In the past two issues of your WPJ we told you the story of Phil Chalmers’ training sessions on incredibly violent people and the horrors they’ve unleashed. We hope you took notice. If not, please do. His class may have targeted law enforcement officers, but all of us should take notice.
It would require a Tolstoy to author all the information he presented. His lessons cut deeply into the present. We think you will find that when Chalmers said, “Society has gone mad…we’ve lost our minds,” he was conservative.
Theories abound on the subject of where we’re heading as a people and why. Many, including your humble servant, believe the path on which we currently travel is the result of decades of indulgence and permissiveness with a healthy pinch of denial. Our children are reaping the rewards.
A Canadian rock band sang, “If it feels good, do it.” Society has apparently adopted Gary Gilmore’s last words, “Let’s do it.” Society might well remember what happened to Gary, and why. Timothy Leary said, “Turn on, tune in, drop out.” Today’s Leary might want us to “Tune out, cop out, drop out and take everyone you hate with you.”
There are consequences to the changes, in attitude and aptitude, especially to the most vulnerable. A young person today is locked in a battle with themselves. In schools across the country, the emphasis has changed from math, science and technology to gender affirmation, proper pronoun usage and race entitlement. No wonder little minds are losing it.
Consider: A 15-year-old high school freshman lives in a nice neighborhood with nice parents and a sister. He’s troubled with situations at school. Visits counselor with parents. Later, asks parents to buy him a gun, they say no. Visits counselor again. Counselor doesn’t see anything wrong with young man having gun.
Parents allow him to purchase .22 rifle and 9MM pistol with the promise he will not use “without their consent.” He didn’t ask consent when he killed his father with the .22 and mother with the 9MM the night before he killed two classmates and injured 25 others at his Springfield, Oregon school.
Consider: Bullies had taken their toll on this 14-year-old. He got his hands on his dad’s weapons, took his school class hostage, killed his teacher, the bully and shot others in the class before the spree ended. Prior to the shootings, this youngster’s teacher had expressed “concern” over some of his drawings that portrayed multiple individuals being shot in the head. Concern.
In these cases, erratic behavior of young people didn’t ring alarm bells. Professionals apparently didn’t recognize signs or didn’t dig deeply enough. Parents apparently aren’t ready to believe it’s their children who are the bell ringers. The words “if only” are inadequate.
While we’ve emphasized young people and tragic events, don’t think for a moment we’re overlooking the crazies among us. There’re enough nuts among us adults to feed the world’s frugivores a million times over.
Example: Dean Martin’s song of the late 1940s, “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” got heated attention a Christmas ago for lyrics the Wokes/Cancel Culturites considered offensive. Deano’s lyrics, our protectorate declared, glamorized stalking, seduction and sexism. Ban it, baby. How dare he?
On the other hand, the mega rap star Carti B sells about a gazillion copies of her hit, “W.A.P.” This is a language friendly publication, so all you students will have to Google to acronymically wordify the title. Tell me later if the Google makes you giggle…or gag.
Carti wins a Grammy, multiple AMAs, Billboards, BETs, MTVs and other honors for her talents which include writing many of her own lyrics. Music lovers worldwide love her, her lifestyle, her videos. Check’em out. Sure you’ll agree they’re tastefully done.
Of course it’s a fan’s privilege to love whomever they wish…unless it’s a whom who’s not approved by the social warriors. The haters of “Baby….” can’t get enough CB, but they have a BM over DM. Weirdly predictable. Frighteningly indicative.
Solutions? Several, but attention/involvement is required. Our little safe havens are not so safe as we want to believe. Remember the word, denial. Our guru said love your neighbor, but build good fences. He also said we humans might solve a world of problems with a good colon cleansing which would include, of course, our heads.
–Pat Culverhouse