kd006
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Hi Ho *** - 2007/04/17 09:46
Some thoughts on the decline of society:
Watching the news today I am again amazed at how we react to the ever increasing violence in our society. I was just watching some somber looking newscasters in their trench coats interviewing students, one of whom had been wounded this morning. Even the students didn’t seem shocked or surprised at what had happened, just another day in modern life. The newscasters were saying how they had walked around the campus and gotten to the locations of the shootings without being challenged as to what they were doing there. It seems that this is out of control; I would have thought the police would have secured the whole campus to do their investigation. Once again some young person had gotten so disgusted with life that they decided to take it out on everyone in sight.
Whatever the reasons are and we will never know since the person apparently committed suicide after killing 30 or so people, this is a symptom of something much deeper in our society. You can’t say it’s availability of handguns or automatic rifles as they have been around for at least a hundred years. It’s a deeper despair on the part of our youth that leads them to resort to this type of act. Is it the media driving this, as modern news reports everything within moments of the event? Is it just bad parenting or are we all so busy to notice someone who is coming unraveled and report it or intervene? Whatever it is we as a society had better come to grips with it soon or we will surely decay into anarchy and outlaws.
But nobody cares, my own experiences with trying to report child abuse, animal abuse and other crimes and misdemeanors has shown me that the authorities would rather not be bothered by such things, call us back when someone is hurt or dead, that seems to be the present state of things. Far be it from me to advocate the men in white coats with nets go chasing after every person reported to act strange but it seems there is little or no response to reports. I’m no expert on this sort of thing but I have observed people I have known decaying in weeks or months. I don’t believe this just snapped BS, it takes a while and people around them notice. Out of politeness or what I don’t know but we seem to turn a blind eye to our friends strange behaviors until it becomes necessary to either do something or more likely just walk away. Phil Ochs perhaps said it best back in the 60’s with his song - A Small Circle Of Friends.
The following is from:
http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/lyrics/small-circle-of-friends.html
Look outside the window, there's a woman being grabbed
They've dragged her to the bushes and now she's being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.
The first verse is a commentary on the murder of Kitty Genovese. She was murdered March 14th, 1964 in NYC.
On March 13, 1964, a 28 year old New York City woman gained world-wide recognition for her role in an event which even today is remembered by people everywhere, creating a legacy still held up as an example of American values, or lack thereof. There can be no doubt, however, that Kitty Genovese would have given all her worldly possessions to have avoided the global "fame" acquired on that Friday the 13th that gave to her the ultimate horror associated with this symbol of bad luck.
Even though 47,000 New York City residents have been murdered since, hers remains the most tragic because 38 "citizens" awakened by her cries for help watched as she was assaulted not once, but three times over a half hour period. Not only did they fail to come to her aid, they also failed to call the police for help. Vincent Mosely, her assailant, stabbed her several times, then left, only to return a few minutes later to cut her up a little more.
During his brief absence, these "decent" New Yorkers turned off their lights and went back to sleep, only to be awakened again by this second assault, a scene repeated a third time, after which she no longer needed the assistance she failed to get the first, second or even the third, and final time.
During Mosely's trial, witnesses made several statements, but one stands above the rest as a symbol of this tragic event and is the reason for its world-wide infamy: "We didn't want to get involved." No surprise to Mosely, for as he said: "I knew they wouldn't do anything - they never do."
Hundreds, if not thousands, of studies were done about this event and book after book after book announced the downfall of American values because of it.
One study concluded that on average, if more than 4 people witness an event, nobody will do anything. Each person will say to themselves "I don't have to get involved since there are other people here who can help."
So have we learned anything in the past 44 years, NO we have not. We are still as selfish and self-serving as ever. It’s time to wake up people and do what is right, no I am not talking religion I am saying do what is right. If you see injustice, someone in despair or trouble, do not just be a bystander step up and do something, if someone had done just that perhaps this tragedy today could have been averted. If you see something and report it and the officials don’t respond take it to the next level, don’t give up and go back to your monopoly game. Hope you all wake up before it’s too late and our society devolves into anarchy. If it does you can always say you helped it along. For myself I sleep well knowing I try to do my best every day and keep a loaded gun by the bed.
In memory of Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite authors…. HI HO ***
And all you A-holes should know his *
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