Letter: Stop the culture of violence
Riot police officers confront protesters as clashes break out amid Independence Day celebrations in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014. The violence has turned into a yearly ritual on the holiday in recent years. Credit: AP / Czarek Sokolowski
Recently on the news, we saw video from late November of a young man running up behind a woman in the Bronx, jumping and stomping her to the ground. She was carrying a 3-month-old baby on her chest and fell. The baby hit the sidewalk with the weight of the mother on top. The attacker took the woman's cellphone.
Then three weeks later, we saw photos of another man assaulting a woman in a Laundromat on Dec. 16 in Hempstead. The woman was holding a baby. The man kicked the baby after it fell to the floor. The man stole the woman's necklace.
Reports from the Middle East say Islamic State terrorists in Iraq beheaded four Christian children who refused to renounce their faith and become Muslim.
The Dec. 22 edition of Newsday had a story of a man in Utica who is accused of punching a woman and her 4-month-old baby in the face in an argument over control of a home TV set.
About a month ago I caught up with the 2012 movie "The Hunger Games" on cable TV. I was curious and watched it. Afterward, I couldn't imagine why author Suzanne Collins would write a story about children killing children for the entertainment of others. (I still hold on to the notion that women should be more nurturing.) And the film was rated PG-13!
We need to look to see a deepening of evil that has arrived. Isn't it time for us to put a stop to this culture of violence?
It all starts at home with parents who are tuned into their kids and provide a strong foundation of morals, guidance and age-appropriate material. Let's reflect on the message of peace during this Christmas and make the effort to protect our precious children by teaching them respect for themselves and others, including law enforcement, so that they will grow to make a better society.
Rosemary Fuchs, Hicksville
