Rites of Passage in America

As important as it is to look at the crucial necessity for stricter gun regulations in America, it is also necessary to look at the psychology of the people causing these tragedies. We can no longer look at these instances as random acts of violence by “insane” individuals. With over 70 school shootings in the last two years, there are some statistics that need to be observed. The majority of the assailants of these crimes are males within an age demographic of 12-30. Now, some might say that is too large of a demographic. However, if you look at the psychology of Rites of Passage it might make more sense.  (Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rite_of_passage for more information on Rites of Passage).

The lack of certain Rites of Passage in tribes/cultures/societies can have severe psychological ramifications. I think it is important and necessary to look at the individual psyches which cause such psychosis. Traditional Rites of Passage in the age range of 12-30 in American society can range from: going through puberty, losing your virginity, finding your tribe/group of others who you can identify with, getting married, having kids, to getting a job that is seen as an acceptable career in our society. (These indicators may sound trivial, but they are just the beginning of trying to understand how a person can perform such violent acts.) These Rites of Passage have a strong tie to the American Dream, but go far beyond it. But, at the core, it is essential to remember that we live in a patriarchal society, which is a strong indicator for why such psychosis causing these tragedies seems to reside mainly in males, who are, inevitably, consciously or subconsciously, told to follow a certain path in particular transitional stages in life. At a time when our society is transitioning to a new understanding (or, if you think about it, going back to the origins of this country as “all men are created equal”) of what it is to be an American, it seems inevitable that instability in what was considered “the norm,” can cause confusion in many. Confusion can turn to feelings of isolation, creating a void in an individual. (It should be noted that some of the shootings at schools in America in the past two years have been suicides where the individual desired to cause no physical harm to anyone but themselves. That does not mean that they did not wish to cause emotional harm to others). This void can create resentment and delusional hatred towards others.  It is especially so inside an educational institution where so many of these rites are "performed" or expected to occur.  Both high school and college are seen as important transitional periods for people from "childhood" to "adulthood."  This is just one of many psychological issues that should be looked at in these cases. And, I hope, it soon will be.

I also hope this highlights the importance of education in our society.  I do believe there is a direct link between the lack of said rites above and our underfunded education system in America.  It astonishes me that such a lack of funding is given to an institution that's purpose is to instill young Americans with the proper tools and knowledge to follow their dreams. This goes beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic. We need to educate individuals on other cultures, ways of thinking, and most importantly, in expressing themselves in non-violent ways such as music and other arts education. My mother is a 6^th grade teacher, and when she tells me about the statistics of kids graduating high school with less than a 6^th grade reading competency level, I am astonished and saddened.  If a child does not receive the basics of education, how to we expect them to become well-adjusted adults in our society? However, the lack of education in our country is a whole other topic that needs to be discussed in length at another point in time.