Letter: Discipline needed to curb violence

Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

I believe that today's problems of youth violence are not simply those of a few youths who have been bullied or tormented to the point of seeking revenge. The problems are much wider and deeper and affect a large portion of the population, not just a tiny segment. I believe some of the problems of adults, such as road rage and air rage, are caused by the same factors as those of youth.

When I was a boy (in the '20s and '30s), there was no youth violence. It was not because we didn't have guns. We had access to many other dangerous weapons. Almost every boy had a slingshot and a pocket knife. We also had bows and arrows (with sharp points, not rubber cups), BB guns, baseball bats and golf clubs. Some of them, such as slingshots and pocket knives, were often taken to school but never used there to hurt others. Why not? Because we knew better.

We knew that if we did anything wrong we would be severely punished, both in school and then at home when our parents found out. In those days there was discipline at home and in school. Today there is little or none in either place. There were also some things that we did not have. There were no video games on which to practice killing, no TV violence or Rambo-type movies.

I believe there are many causes of youth violence and consequently there are no simple solutions. A few children will become violent no matter how they are raised and a few will never become violent no matter how badly they are neglected.

But the majority need to be taught that they must be responsible for their actions and should have respect for others. I believe the best way to teach those attributes is by discipline at an early age, probably beginning when they start to crawl and begin to get into trouble. Everyone will be taught discipline sooner or later. It is much easier to learn by a simple slap of the wrist as a toddler than to learn by spending time in prison years later.

Fred Numrich, Las Vegas