Violence Essay Research Paper Two students walked

  • Просмотров 169
  • Скачиваний 5
  • Размер файла 15
    Кб

Violence Essay, Research Paper Two students walked into Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, armed with shotguns and explosives. The incident ended with tragic results. 15 families lost a brother, a sister, a child, a niece, or a nephew. From this incident many questions were left unanswered. How did the children get the guns? Why did they do it? And most importantly, if a school like Columbine could be the target of such a violent rampage, how protected are we the youth from random acts of violence? In this paper I will try to answer some of these questions. The first question i would like to address is why. Youth violence in america has had quite an extensive history. This problem has plagued the ghettos and hoods of large cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles,

and Houston for the last 20 years. In fact about 2300 homicides are recorded a year by 18 or younger children. However, until recently it has been overlooked. America was horrified as they watched the live coverage of Columbine students running scared from the overtaken school. This shocked the american public. Never before had such horror taken place in the suburbs of America. This forced people to ask why, to face the problem. Right away the parents and the public blamed music television. This is an easy scapegoat for the people to use. But the fact is that music and television play a very small role in teen violence. The most significant and outstanding quality of a violent teen is that of the impact their parents had on them. Child abuse, sexual abuse, and parents exhibiting

violence towards each other are the 3 main factors in developing a violent teen. When brought up in homes, children learn from what they see and how their parents act. Often a child brought up in a violent family will learn that violence is “ok” and will become violent in nature during their early adolescence years. This can result with the child at n increased risk of joining gangs. Yet through all the domestic violence, lack of a parental figure, or supportive guidance can corrupt a child. With more and more women joining the work force, often the children are alone, and without a supportive sibling. One out of every ten children comes home to an empty house. More than sixty percent of all children will spend at least some time in a household with only one parent. These

children will learn from others, try to fit in. This can also lead to gang and to violent outbreaks due to lack of affection. I had also stated that sexual abuse was a large factor in violent teens. Violence is also highly apparent in female victims as well as males. It is most often a female child rather than a male child in sexual abuse cases. One in four females are sexually abused by the age of 18 compared to only one in six males. Sexual abuse leaves the victim feeling shameful, afraid, and in a state of powerlessness. Unless the problem is dealt with at a young age, the victim will result with emotional disturbances, and problems with future relationships. Sometimes the anger built up will reach a point where they will kill their abuser. The victim continues to have a low

self-esteem level, to the point that they (in most case’s female) will believe they deserve nothing better than being abused. 6 to 10 million women are battered by male partners every year. This can lead to females acquiring eating disorders and even attempt suicide. The next question i would like to approach an hopefully answer is where do these kids get the guns. The obvious answer to this question is the people who sell these guns. Although it is the wrong answer. It is nearly impossible for any persons under the age of 21 to buy a handgun legally in the United States. Legally is the key word in that sentence. Many of the guns used in teen shootings were acquired straight from the juveniles home without parental knowledge. There are ways to keep your children away from these