Is it just me?

Is is just me or does it seem like someone needs to wake up and smell the coffee, in that it would seem the more violent our movies, TV, video games and so forth become, the more we are seeing people use violence as a solution to those irritating things such as:

People whose political views are different than ours, even if we aren't really sure what ours are or what theirs are; people who get in our way in traffic; parents who ask us to do chores; significant others who don't want to be our significant other anymore; someone who wears a color of clothing that I don't like; someone whose religious beliefs are different than mine, again even if I'm not sure what mine are or what theirs are.......

you get the picture......

As a professional who worked with children for many years, I am always amazed by the experts who do research that tells us that violent movies and games do not increase violent acts in children (one of my favorites along with the finding that sugar intake is not associated with increases in activity level, or just plan hyper behavior in children).

We seemed to have gotten the message regarding sex to a bit, at least there seems to be discussion about limiting young person's exposure, but with violence we just can't manage to get our heads around the fact that people learn to problem solve based on what they see.  So if most places they look they see people solving problems with violence,  how do they choose differently?  Years ago studies were done regarding cartoons which present some of the most violent scenes available.

What on earth has to happen to get us to wake up?   First of all there are some people who are clearly risks to other's safety.   There are some people who are clearly at risk for their own safety.

If you have a concern about someone pass the information along, if you're at school, tell a counselor, or administrator, if you're a child tell a parent or other responsible adult, if you're an adult report it to the police, or other law enforcement agency.

If you're concerned and you feel that the person that you've told doesn't share your concern, tell someone else.   Call a stop the violence hotline, or a child abuse hotline, speak up, speak out, be persistent.

If you're a parent or family member with a child that you're afraid of, get help, keep asking for help from mental health agencies, the school, law enforcement until you have been heard, and you feel that your child, your family and yourself will be safe.

As neighbors and citizens, we simply must demand (in my humble opinion) an end to the showing of violence as a means to resolve disagreements.

That there can be an hour long special on the events leading to the shooting of 20 people, including the death of 6, which is interrupted by a commercial for a new series showing people shooting or blowing up those they disagree which is insanity (again in my opinion) and irresponsibility to the highest degree.

Come on folks, wake up, stop the madness.....who else has to die before we do?