Child Soldiers

Child Soldiers


Connections: What connections can you draw between the text and your own life or your other learning? Read the article "Teaching Kids to Kill" and describe any similarities or differences in the concepts.        

     A connection that I can make between the text and my learning is that I have heard and read many articles about children and their where a bouts in society. Children are at the age of violence and innocence. Children are innocent but are exposed to violent activities, this exposes their innocence and some develop to view the world as a violent and dangerous place. They may see violence as a way to show power and control, it changes the view points and actions of many kids. Innocence takes away from a child's thoughts, it makes the child clueless and it creates them to be influenced in negative ways. In the video, Ishmael talks about how the children are clueless and are easily taught to do criminal and violent things. Which also shows that children are very powerless and do not have the ability to gain the strength and power to take control. 

    A connection I can make between the text and my own life is I find myself always wanting to , teach, play and become a role model for my little cousins.  As they grow up they become more independent and loose their innocence but they still carry their violent thoughts. Society brings and develops more violent and criminal games, it somehow gives pleasure and joy to my little cousins. I see it as a way of teaching them how to become more dangerous and feel like they have the ability to reenact the video game. My little cousins are both 10 years old, ever since they have started watching action movies and playing video games, fighting is the answer to many things.The video games and the aggressive and abusive movies influence them into becoming more ‘powerful’,  and they see it as a funny idea. My cousins always show that they are powerful by their violent actions, they do not see it as a bad thing. They show power by the actions such as shooting, stabbing and killing. As a role model it is hard to explain to 10 year old boys that violence is not the answer to anything because they see it as an accomplishment. 

   In the article “ Teaching Kids to Kill” is similar to how my cousins display violence because in the article the kids are influenced by the media and are given false information about violence. They are influenced and are told violence is the solution.In both of these situations killing and hurting another is the answer in order to be safe and do the right thing. The difference in these two situations are that in the article it shows how children react to violence and how they contribute to real life violence. It is different because some kids bring the horrific actions that are displayed in the videos games to real life. 

Challenges: What ideas, positions, or assumptions do you want to challenge or argue with in the text?

   An idea that I would like to argue with is when the article says, “Fighting Back: Education, Legislation, Litigation," in the article is explains how the three concepts should decrease violent activity performed by children. I believe these three ideas should have impacted how children behave a long time ago. Parents should have control of what their child watch and what games they play, if the child is warned about the negative things they will not preform any kind of violent activity. Shouldn't education, legislation and ligation already be taught to them? I believe changes should have been made when the incident of Paducah, Kentucky had occurred, the child was a 14 year old boy who knew exactly how to use a gun. It shows how children are easily being taught all the bad and violent things, but not the good things to do. I believe changes should be made before any other incident may occur involving children and violence. 

Concepts: What key concepts or ideas do you think are important and worth holding on to from the text?

   I believe the key concepts or ideas that are important and are worth holding on to from the text is how children are influenced by everything on the t.v, internet, neighbourhood, video games , etc. I believe the “Virus of Violence” is spreading around due to the messages and actions that are being shown to children. Children are innocent and are easily influenced by what they see, and as they distinguish all the aggressive activities they believe it is okay for them to repeat the same. 

Changes: What changes in attitudes, thinking or action are suggested by the text, either for you or others?

    Changes in actions can be done that are suggested by the text is that, “We must work against child abuse, racism, poverty and children’s access to guns, and in rebuilding our families, but we must also take on the producers of media violence. The solution strategy that I submit for consideration is, “Education, legislation, litigation.” This shows that there are ways people can take initiative to help deal with children and violence. It shows that children and violence can end, if everyone can contribute in helping.