Violent Youth

Two high school varsity baseball coach friends and I stumbled the other night into a discussion about the realism inherent in video games available — and wildly popular — now, and the disturbing way in which this is divorcing teens from the physical reality of violent behaviour towards real human beings.

This study by the American Psychological Association found that

"students who reported playing more violent video games in junior and high school engaged in more aggressive behavior," said lead author Anderson, of Iowa State University.

The studies were conducted in 2000. Video game realism has increased exponentially since then.

Playing games like Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Vice City, and Sin City — which now has its own movie — is practically a rite of acceptance among male youth.

Homicide in Detroit – Echoes of Violence, an award-winning photo essay/series of articles by the Detroit Free Press, asks

"Why is this city killing itself? What has it done to the community’s soul? "

How badly are our youth becoming divorced from the real physical, mental, emotional consequences of their actions?

How much are parents contributing to this, by not imposing consequences on their teenagers for actions that violate the rights of others?

What Has Changed?

A week ago last Friday, at around 3:45 in the afternoon, two high school baseball players I know (let’s call them Joe and Tom) were caught trying to buy alcohol at a liquor store a few blocks from the school. One of them purportedly had a fake ID.

That night, another player from the same team (I’ll call him Bill) was caught drinking alcohol in a stall in the boys’ bathroom at the school dance.

All three are in the 11th grade — juniors.

The boy who was caught drinking was suspended from school for three days and must sit out an automatic two-week suspension from organized school sports. His coach requires that he come to every practice and sit in the dugout during games in jeans and a team shirt as an example to others. The other two received no punishment from the school but were suspended for a game by the coach.

The weekend that it happened, Bill was alone at home; his parents were away as they are most weekends.

This weekend, Easter weekend and the start of spring break, Joe is in San Diego partying with friends. He was supposed to leave on Friday — school got out at 1 p.m. — and was mad when he found out that he had to wait another day because his team was playing a make-up of a rained out game at 3:30 Friday afternoon, and he had to be in the dugout, even though he wasn’t in the starting line-up.

None of the three received parental punishment.

In the mid-1990s, Felipe Lopez was dubbed by scouts the best high school basketball player in the country, and he had three crates of solicitation letters from college coaches to prove it.

In ‘Shoot the Moon’, a profile of Lopez, Susan Orlean describes the discipline he received for an infraction of his father’s rules.

"Once, Felipe’s father forbade him to go to a tournament because he had neglected to wash the dishes. This made Felipe cry, but in hindsight he is philosophical about it. ‘He was right,’ he says. ‘I didn’t do my dishes.’ "

Felipe didn’t do the dishes. Joe and Tom and Bill, who are all under the age of eighteen, were all caught with alcohol. The difference in the infractions and the difference in the consequences stuns and confuses me.