Military recruiters are becoming even more desperate as young people show their distaste for the war by not joining the military. Recruitment numbers are down, ROTC enrollment is low, and Uncle Sam wants anybody, and I mean ANYBODY to pick up a gun and point it at Iraqis.
A man who had been discharged from the Army a decade ago for suicidal feelings (not to mention talking to himself) during boot camp was allowed to try again and killed himself as a result. Military personnel are resulting to telling new recruits to lie on forms and top Army officials are becoming fed up with these practices, but not the reason recruiters are resorting to them.
We're recruiting gang members and the mentally ill to serve in our military while young, healthy men and women refuse to even acknowledge that a recruiter is speaking to them. I wonder why that is? Have the youth of this country finally decided that they do not want to go to war? Are they tried of being raised in a nation where violence and war is the norm? Probably not. My guess is that they're just too egotistical to dedicated their lives to anything bigger than themselves. But at least they're not joining the Army.
Showing posts with label mental health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mental health. Show all posts
Monday, May 21, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
What I Learned From Virginia Tech
I learned that 32 people can be killed in the course of several hours and no one in this country really gives a damn. Don't mistake the voyeuristic media coverage for actual concern. Yes, people are upset by what happened and their hearts go out to the students and staff at Virginia Tech, but few people are talking about what's really important about this massacre: that we live in a culture where this kind of thing can happen anywhere at any time to anyone.
Isn't that just a little disturbing? Forget about all the political crap that goes along with this tragedy. Forget what the kid said on the videotapes that the media has so insensitively aired on national TV. Forget about the debate on the 2nd Amendment and the people's right to have guns (even though we don't have the right to decide what do do with our own bodies, we have what we need to decide what to do with the lives of others). Forget that he's an Asian kid from Virginia and has probably been the victim of horrible racism since he came to this country (trust me, I've lived in VA). Sure, he had mental problems. How many people are there across this country with some sort of mental illness? How many of them have access to guns? How many of them have motive, real or imagined, AND opportunity?
This tragedy is a symptom of the violent culture of America, as were about a hundred other SCHOOL shootings in the past 10 years (not including Lancaster or VT). We live in a country where we cannot say with reasonable certainty that our children are safe in school. How do people not find this alarming? How are people not rioting in the streets? This tragedy has illustrated beyond a reasonable doubt that gun violence is OUT OF CONTROL in the United States and the only people truly outraged DON'T LIVE IN AMERICA. More children are going to die. If we don't do something now, we might as well get used to seeing higher and higher numbers of casualties in tragedies such as this, tragedies that could have been prevented.
And let's not forget the other victims of gun violence:
3,315 US Soldeirs killed in Iraq
24,764 US Soldiers wounded in Iraq
Over 60,000 Iraqis killed
Isn't that just a little disturbing? Forget about all the political crap that goes along with this tragedy. Forget what the kid said on the videotapes that the media has so insensitively aired on national TV. Forget about the debate on the 2nd Amendment and the people's right to have guns (even though we don't have the right to decide what do do with our own bodies, we have what we need to decide what to do with the lives of others). Forget that he's an Asian kid from Virginia and has probably been the victim of horrible racism since he came to this country (trust me, I've lived in VA). Sure, he had mental problems. How many people are there across this country with some sort of mental illness? How many of them have access to guns? How many of them have motive, real or imagined, AND opportunity?
This tragedy is a symptom of the violent culture of America, as were about a hundred other SCHOOL shootings in the past 10 years (not including Lancaster or VT). We live in a country where we cannot say with reasonable certainty that our children are safe in school. How do people not find this alarming? How are people not rioting in the streets? This tragedy has illustrated beyond a reasonable doubt that gun violence is OUT OF CONTROL in the United States and the only people truly outraged DON'T LIVE IN AMERICA. More children are going to die. If we don't do something now, we might as well get used to seeing higher and higher numbers of casualties in tragedies such as this, tragedies that could have been prevented.
And let's not forget the other victims of gun violence:
3,315 US Soldeirs killed in Iraq
24,764 US Soldiers wounded in Iraq
Over 60,000 Iraqis killed
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Look Straight at the Coming Disaster
Women on the Verge of Thinking has championed the cause of mental health for a long time and I agree that it is just as important as good physical health. Unfortunately, not everyone is comfortable doing what is necessary to maintain it. There is a stigma that comes with counseling or therapy, and I find that extremely disturbing.
Everyone needs a little help now and then. There are just some things that we aren't meant to handle on our own. When someone close to use dies or we dive head-first into some unexpected transition, it is important that we have someone to talk to. If you're not comfortable talking to friends or relatives, a therapist, counselor, or whatever you want to call them, can often shed some light on a subject you may be approaching from only one point of view.
When you know something life-changing is coming your way, it doesn't hurt to check in with someone who is not personally invested. There is no shame in seeking advice or consolation from a neutral party. It just may be what you need to take the next (or the first) step toward better mental health.
Everyone needs a little help now and then. There are just some things that we aren't meant to handle on our own. When someone close to use dies or we dive head-first into some unexpected transition, it is important that we have someone to talk to. If you're not comfortable talking to friends or relatives, a therapist, counselor, or whatever you want to call them, can often shed some light on a subject you may be approaching from only one point of view.
When you know something life-changing is coming your way, it doesn't hurt to check in with someone who is not personally invested. There is no shame in seeking advice or consolation from a neutral party. It just may be what you need to take the next (or the first) step toward better mental health.
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