4 C’s

CONNECTION:  Reading the article “Teaching Kids to Kill” By Lt. Col. Dave Grossman I made some connections that I can relate to the article.  Last year I had a neighbor which their 19 year old son had been shot in the parking lot in front of a night club. It was devastating to hear the news because he was a boxer and it was said that he was a “respectful and a big hearted kid.” In the article they mentioned that kids are killing but yet those who are armed and may know some self defense cannot protect themselves.  I also have heard on the radio and when I watch the news sometimes, they mention teen shootings. I learned that children also tend to be very innocent and naïve. They can be manipulated and which is why they are ‘easy’. They easily get influenced by video games and the movies which lead to some negative actions.

CHALLENGES: I wonder sometimes that if they show such things as teen shooting and killings on TV and in movies, if they think that it’s preventing young audience to do the same or teaching them those terrible actions as some kids are still innocent and don’t know much.

CONCEPTS: Some ideas and key points that I found important from the video was the kids that were captured really had no choice but to recruit. They either had to kill or get killed. They chose kids especially because they were ‘easy’. They found It easy to manipulate children and that they were cheap. Soon, killing became as easy as drinking water. Those who escaped were trying to regain themselves in rehab. I also found the saying “War limits you from knowing yourself” quite intriguing because in some way I find it true. When one is forced to do something at a young age or else they will be killed, they would just learn to obey and never really find or know themselves.

CHANGES: I noticed that Ishmael Beah went from a killing machine into an amazing writer and that he made a better living for himself. For example, he left his village and moved to New York where he finished high school and attended college. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kEL_LRBSqk