Who's to blame for the Parkland, FL shooting? I say TV

On Wednesday, yet another terrible school shooting happened.  17 beautiful souls were lost including four Jewish souls.  

There is really nothing to say to the families of those who lost loved ones.  To think that a place of education and morals could be turned into a bloody battlefield is horrifying.  

People on both sides of the political aisle are running to point fingers at each other.  Some want tighter gun laws and some blame mental health.  They're both probably right.  

There is something though, that no one wants to talk about.

What about the violent culture that children are brought up with on TV, movies, and video games?  The reason that Hollywood gives so much attention to violence and gunfire is because it sells.

Kids absorb all this stuff on a daily basis.  They dream about it, they play about it and they glorify the actors who kill other people on stage.  And then everyone wonders why there are so many school shootings in America!

If you care about school violence, I challenge you to make a boycott of violent media.  This should be a movement that gains traction with anyone who cares about school violence.  Every time you flip the TV to a violent episode, they track those ratings and just make more.  Every time you buy a movie or attend at a theater showing violence, you are adding fuel to the flame.

Instead, try flipping the channel to something that teaches people to cherish life, not demean it. 

Mr. Fred Rogers firmly believed that two people working out their emotions in normal family situations can be just as dramatic as gunfire.  Even as an adult, I watch his episodes on YouTube to learn more about communicating to children.

Please watch this beautiful clip of Mr. Rogers being admitted to the TV hall of fame.  He speaks about what TV should really be about.  Click here to watch.

To be continued tomorrow in services.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Abrams


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