Has the Rolling Stone magazine gone too far or not far enough? How much is enough?
This week, Rolling Stone magazine put accused Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev . According to Rolling Stone, the story, written by contributing editor Janet Reitman, delivers “a riveting and heartbreaking account of how a charming kid with a bright future became a monster.”
While most people are outraged that the Rolling Stone would glorify an accused mass murderer and terrorist, nobody seems outraged at something more important—that our youth today seems increasingly bent on destroying American society both from inside and out.
Take for example the case of Rachel Jeantel, supposed friend to Trayvon Martin, who has been ridiculed mercilessly in the press and media for her poor understanding of the English language and views of society. Not many made mention of the fact that she has a supposed ‘3.0 average’ in a school that obviously did little to give her a proper education in the English language,
Where is the outrage in that? The miseducation of our youth is more of an outrage than the glorification of the misadventures and horrible crimes of these kids. It seems its more entertaining to laugh at their predicament than it is to actually address the problem in a more salient way.
The leading cause of death of blacks under the age of 19 is violence; no one is talking about that. Nor that fact that the second leading cause of death of people aged 19-24 is homicides, with suicides a close third.
Why aren’t we talking about that instead? These children are going to be our leaders one day, and we are raising a thundering, ignorant clod of people that are poorly educated, immoral, valueless homicidal maniacs. What does that say about our future? How are people like Rachel Jeantel going to integrate into a normal society when she thinks that offensive words like N—ga are ok to say? What about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who clearly cannot understand that America is not an oppressive force in the world but a beacon of hope to millions? He seems to think that blowing the legs off marathon runners in the streets of Boston is a solution.
By the way, the acts of terrorism are not the problem, they are the symptom to a much greater and deeper problem—that America has completely lost its way in leading the world and that our youth are being educated that we are the problem in the world and not the solution.
Many powerful forces have conspired to bring us to this sad, low point in American culture and development and it certainly won’t be fixed by not selling the Rolling Stone at the local Walgreens. Hiding the problem in a drug store stockroom or putting it behind the counter next to the Playboy certainly isn’t going to help kids today understand the difference between right and wrong. Our narcissistic and self-absorbed culture won’t be cured by placing our problems in the trash.
I don’t know what will fix our culture at this late date from the problems that plaugue our young folk, although I have a few ideas. Restoring education to a simpler private option is one; reinvesting in a strong moral upbringing is another. Rebuilding high standards in education certainly is called for. Throwing more money at public education while we pat ourselves on the back certainly isn’t.
I know one thing though. Blaming Rolling Stone for pointing out the problem in a crass and sensational way is no way to go about it, and it isn’t helping the matter.
It seems we would rather divest ourselves from the magazine and shove it in a darkened corner than address the real problems.
It’s the method we have used with our youth’s education isn’t it?
