Editor,
No kudos is enough to the Highland Post for the excellent editorial titled “Learned Violence” (November 3).
Very rightly it has been asserted that Children do not become violent overnight. Rather they learn what they see i.e. the rampant violence at home, neighbourhood and mobile screens wherein the “Games” encourage violence (virtually) with “reward” of “points” with no retribution or prosecution!
And today what does a child see around the society! Violence had always existed in the earth along with Sanity, but today it is increasingly receiving “Social Sanction” and getting “promoted” as “New Normal”! In the guise of “Boldness”, trampling of the weak and muscle flexing of brutes are getting warmly applauded! Eviction of poor hawkers without rehabilitation to annihilation of unproven suspects of any crime are cruelly enjoyed and supported by the common mass including “educated enlightened” souls! Victimisation of innocents following “bold steps” gets “justified” through “liberal” dose of “collateral damage”! Horrific Videos revolving around deadly attack upon a person by a pack of dogs or unfathomable destruction of living beings and properties following Nepal deluge get instant hit and viral with people relishing it with much delight!
After all, now heartlessness rules the roost with sight of torture, tragedy, pain turning matter of attraction! Rampant spewing of vitriol and cuss words form a guarantee to attain much popularity because all things/persons violent is equivalent to “Strength” “Masculinity” and “Quality”! In contrast, Civility kindness is akin to “Weakness” or “Cowardness”!
In this pathetic social environment, it is quite natural that adolescents will absorb this social violence all around and treat it as “cool” to indulge in.
Unless moral education is imparted to the innocent children in schools and family and that too by the responsible Conscientious adults, the doom of the society remains inevitable.
Kajal Chatterjee
Kolkata
