Trench Coat Mafia Essay, Research Paper
Trench Coat Mafia: Address the Hate
“Always remember that others may hate you but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you
destroy yourself.” – Richard Nixon
A lot of people are trying to figure out why the two kids in Colorado went on a shooting spree. Many
people are focusing on violence, guns, computer games, movies, television, and the free flow of
information on the internet. These kids wouldn’t have done what they did without a motivation. Their
motivation was hate caused by hate.
Here are my opinions on some of the things people are focusing on in the discussion this event has brought
about:
Violence:
As Americans it is totally hypocritical for us to say that violence is bad. Every tax paying American
supports violence and pays for it. In fact, we support an American foreign policy whose principal is
that violence is a valid means to create peace. If you were truly against violence you wouldn’t pay
your taxes or would move to another country, like Switzerland, where they very rarely use violence
(being a neutral country). As far as voting goes, you most likely voted for a congressperson or
president who supports violence. If you didn’t vote you are supporting the status quo of violence.
Guns:
As far as the guns related in this incident, numerous gun laws were broken even before the shooting
occurred(about 20 laws). Yes, the gun laws probably need to be reviewed but there is obviously
insufficient enforcement of the gun laws already in existence and inadequate punishment of the
people who break the laws. Detailed statistics on this can be found at the Bureau of Justice
Statistics.
Computer Games, Movies, and Television:
I totally agree that there are many violent computer games, movies, and television shows in the U.S.
today. These types of media all have rating systems to help parents determine the suitability for their
children. Unfortunately, parents fail to properly utilize these rating systems. Case in point: How
many parents let their children under 13 see Jurassic Park? This movie was rated PG-13 and was
very violent but I saw a lot of kids under 13 in the theater I was in. The next time you are in a
PG-13 or R movie just observe who is in attendance.
In regards to first-person shooting games, I really like this April 21st commentary on the subject.
My view is that older teens shouldn’t have any problem being exposed to these type of games as
long as parents are involved with their kids and, like any other thing in their lives, make sure their
children don’t become overly obsessed with them. After all, we allow children interested in
becoming chemists to have chemistry sets and children who are interested in becoming artists to
have art supplies. Careers in the military or law enforcement, the last time I checked, are totally
acceptable for children to pursue.
The Internet:
The current state of internet truly reflects the American ideals of free speech and unfettered access
to information. Since the electronic world of the internet is a global enterprise, America can not pass
laws to block information on the internet as America does not have jurisdiction over all of the
content. Instead, parents must take a proactive role in ensuring two things: ol*
That children have some barriers to inappropriate content(particularly hate).
That children are sufficiently armed with knowledge and morales to deal with inappropriate
information when they encounter it.
“If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.” -
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Parents need to take responsibility for their own children’s development into a responsible person. If you
are concerned about other people’s children not being raised properly, you can help guide them too.
At Columbine High School there are big problems with the way some kids are being raised. Some parents
have not taught their children that hate-violence is wrong. It appears that the students who committed the
shootings were instigated to hate the jocks because some of them were bullies.
Children need to be taught that the strength of the United States of America is based on our diversity. So
called ‘oddballs’ should not be treated badly by other kids who do not belong to the same ‘clique’.
American’s shouldn’t be afraid of kids who where black. These children should be treated as valued
members of our society, regardless of how they dress, and not be forced underground.