Training Kids to be KILLERS
This morning, I found a sobering and even frightening article written by Lt. Col. Dave Gossman. In this article, this man who helps to train numerous elite military and law enforcement organizations around the world, speaks about the "virus of violence" that is killing our society and documents his research with alarming statistics. Lt. Col. Gossman also illustrates very thoroughly how much of the violent media influence on our kids is very similar to, if not worse than the "killer training" being used in the military today; tactics and programs such as brutalization, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and role modeling. Gossman writes, "During World War II, we discovered that only 15-20 percent of the individual riflemen would fire at an exposed enemy soldier (because of the natural, internal resistance to killing one's own kind). When the military became aware of this, they systematically went about the process of "fixing" this "problem." And fix it they did. By Vietnam the firing rate rose to over 90 percent." The methods of instruction listed above that were used to "fix" this problem, are the same methods affecting our kids today.
(Click on any of these pictures to view the actual article)
Check out the article yourself... it is extremely sobering
15 comments :
Yep. I call it subjective desensitization.
I wish we could reverse the trend, but I'm afraid it will only get worse.
Makes me very sad.
MsAmber
Oh man. I gotta be honest. Articles like this one terrify me.
I'm a teacher. I'm not afraid of dying, but I do not ever want my students to be faced with a gun. They're too young to deal with that. But at their young age, you would be shocked at the things they say and do. There is a huge part of me that wants to bury my kids under a rock, where they will be protected from the world. They shouldn't hear what they hear or see what they see. Outside of the school, I can't control what they see or hear. But sometimes I wish I could.
I think there is a major connection to parental involvement in the children's lives. My students who concern me the most have parents who are completely disconnected from the children's lives. The kids are left on their own, left to do their own thing for hours at a time, told to entertain themselves. Well... I suppose they do entertain themselves... though certainly at someone else's expense.
Absolutely Tidy Bowl... I agree with you, it is very frightening. I truly believe thats why we have kids today that would just as quickly shoot you as look at you. And unless the gov't steps in and really cracks down on it the entire industry (which I know they won't), things are only going to get worse.
I have a theory... that one important thing (among many) the government needs to do to help our students is to hire more teachers and thus, to decrease class sizes. I am very lucky to work in a district with something like an 18:1 student:teacher ratio. But I think if we really want to reduce crime, reach out to students, improve student morale, and turn the tide of our country, not to mention improve student test scores, we need to drop that student:teacher ratio below 10:1. It's a lofty goal, I know. But as long as teachers are doing what parents are not, it has to be done.
The problem with this scenario is, as long as our government devalues education the way they currently are, this can never happen. In order to hire more teachers, there has to be more money... and for that matter, in order for more people to be attracted to the profession, teachers need to be paid more. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Some statistics say that up to 75 percent of teachers burn out within four years of entering the profession. That's because teachers are so overworked! Districts also need to hire aides to help the teachers grade papers, put up bulletin boards, prepare for art projects, and all of the myriad of other tasks that the teachers have to do. In order to make any major changes to public education, it takes money. But even more than that, I think, it takes a change in the attitude of the general population.
The future of our children, and even more than that, the future of our country, is at stake. We have to do something.
tidy bowl..
Do not take this the wrong way, I believe many teachers are doing the best they can... and I agree with you that they severely underpaid and overworked (I know I wouldn't put up with what they do for no more money than that)...
However, I am very pessimistic that our gov't will ever be able to make the schools better. It seems to me the private sector has a much better record. I know if I was teacher... thats where I would want to be.
On another note:
Most people wouldn't dream of killing their own food.
Ewww. This came from a COW?
Which, I think, would make people more appreciative and less wasteful if they actually had to experience the loss of life that directly impacts what they eat.
But they can kill virtual people all day long without an inkling of remorse. Hmmm.
MsAmber
huh?...
Travis, I absolutely agree with you that the private sector has a much better educational record. I work at a public school, and my mom works at a private school, so I get to see both ends of the spectrum. If for whatever reason, I am unable to homeschool my children, then I would much prefer to send them to private school. The teachers are better and the environment is overall better.
However, you cannot deny that our country will always have public schools. There will always be parents who either can't afford private school or who refuse to send their kids to private school. So as long as I'm around, I will write letters to my Congressmen and do what I can to make my voice known. It may not make a difference... but I'll always be able to say that I tried.
