Paul Harvey commentary on Columbine High School.

OVERVIEW

What follows is a commentary offered by Paul Harvey, following the 1999 Columbine High School shootings:

For the life of me, I can’t understand what could have gone wrong in Littleton, Colorado. If only the parents had kept their children away from the guns, we wouldn’t have had such a tragedy. Yeah, it must have been the guns.

It couldn’t have been because half of our children are being raised in broken homes. It couldn’t have been because our children get to spend an average of 30 seconds in meaningful conversation with their parents each day. After all we give our children quality time.

It couldn’t have been because we treat our children as pets and our pets as children. It couldn’t have been because we place our children in day care centers where they learn their socialization skills among their peers under the law of the jungle while employees who have no vested interest in the children look on and make sure that no blood is spilled.

It couldn’t have been because we allow our children to watch, on average, seven hours of television a day filled with the glorification of sex and violence that isn’t fit for adult consumption.

It couldn’t have been because we allow (or even encourage) our children to enter into virtual worlds in which, to win the game, one must kill as many opponents as possible in the most sadistic way possible.

It couldn’t have been because we have sterilized and contracepted our families down to sizes so small that the children we do have are so spoiled with material things that they come to equate the receiving of the material with love.

It couldn’t have been because our children, who historically have been seen as a blessing from God, are now being viewed as either a mistake created when contraception fails or inconveniences that parents try to raise in their spare time.

It couldn’t have been because we give two year prison sentences to teenagers who kill their newborns. It couldn’t have been because our school systems teach the children that they are nothing but glorified apes who have revolutionized out of some primordial soup of mud.

It couldn’t have been because we teach our children that there are no laws of morality that transcend us, that everything is relative and that actions don’t have consequences. What the heck, the president gets away with it.

Nah, it must have been the guns.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. How do you respond to Paul Harvey’s thoughts on the Columbine situation? What do you agree with? What do you disagree with?
2. Are his thoughts fair? Explain.
3. Do any of his comments offend you? Why?
4. Does it matter why the tragedy occurred? Will understanding why it happened solve anything, or make it better?
5. What do you think are good solutions to the gun problem in America? What is America’s gun problem?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Paul Harvey’s statements are provocative. They may shock or offend, but it is good to be encouraged to think through and respond to such complex situations.
2. There is not a single solution to the gun problem.
3. Many institutions—families, churches, schools, governments, media, businesses—must acknowledge their responsibilities to the issue of a violent, gun-ridden society. These institutions must commit to minimize and even eliminate this current societal epidemic.
4. Young people need to talk about their fears and knowledge of guns. Communication may be the strongest weapon against gun violence.

A group plan to educate young people about date rape.

OVERVIEW

Teenage girls need to be aware of date rape and the drugs that are used to make them unaware that they are being raped and/or have been raped. This discussion will suggest ways to prevent being victimized and offer ideas for how to help others.

LEADER PREPARATION

• Invite girls ages 13-19.
• Locate a comfortable, secure room or use this discussion during girls-only retreat.
• Gather information on the predominant date rape drugs, Roofies and Special K.
• Develop a survey to find out how much girls know about rape.
• If possible, schedule a rape counselor and/or peer counselor and prepare a resource list.
• Make plans for evaluation and follow-up.

GROUP BUILDING

 

• Thank the girls and guest speakers.
• Ask the girls to complete an evaluation of the discussion.
• The leader or speaker should be available if someone needs to talk after the discussion or in private.

GROUP PRESENTATION

• Go over the survey and perhaps a “fact and myth” sheet (local resources will likely have fact and information sheets).
• Give information on date rape drugs.

GROUP DISCUSSION

Through group conversation, address the following points:

• 
  
• Set boundaries before you start dating. Know your limits, how far you will go.
• Let your parents or someone know where you are going, your plans, and when you expect to be home.
• Be aware of your surroundings at all time. Don’t go into a secluded area.
• What is the appropriate behavior of your date—watch out for jealousy, possessiveness, violence, abusive talk and actions.
• Talk to your date.
• Say “no” when you mean “no.”
• Be assertive.
• Respond to aggression.
• Be aware of the date rape drugs, Roofies and Special K (and any others that are available).
• Don’t drink anything that you haven’t opened yourself and kept a eye on.
• Rape is a violation, and no one has the right to assault you; it is not your fault.
• If you are raped, let someone know. Get medical attention as soon as possible, talk to a rape counselor, youth pastor, or parent…whoever will give you sound advice.
• Know your limits and the resources available to you.

WRAP-UP

• Thank the girls and guest speakers.
• Ask the girls to complete an evaluation of the discussion.
• The leader or speaker should be available if someone needs to talk after the discussion or in private.

EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP

The following are good questions to ask as an evaluation of the discussion.

• Did the group meet the intended goals?
• Did we provide a safe place to talk about feelings and situations?
• Was the information relevant and timely?

Consider the following one-on-one contacts with the girls in the group, following the event:

Contact each young lady and ask each of them about the discussion. Find out if there are any issues that they need to discuss.

For the girls who have been raped, were there any plans for follow-up?

Arrange to spend some time with any girls who have been violated, were disturbed by the discussion, or just want to talk and ask questions privately.

Consider a follow-up discussion.

Kathryn S. Smith cCYS

Strickland, L. (2002, March/April). "Healing in Helping: A Rape-Victim’s Story of Recovery." Psychology Today, 35(2), 61.

OVERVIEW

 

‘Two years after being raped…I suddenly realized that I hadn’t once thought of committing suicide all day. At that moment, I knew I wanted to live.’

Rape is a serious issue, not to be taken lightly. So often we hear about rape victims after a significant amount of time has passed; very seldom do we hear of them soon after the occurrence. Are we living in a society which shames our youth and young adults about a traumatic experience? Are we to the point where we can hear about a rape victim and not feel shocked?

 

‘Rape is not about sex, passion or lust. Rape is about fear, humiliation and control. Rape is a crime as violent as shooting or stabbing.’

How do youth leaders, workers, confidants, and peers express our openness to learn about this humiliation? Most often, rape isn’t reported because the victim feels not only violated but humiliated and sometimes even too embarrassed to say anything. Rape must be taken seriously, and youth leaders need to be willing to address the issue. We cannot be afraid of rape, for the sake of the victims and the violators.

Rape victims often feel they are to blame or are too scared to say anything, to prosecute, to get help. Rape isn’t something that one person can deal with alone; they need to seek help…from friends, family, and professionals.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. How can youth workers make rape a serious topic of discussion?
2. How do we encourage rape victims to ‘speak up’ sooner than later?
3. How do we educate teens on the tension between the fear of rape and the embarrassment of rape?
4. How can we help rape victims to ‘come back to life’?
5. How approachable are you to rape victims? How educated are you about rape and its aftermath?

IMPLICATIONS

1. We need to be open about the subject of rape.
2. Rape isn’t something that could just happen to that person who lives on the other side of town, but it could be your neighbor or somebody in your house; be sensitive with the issue, but don’t be afraid to talk about it.
3. Resources are important. Be sure that you have plenty of information, and access to professional counselors. In fact, encourage counseling.

Rebecca Fry cCYS