When Pressure Escapes

Recently we have seen on the news or read about school shootings and youth violence. We see these and wonder, what drives these kids to such violent acts? Many people blame violent movies like “Natural Born Killers” or video games like the Grand Theft Auto Series. However I do not believe this is the main cause for the escalation in youth violence in reason years. The main reason that teen violence has escaladed is the combination of teen pressure drug’s and access to guns.

Most all teens have social issues and pressure from school, this puts great strain on the teens lives however some have it harder then others and some who have violent tendencies when you combine this with easy access to weapons you may have violent results. Just like with playing video games kids who have social issues or have access to guns don’t automatically go out and shoot up the school however this does contribute to the problem. For instance the shooters in the columbine massacre, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold where picked on and social outcasts with only a few friends to rely on. This bullying caused great anger and with there access to guns and using the internet were able to collected a fair amount of guns and make several bombs. This of course is an extreme case, however in a recent study 77% of all students say they have been bullied. This with a report that over 100,000 kids bring guns to school could lead to more shootings and school violence. Bullying and access to guns causes violence because the ones getting picked on feel trapped and having no other option result to a higher form of violence.

One major contributor to youth violence is the availability and experimentation with illegal drugs. With certain drugs like steroids the user can have sudden outbursts of rage and anger. Addictive drugs like methamphetamines cocaine and heroine the user can do things for money to buy drugs that would normally not do. On a recent episode of the PBS show frontline an Oregon police sheriff reported that over half of the crimes committed were committed by meth addicts.  However when drug dealing takes place at school it can have an effect on the participants that don’t necessarily relate to drugs. When we buy and sell things there is always an open window for anger and fights of somebody being ripped off or being cheated. This is especially true with drug dealing as both participants are already on the edge dealing with illicit substances so when money is exchanged there is there may be violent conflicts or crime.  One instance is discussed in Wilkerson’s “The Face of Violence” who discusses a fourteen year old drug dealer who in the process of robbing a women shoots her in the head, he needed money to pay the drug dealer king pins. Drugs can take a toll on people not only with there effects but with the risks people take when participating in drug related crimes.

With all of this teen pressure the access to guns in America also contributes to why so many youth violence occurs. For instances in Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine, Moore makes a point of how Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold bought all of there bullets from a local K-Mart. A large majority of gun violence by youth are caused by guns that came from their home.  We see an example of this in From Adolescent Angst to Shooting up Schools when Timothy Egan says: “He learned how to fire weapons from his father” (336). When discussing a fourteen year old boy who killed two of his classmates. This combination of teenage pressure and access to guns has proven to be a deadly recipe.

With youth violence escalading we must do something to prevent it. However we cannot decide what causes it, is it video games, music, movies, guns, bullying, poverty, family or drugs. However we need to address this issue and take some preventative measures.