School Shootings and the "Culture of Mean"

A thoughtful article from Canadian Press on bullying, Simon Cowell, the "culture of mean," and school shootings:

There is a shift to a "culture of mean,'' says Barbara Coloroso, and she believes today's youth are swimming in it.

Coloroso, an internationally recognized parenting expert and author of "The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander,'' was in the small town of Black Diamond, 80 kilometres west of Calgary on Saturday, to conduct a workshop on bullying....

With teens learning to laugh at others' pain, it's little wonder that bullying is running rampant in North American schools, she said. And as in many other cases, the shooter at Virginia Tech and those at Columbine were what she calls "bullied bullies.'' After being the target of bullying, eventually the victim becomes what he fears the most.

"The bullied bullies not only strike back but they do it with that utter contempt, that cold look on their face. They have become themselves what they hated,'' explained Coloroso. "Just as he was treated as an `it,' he treats other human beings unmercifully.''

According to Canada.com, Coloroso is "a former Roman Catholic nun, mother of two and parenting expert with four bestsellers to her credit."

Personally, I think it is fair to say that this past week's tragedy at Virginia Tech was essentially an event driven by one individual's psychotic break.

No cultural or sociological analysis can ultimately deliver any complete or satisfying understanding of this kind of extreme, homicidal violence - it is just too far off the rails.

Having said that, while deranged characters have emerged throughout history, their scripts securely targeted on the cultural fault lines of the day, the increasing frequency of schools as a modern location for such violence needs a much closer look.

I think the author above is onto something.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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