Building a
Peaceful Future for Our Children
| by Laura L.
Finley
( December 27,
2012, New York City, Sri Lanka Guardian) Guns. Media. Mental Illness. Lax
Security. All these and more have been offered as explanations for the tragic
mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday, December 14 that left 26
people, including 20 children, dead. And all of those things may have played a
role. But none are the cause of the problem. And heated debate about them,
while important, serves to obscure some other very important conversations
about the root issue, which is that the U.S. is a violent, militaristic culture
that, in virtually every institution, demonstrates violence as a means of
solving problems.
Politicians,
fearful of being seen as “soft,” engage the country in still more violence, at
the same time inadequately addressing human needs. This militaristic ideology
has shaped the ways our schools are structured, what we teach, and how we teach
it. It impacts our media, as commentators on either side of the political
divide use the same aggressive methods of yelling at and interrupting one
another and degrading their “enemy” whenever possible. Media over-represents
the amount of violent crime, for which creates a fearful populace that will
sometimes accept any effort that is supposed to keep us safe. Our criminal justice system is militaristic,
from our incessant “wars on” mentality to our arming and equipping
military-style swat teams and more. I could go on, but I hope the point is
made.
To counter a
militaristic culture, we need to begin infusing every institution with an
alternate model. To do so will require not just schools but the other
institutions listed here to begin to see their work as that of peacebuilding.
We need to engage in dialogue that dissects our devotion to militarism and
violence and that critically assesses its impact. We can take back our
democracy from politicians who are influenced by militaristic lobbies—the gun
lobby, the prison lobby, etc—and we can demand that our politicians begin
investing in projects and institutions that empower people and communities,
affirm human rights, and promote social justice.
I recognize that
this won’t be easy. Radically changing a societal ideology as hegemonic as
militarism is never easy. But how many more people, how many more children, do
we need to lose before we say better to work hard, engage the difficult
conversations, and build a more peaceful future for our children?
Laura L. Finley,
Ph.D., Sociology and Criminology, Barry University, is syndicated by
PeaceVoice.
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