Saturday, April 12, 2014

Diminishing School Violence

Buckminster Fuller once said something to the effect of 'we won't be able to operate this planet much longer in the divisive way we've been doing it.  It has to be everybody or nobody.'  Nowhere is this principle quite as evident as when it comes to mass violence.  As we endure yet another school incident (this time a mass stabbing), we should all take time to consider these words.  In these attacks, we see first hand just how much damage one marginalized individual can do.

Although each mass attacker emerges from their own unique circumstances, it inevitably comes out that they all share one trait: they are individuals who felt isolated, bullied, stigmatized, or alienated from society.

Instead of the usual debate on hoe to best fortify our schools, which is an exorcise in illusionary control, perhaps we should look at those we alienate and isolate people to begin with.  Because it's not just a few disillusioned souls out there.  For every mass attacker there are 10's of thousands of young people who feel so marginalized they've considered such a thing.  When these events occur, you are seeing the tip of the iceberg . . . just one person who boils over and snaps hails from a much larger pot that’s boiling.

This pot is boiling because our cultural psychology teaches divisiveness, exclusion, and the marginalization of those seen as odd or different.  Teens incorporate this same mentality into school culture.  It's time we start looking at ways to turn down the heat.  It won't cure all mass violence, but it will keep the pot from boiling over so often.

Check out this link to discover the causes of bullying.

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