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At that time as a young man, I realized if I were placed in my Korean
neighbor’s situation, I would have become upset, probably planned
how to steal some of the Marine’s food, clothing, guns, vehicles, etc.
When I, as a father, realized that my attractive 16-year-old was being
lured to eat, party, wear sexy clothes, and sleep with the Marines on
the other side of the fence, I would have been distraught and
irate…and probably dangerous, although I could have maybe
understood my daughter’s situation.
One doesn’t have to go far to realize that dire poverty overwhelms
many families. The daily solicitation of donations reads “Every 3
seconds a child dies from malnutrition or preventable diseases.” I’m
not sure people grasp that message if and when they read it, but what
if the Air Force would fly each of us living in a $200,000 house to feed
a hungry child for a week? That would make an impression on us.
It is easy to find poverty and unfairness. Just a few days ago (March
20, 2006) the New York Times published an article by Erik Eckholm
about “Plight Deepens for Black Men, Studies Warn.” A huge group of
young Black men (about 5 million in their 20’s and 30’s) are poorly
educated and becoming very alienated from our society. In spite of 20
years of good economic times for middle-class America, joblessness
among high school dropouts has steadily increased among inner city
Black men. As Eckholm points out, in 2000, 65% of Black males in
their 20’s were jobless. By 2004, that percent of unemployment had
increased to 72%, compared to 34% of whites and 19% of
Hispanics. Even if you include Blacks who graduated from high school,
half of Black men in 2004 did not have jobs.
Note also, that less than 50% of inner city Black men finish high
school even now. Also note that 21% of Black males are in jail. By the
time Black males are 35 or so, 60% have “done time.” The New York
Times story quotes Joseph T. Jones, Director of a Fatherhood and
Work Skills Center, as explaining the troubles of young Blacks by
blaming “terrible schools, absent fathers, racism, decline in blue collar
jobs, and a subculture that glorifies swagger over work…” Of course,
like the prostitutes in Korea, the young Black men have other income
choices, namely, stealing from or selling drugs to wealthy middle and
upper class Americans.
Violence in America will probably not be solved until social-economic
conditions become more fair and parent-school efforts focus more on
children’s mental health, self-control, and morality. And peace may not
be wide spread around the world as long as there is such a gap
between the ‘haves” and the “have nots.”
Deutsch (1993) advocates that schools utilize cooperative learning,
conflict resolution training, controversy-centered teaching techniques,
and actual mediation of real conflicts by students. He called this
"educating for a peaceful world." Our focus in this book is on self-help,
not education, but each of us can insist that our schools and all
