What is happening to society?

James Simpson
Published: April 27, 2008

Why are people becoming more violent? Why are we losing our humanity? Violence seems to consume our lives. Everyone has most likely heard about the video of eight Florida teens beating up a 16- year-old girl. This is only one of a number of recent events. These acts of violence are the top searched and watched items on a number of internet video Web sites.

Recently a movie came out that reflects this trend of our rapidly accelerating freefall into hell. The movie is called “Untraceable,” and starred Diane Lane as FBI Cyber Crime Division Agent Jennifer Marsh.
In the movie a serial killer kidnaps victims and hooks them up in various contraptions that have the potential to kill depending upon how significant a “dose” the victim receives of the particular method of
torture. The catch is, dosage is increased in direct proportion to the number of people logging on to watch the gruesome event over an internet video connection. Viewers are aware of this fact, but
continue to watch and spread the word to others, who in-turn log on and accelerate the process.

There are now more shows on TV than there have ever been that are filled with everything from violent outbursts to shocking fights. Violence has become so common that we don’t even realize how much crosses our field of vision every day. It used to be that events such as boxing matches were only periodically broadcast. Even theatrical wrestling matches would only have the occasional “extreme” act occur during a show. While I feel these were negative forms of entertainment, which a civilized people should have found contemptuous, they were the exception rather than the rule. Things are now quite different. We have “Ultimate” fighting shows, and bloody wrestling battles. There are more criminal investigation shows then you can shake a stick at.

I remember not too long ago hearing about the increase in violence on television, on the internet and in video games. At the time I thought, yeah right … there isn’t really anything to be concerned about.
Just some oversensitive types that have always been fans of censorship and want to control and make decisions about what the rest of us watch.

However, while I adamantly oppose government censorship, I do see that there is a plague of violence slowly making its way through our society.

I suspect that one of the greatest causes of the decline of strong moral values is the lack of family life which at one time was a cornerstone of America. In order to make enough money (due primarily to taxes and the cost of regulation compliance consuming almost 50 percent of an average person’s income) most families require both parents work. And if you are a single parent, you are likely working two jobs just to make ends-meet. This takes valuable time away from nurturing children. Everyone knows the saying that “children can be cruel.” This is not usually due to maliciousness. Yet, without guidance this tends to increase; it eventually becomes malevolent. Before you know it there is a “Lord Of The Flies” environment in communities and schools.

I don’t think people are aware of how pervasive the anger and hatred is. Even in Prince William County schools we have random acts of violence the likes of which I couldn’t fathom back when I was in public school. There are some schools where the teachers walk around on egg shells out of fear that the next Columbine-like event will take place on their grounds. Many of the day-to-day incidents are swept under the rug. The administration doesn’t want any negative publicity. If anyone really knew what was going on people would likely be withdrawing their kids by the bus load. More on this in a future column.

James Simpson lives in Lake Ridge. Leave him anonymous comments at http://www.opinioncolumnist.com/Contact.htm.