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Old June 1, 2006, 02:45 PM   #23
spacemanspiff
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Join Date: January 16, 2002
Location: alaska
Posts: 3,498
Consider the reasons provided for kids who do get a gun and try to dish out 'retribution' for how they have been treated, either by their parents, or classmates. Its usually the kids who are pushed around, bullied, mocked, made fun of, the stuff we say is 'normal' and the kids should 'get over it', right?

But to me, this reflects how everyone in our society has a complete lack of respect for one another. Children grow up watching their parents being jerks and disrespectful, yet they expect their kids to respect them. Kids, learning much from example, wind up not having any respect for anyone, peer or authority figure.

How many times have you encountered some overprivileged teenager who insists/demands respect, and thought to yourself "A backhand across that 'tards face ought to set him straight"? A generation or two ago, a kid could earn respect from his peers by standing up to the bully, maybe he wouldnt win, but he didn't get walked over either. That same kid from a generation or two ago, would most likely have had respect for any adult they came across, calling them 'Sir', or 'Ma'am', 'Mr' or 'Mrs'.

Nowadays, you can't force a kid to respect an adult. And when todays kid tries to earn respect from peers, it is with a gun, not with fists. If a parent tries to use corporal punishment, there is the risk that the kid will retaliate.
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