h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry people. I'm only spasmodically returning to this conversation and I never seem to have time to read the whole thread so I'm getting a bit lost. Could you give me a summary?

Well you know fluorescent as soon as you left this forum became completely chaotic so a summary will be difficult but I'll do some research and see if I can come up with one for you by tomorrow!

Okay, fluorescent, it took me somewhat longer than I said but here's the recap:

We were talking about love, I said that people must be taught and shown how to be loving and kind and considerate, I then criticized television for being
too superficial and violent, and you said that we mustn't blame tv and then I said OK, but I still think we should set kids a better example of what love
is about. Then I said we grow up through three stages: 1)dependence 2) independence 3) interdependence. Then the conversation became a bit silly. Then you
showed up again, and I guess it's time to return to the topic!

Who is responsible for the amount of violence in our society? I would say that everybody in the society is responsible. I do not think that it is right to
only hold violent people responsible for their own deeds, because those deeds are influenced by other factors under the control of other people. We ought
to present people with an example of responsible behaviour. Children who are mistreated often end up mistreating their own children. People who experience
violence often act violently.

Now many people in America in Europe would argue with this based on the situations in their societies, so I will present an 'extreme' example from Africa
that people will not likely argue with. If the phenomenon exists as an extreme over here it will very likely also exist in less extreme forms in other
places. The phenomenon is that of child soldiers. The question is: who is responsible for the violence perpetrated by these soldiers?

Here is one way that children become soldiers. A young child - seven, eight or nine years old - is recruited by a band of fighters. They will take the child
and kill his/her parents and other family members, often right in front of this child. Then they will take the child under their wing. He (it is always he)
becomes totally dependent on the other fighters. Typically they will give the kids drugs such as cannabis, cocaine and other kinds. They also give him food
and protection. They become the child's family, he becomes completely dependent on them.
They teach the child how to fight and to kill - they will typically force the child to kill someone else
soon after abducting him. To be accepted the child needs to become a good fighter. He will also be taught to torture and rape. So he can only survive by
becoming exactly like the people who killed his parents, and eventually he may do the same thing to some other kids. It is the way he has been taught, he
has become like that, in his situation there is no other meaningful way for him to be. Can this person be blamed for being like this? Can he be blamed for
having been abducted by the soldiers at such an early age, and for being brainwashed by them in that particular way, and after being brainwashed, can he
be blamed for behaving in accordance with the principles forced upon him? How would you act if you had seen your parents killed at the age of seven and have
subsequently been forced to hurt and humiliate and kill people to the point where all human life except the life of the group that you are in have ceased
having any meaning for you? By the time these people are thirteen or fourteen or fifteen they have seen and been involved in so much bloodshed and slaughter
that they would be unable to remain sane or continue to function if they thought at all of their deeds as being wrong or immoral or if they thought of
their victims as being human and suffering. Who is to blame? The people who do this have all gone through similar processes, they have all been brutalized at
early ages, none can be blamed more than any other - who do you blame but the people who cause the wars even though they're not the ones fighting it?

Now from this extreme example we can go to many similar situations in western countries: gangs, people who live by crime and are dependent upon it. Violence
is a lifestyle for many people and typically it starts when they are very young. These people are taught by what they see and experience every day: that
life is cheap and short and they should grab what they can while they can.

Now all I'm saying is that if these situations are to be reversed it is unlikely that the people caught up in them will be able to do the reversing. They
have too few options, choices. We who are not yet caught up in such criminal lifestyles have more room to maneuver, we have more choices and options open to
us, we are in a better position to understand and to change things. I say if we make our society a nicer place to be for everybody, if we increase love and
acceptance, if we improve the different systems that take care of the various needs of people, we will have less violence and hatred and fear in the world.

I will respond eventually here... just give me another... five days... *rushes off to catch up on more forums*

You have your five days ... use them wisely!

Hmm, a bit more wisely than that!

I will... I just took the last of my Final Exams today so I'm basically free for a week until graduation. I will come up with something once my brain isn't completely mush...