THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE HAS APPEARED IN THE RECORD ON July 9, 2003

Why so many adults resort to physical violence, Part 2

As I said in last week's column, rather than just expound on my theory as to why so many adults resort to physical violence to try and resolve their differences, I decided to open my column to outside opinions. As a result, in Part I, you heard from, a social worker, a La Presse columnist, a former headmaster, a former management consultant and finally, a Protestant Minister.

Here now are the last 4 opinions.

                                               Columnist for The Record

                                                     Anna May Kenney

"People resort to violence for many, many reasons, but the most common in our society is the lack of knowing how to negotiate with another adult. This happens because we were never taught to communicate with our peers. Now you will see much more of this as the children in today's daycare system start becoming adults.

Then there is another underlying factor. Most adults over 35 are taking prescription drugs of some kind. It used to be that people in their 70's and 80's took blood pressure medicines, or heart pills, but now people half that age are starting to take drugs daily. Many of them take pills for more than one disorder at a time, I know people that are taking FOUR unrelated types of medicines, all of which can inter react with each other. Science has found that many of these medicines are "safe" taken alone, but little research has been done on what happens when they are mixed with other drugs. YES, some drugs we know about, but that is just a very small percentage of what is out there, not to mention over the counter drugs, and the chemicals in the foods we eat. We are talking about a time bomb. I am seeing so many, and I mean MANY people that can not cope with life and I am sure a good deal of this has to do with drug interaction of one kind or another “.

                                  Former senior programmer/analyst

                                                       G. Bourassa

 " Adult violence appears to me to be caused by extreme frustration. It seems to be the culmination of many recent incidents occurring to the aggressor of which we, as victims may never be aware. I would say it is usually caused by someone who isn't getting their way and doesn't know how to manipulate the situation to their satisfaction/advantage. I think people who speak well and are heard are not often the deliverers of violence. As a victim we never may know what was the 'straw that broke the camel's back'. Insecure people also seem to have to prove themselves with violence, maybe again, because they don't know how to express themselves adequately or lack the confidence."

                                           Activist against domestic violence

                                                       Ashley Sheltus

  " In an increasingly complex society in which individual interests tend to get lost, one prime cause of Domestic violence stems from a desire (need?) to control some tiny part of your life, and if your wife/partner disagrees, bam!

Violence increases, not decreases with use. A man raised in a semi-violent home (lots of shouting and threats) will probably run a home that is at least marginally more violent than the one he grew up in.

A woman brought up in a semi-violent of even mildly violent home in the "Father knows best" tradition, will be conditioned to accept male superiority (and violence), and the occasional government anti-violence TV campaigns have no chance of changing 20 years of conditioning.

Perhaps the most common cause of domestic violence is the simple fact that men get away with it. Police do not handle them as roughly as thieves. Judges pass out lenient sentences and often settle for a promise to "behave", despite a long record of similar violent acts."

              Former national automobile distribution manager

                                              Tom Snell

  "In my simple opinion, ... I believe aggressive behavior is acquired very early on, no doubt from something within the family..... If a sibling trod on my territory, or swiped one of my favorite toys, retaliation was naturally and usually always accomplished... but it most often was through stealth and cunning, not fisticuffs..".

                               Back to yours truly

  The fact that so much has been written on the subject of violence should not come as a surprise. We see it everywhere, in our homes, in our schools and on our streets. Every one of us is bound, at one time or another, to become a victim if only because we are exposed to so many different types of violence. They include everything from threats, use of psychological or emotional force to actual physical harm.

In Canada, just as in the United States, we spend billions of dollars in trying to curb violence. Armies of judges, prosecutors, police officers, psychologist, sociologists, social workers, probation officers, prison guards and private investigators, to name only a few, devote their entire careers to the cause. Criminal courts are overbooked with cases involving child abuse, youth violence, homicide, assault, dating violence, and family violence.

Unfortunately, when it comes to our criminal justice system, there is no magic formula capable of eradicating violence. Consider our prison system. Everyone knows that it is an effective training ground for young criminals, yet we still have no sound alternative when it comes to protecting society. Prison costs are so high there is little money left for counseling, training, or treatment for those who don't want to end up in jail.

The simple truth is that no justice system can be expected to eliminate the root causes of violence, certainly not without a coordinated effort among numerous other government agencies. Give everyone a good job and the level of violence will drop considerably. Cut the use of narcotics and alcohol in half and the level of violent crimes will take a drastic plunge .The same is true if we could find a way to knock out sexism, racism, and discrimination or prevent parents from physically and emotionally abusing their children. Regrettably, these are all areas over which our justice system has very little influence.

What lies ahead? Because so much violence arises from interpersonal conflict, conflict resolution and violence prevention programs are beginning to look very promising (a subject which I will write about in a separate column). According to the experts they may hold one of the keys to preventing violence.

PS To each and every contributor thanks for sharing your opinions.