bomb at the finish line of a world class marathon.  A young man enters a movie theatre and begins randomly shooting those watching the movie.


In the 20th century we were shocked by the gangsters of the depression, atheist despots like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and serial killers who roamed our cities.  In the 21st century, we are being shocked, but does it seem to anyone that the perpetrators are getting younger and younger?  Are the victims getting younger and younger too?


I have a theory that needs some testing.  Could it be that our entertainment is driving our troubles.  The movies and music that interest kids today increasingly have kids killing kids.  Consider The Hunger Games.  Did not one of our most horrific school shootings follow that movie by just a few months?  A movie about young adults killing helpless middle school kids preceded a young adult killing children.  How many new programs directed toward millennials' and our youth have youth killing youth?


It is true that for centuries we have had youth killing youth in wars.  The average age of a Vietnam soldier was 19.  In World War II many youthful Germans and Japanese were killed by 18 and 19 year old boys in the allied forces.  But is war different?  They are under layers of military law and can be convicted of murder for indiscriminate killing, though that conviction happens rarely as far as I can tell.  Even war is messy and creates ethical and psychological questions about the health of those who are involved in the defense of their country or people.  We spend millions to treat PTSD and reduce the rate of suicide in our veterans, and they need even more support than ever.  And the most important point, no body goes to war for entertainment.  This little post is about what entertains us, not what we have to do.


So, here is the final thought.  I don't have all the answers or statistics.  However, it seems to me that the tension and thrill of violence we find entertaining one month becomes our reality the next.  Is there a link?