I think she meant that people feel bad when animals are killed and throw big fits but not when people are..its really backwards.
Thanks for the comment Tidy... I can't help but find it very interesting that a public school teacher would choose homeschooling first and private school second, with public schooling being last (I'm assuming). To me that really speaks volumes about the seriousness of the problem.
And I don't know, I think you're right that we will always have public schools, but I could really see the private sector taking over and doing it for the gov't. For example, the public school system use to handle all the driver's education (atleast in NC) but now, its contracted out to private companies to do it. I know that is really small compared to the whole educational system... but given enough time, I could see private companies and corporations handling all the education one day.
And Steph.. I think you're right. :)
Tidy Bowl, it's quite frightening to read some of the things you write, and to know that you have access to children. You can't hide reality from them forever, so quit bothering with that radical, outrageous notion.
Speaking of training kids to be killers, your president and his military are doing this, but with REAL LIVES... not just a video game. And I've seen the photos of Caleb playing the PS2- if you don't want him to turn into a zombie-child, I'd suggest not exposing his young brain to that crap.
Travis, you assume correctly. I am a public school teacher, and for my own children I would choose homeschooling first and private school second. I teach public school for two reasons: 1)I really do want to make a difference in kids' lives. In a public school, I'm reaching out to a very different sector of kids than in a private school. 2)Money and benefits. As a general rule of thumb, private schools pay much less than public schools and they also have lousy benefits. I was in a serious car accident five years ago, and as a result, I HAVE to be under good health insurance.
I read a book two or three years ago that you might like, Travis. It's called "Give Me A Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media" by John Stossel. (as in John Stossel of ABC's 20/20) Now, I disagreed with a lot of what Stossel said. But there was a lot more that he said that, if I didn't agree with, at least I found thought-provoking. Stossel is a libertarian, and he discusses what brought him to his political beliefs. While I, personally, would not call myself a libertarian, I have to agree that there are an awful lot of places where the private sector can do things a lot better than the government.
Let me tell you, though, what makes me nervous about the private sector taking over the public schools. There is already a movement for this, better known as the "school vouchers" movement, or giving vouchers to students who go to failing public schools so that they can go to the school of their choice. You and I already know that, as Christians, we will be hated. We can already see it, as we have "under God" taken out of the Pledge of Alliegiance, and the Ten Commandments taken out of every public building. I fear that, when students start taking their vouchers to private schools (specifically private Christian schools) - or basically, whenever the government money gets funneled somehow to the schools - I fear that government will believe that this gives them a right to dictate the curriculum. That is, the government would feel they could decide "reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic, and nothing else". You know, "separation of church and state" and all that other crap that the liberals like to throw at us. And that would be a real shame.
You're right Tidy...
That would be aweful. I would hope that the first time the gov't tried to dictate regulations or curriculum that they would stop receiving the money, and say "No thank you."
I saw something similar happen in Louisiana.
The Federal Government said: If the states will change the legal drinking age to 21, we will give them highway funding.
Louisiana did the math, and decided that they made much more money on alcohol with the 18-21 crowd and didn't change the drinking age, therefor not getting the highway funding.
Louisiana has some of the worst roads in America, but if you're drunk; you might not notice.
(I'm not sure if the highway money would've been used to fix the levies or not, but it's an interesting question.)
MsAmber
More reasons why I prefer homeschooling: (they came to me last night as I was laying in bed :)
There's an old saying that says, "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." So if I want my kids to have the right kind of education, I feel like I have to do it myself.
I don't know if you are familiar with the pay system in education (specifically at public schools), but naturally the teachers with the most education and who have been there the longest get paid most. Lately, many public school districts (especially in my area, though possibly elsewhere in the country) have been "strongly encouraging" teachers to retire after they have taught 30 years. This is because the salary of one 30 year teacher could usually pay the salary of two first year teachers. It saves the district money to get rid of the old fogies... you know, the experienced ones who are the best teachers.
I went to school with the students who are the teachers of today and tomorrow. And all I can say about that is, I don't want most of those people teaching my kid! Personally, I have taken advanced courses in almost every subject. Most of those teachers-to-be just took the bare minimum, meaning that, frankly, I knew more than they did. I had to explain basic science, math, and grammar concepts to some of the other students. I don't want my kid being taught by someone who doesn't even know basic science or math or grammar! To me, that's terrifying.
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