A great many of the problems that plague our nation and the world are rooted in a propensity for violence. The vast majority of these problems are created by or perpetuated by men. Men who turn too easily toward violence. A partial inventory: An unmitigated epidemic of gun violence
Russia's invasion was hardly unprovoked. The U.S. would not tolerate foreign forces building up on our border - why should we expect Russia to do so? The U.S. has attacked over far less. Furthermore, we would not let, say, Mexicans of American descent get brutalized in a civil war led by Mexico City nazis against their own citizens in the border regions. But that's exactly what was happening in Ukraine for eight years before Russia invaded. 14,000 civilians were killed, most of them ethnic Russians in the Donbass regions. Please look beyond empire propaganda. It's insane to think that countries go around invading other countries for no reason or just because their leaders are evil madmen out to take over the world (*rubs hands together eagerly*, "BWAHAHAHAHA!").
Agree with all of this! One comment about video games: We raised two sons, and once they were in elementary school there was a lot of peer pressure about having the latest game console and games. We did get them an X-Box, but we did not purchase violent games. Their seven- to 9-year-old peers were playing games rated M for Mature, like "Grand Theft Auto"! I got them the sort of games where they were having a car race or using a laser beam to shoot balloons out of the sky. When the Wii came out, we jumped at the chance to get them playing active games. Their favorite by far was "Dance, Dance, Revolution." They would work up a sweat doing dances that I couldn't even begin to emulate. Of course, we limited screen time as well. Parents have a lot of choices in how they raise their children, but you have to be willing to say "that's not for us" when things cross a line.
Indeed. Violence is a self perpetuating mode of delusion. If we as a species have any hope of sustaining ourselves for any real length of time we best thinking of developing other aspects of our brains and sharing those modes of expression.
Russia's invasion was hardly unprovoked. The U.S. would not tolerate foreign forces building up on our border - why should we expect Russia to do so? The U.S. has attacked over far less. Furthermore, we would not let, say, Mexicans of American descent get brutalized in a civil war led by Mexico City nazis against their own citizens in the border regions. But that's exactly what was happening in Ukraine for eight years before Russia invaded. 14,000 civilians were killed, most of them ethnic Russians in the Donbass regions. Please look beyond empire propaganda. It's insane to think that countries go around invading other countries for no reason or just because their leaders are evil madmen out to take over the world (*rubs hands together eagerly*, "BWAHAHAHAHA!").
Agree with all of this! One comment about video games: We raised two sons, and once they were in elementary school there was a lot of peer pressure about having the latest game console and games. We did get them an X-Box, but we did not purchase violent games. Their seven- to 9-year-old peers were playing games rated M for Mature, like "Grand Theft Auto"! I got them the sort of games where they were having a car race or using a laser beam to shoot balloons out of the sky. When the Wii came out, we jumped at the chance to get them playing active games. Their favorite by far was "Dance, Dance, Revolution." They would work up a sweat doing dances that I couldn't even begin to emulate. Of course, we limited screen time as well. Parents have a lot of choices in how they raise their children, but you have to be willing to say "that's not for us" when things cross a line.
Indeed. Violence is a self perpetuating mode of delusion. If we as a species have any hope of sustaining ourselves for any real length of time we best thinking of developing other aspects of our brains and sharing those modes of expression.