Mike Male's Article vs. My Bias

I have to say that I was definitely intrigued by the readings for this week. Mike Males made some very thought provoking points in his essay about "bashing youth," and many of the points that he made spoke directly to my personal biases. I believe/believed that children - young adults(mostly 16-24 year old males) especially in poorer neighberhoods were responsible for a majority of violent crimes - and I tacked this belief up to lack of wisdom. I thought that younger males might not be old enough to notice the significance of their actions. I've known many people who have been mugged- and it has always been a group of teenage boys doing the muggings, and I've known at least two victims who were mugged at gun point. It seems like gun violence is up (I'm not sure if that's true) and the easy accessibility of guns along with a young, immature, and poverty-stricken youth is a recipe for bad things. In relation to the rap wars of the early 90s, Biggie once said something to the effect that back in the day people would settle disputes with their fists whereas now everyone seems to have a gun. The problem: Bruises heal but taking a life is forever. --Personally, I believe that it takes a certain amount of wisdom to understand the gravity of what a life is, wisdom that some youth might not have.

But then after reading chapter 7, I was surprised by many of the statistics including the fact that 30+ year olds were responsible of most homicides, and that it is primarily adults who vicitmize children, not children who victimize other children. This article just shows me a few of the areas in which I am going to have to open my mind if I am to be an effective teacher.

Also I would like to comment on the "Two Sides, Same Bias section" on page 124. I have alsways been all for handing out free condoms, etc. and I always thought it was silly to teach abstinence. Teenagers and adults aren't going to fight natural urges because a class told them not to. But then Males brought up the fact that "...even if every high school boy abstained from sex or used a condom, most "teen" pregnancies would still occur." The problem that Males points out is ADULT males victimizing CHILD females, which is a cyclical problem that continues to perpetuate itself. Again, it is the adults that victimize the children, not the children victimizing other children.