Our Violent Society

There was an editorial in this morning's Dallas Morning News by The Reverend Gerard Britt Jr., vice president of policy at Central Dallas Ministries concerning the scourge of youth violence in the U.S. Reverend Britt chronicles the disturbing statistics concerning the growing violence among teenagers, and society in general over the last twenty years. Rev. Britt partly attributes public alarm over the sometimes terrifying acts of violence among youth to sensationalist reporting on the part of the media. There may be something to this.

But Rev. Britt also acknowledges the real rise in such crime. He also laments society's response to the rise in violence by emphasizing law enforcement as a primary tool in combating this violence. He advocates the position shared by many in this country that youth violence is a national problem that must be addressed nationally by exploring how, since U.S. society as a whole contributes to rise of violence, the problem should be addressed nationally. This is where I take issue with Rev. Britt.

Certainly there is an epidemic of youth violence in the U.S. But I am not responsible for it. Neither are my neighbors. Neither is my family or my friends. I am sure many Americans across the U.S. would be hard pressed to find any connection between their lives and youth violence. To make a connection between me and youth violence in Chicago or Baltimore is a stretch beyond credulity. Yet, Rev Britt makes that connection effortlessly.

For Britt and others, society is responsible for the rise in violence. I am part of society, ergo, I am responsible. There is an irresistible appeal of this argument to the universally and socially conscious. Nevertheless, it is a position that does little to address the problem, and even less to solve it. The appeal of this argument is that it provides an opportunity for many to involve themselves in issues and policies across the nation. Secondly, and more importantly, the "universal" nature of this problem requires the intervention of society, which all too often is synonymous with government. To say society must get involved is, to the liberal mind, to say that government must get involved. How else can the narcissistic, selfish, and small minded millions in this country be made to participate in the measures and programs advocated by the socially progressive?

Violent youth are not the product of an "unjust" or "oppressive" society. They are the product of a society increasing bereft of normative values (what used to be called morality) and an absence of attentive, responsible parenting and socializing institutions. Our youth are not neglected or ignored by society. They are neglected and ignored by their parents, families, and neighbors.

Poverty and ignorance have always existed. They always will exist. Oppression and discrimination have always existed. They, too, will always exist. Violence on the scale we are experiencing in this country has not always existed, and need not exist. The question to be asked is what is it about our modern, liberal society that is fueling this violence. After decades of undermining the ethics, morals, and institutions that, since the beginning of time, have served to socialize individuals and make communal living possible, liberals are concerned, if not shocked, to find a society in which ethics, morals, and socializing institutions are increasingly ineffective.