VANGUARDING A DYING BREED

 

 

We are the witnesses to one of the most significant issues of social strife in the history of this country. From a social perspective, when the history of our time is written, it is likely that the most important event historians will see is not our technical advancements, not the internet, but a generation raised to kill and be killed. With violence and senseless killing soaring at an alarming rate, many experts scramble to find solutions to vanguard a dying breed.

    To understand the core problem and the profound implications of a dying breed, look into the American household and its structure. We humans are not born with an automatic knowledge of who we are; we must be taught and given just examples. The institution of the family initially responsible for teaching a child essential life skills and providing just examples. These life skills enable a child to grow up socially functional.

   Today, primary group relationships tend to suggest that ninety percent of American households are dysfunctional. A large percentage of youth are raised in single parent households, absent of positive male influences, resulting from drug addiction or incarceration. Dysfunctional households lack examples of responsibility, honesty, citizenship, family, humility and other male virtues that provide examples of manhood.

In this case, without proper knowledge of one’s self, and just examples, a child will pick up ways of behaving and solving problems from negative subculture influences.   Subculture groups lean dysfunctional ways of behaving, thinking and communicating. For example, a youth that wears his pants below his waist has embraced the subculture influence called

“ sagging”

 

Subculture influences teach the direct opposite of what is needed to socially interact with others. A deeper look into the mind set of a dysfunctional youth tends to indicate that most youth develop a consciences to solve their problems with violence. Whereas, a functional youth learn early in life to find solutions to their problems. The inability to solve problems without resorting to violence has become the main concern in reversing the vicious cycle of violence.

  In an age marked by violence, senseless killings risen sharply by thirty-eight percent among our youth, according to a recent report by Northwestern University.At the root of these frightening statistics is the understanding why our future is dying in the streets of America, crying out for someone to VANGUARD A DYING BREED.