What We Think
What We Think: Violence is not the answer
In the movie “Scarface,” Al Pacino’s Cuban refugee-turned mobster Tony Montana pays a violent price for his bloody life of crime. By the end of the 1983 movie, Tony lies dead, riddled with bullets.
In the more recent game “Scarface,” players can portray Tony Montana. In the game, however, if the player is deft, he can win. The consequence for the video game violence can be racking up more points, without ever facing consequences.
This is by no means an explanation for the murders, slayings and assaults that have bloodied Valdosta this year. Yet, young men have apparently adopted these violent impulses as if playing a game.
Yet, this deadly game has real-life consequences. Real people bleed. Real people die. And the prize has been arrests with the likelihood of life behind bars.
So, what has caused this spate of violence? Why, after years of relatively low numbers of murders and homicides, are numbers now nearing a dozen in six months? Why a shoot-out that leaves nearly a dozen people shot at a housing project? Why have so many picked up guns or raised their fists to kill girlfriends and wives? Why attacks that seem to fit into any person’s description of gang violence?
Today, The Valdosta Daily Times presents stories that look at some possibilities. We haven’t found definitive answers but this community needs to start a discussion to find answers.
We don’t believe the answer is anything as pat as a video game causing this level of violence.
But the community needs to address a growing attitude that violence is an easy answer to solving problems. The only numbers rising aren’t points but rather the number of people dead, the number of people in jail, the number of people scarred.
There are no winners, only losers and loved ones lost.
- What We Think
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Labor Day
Once was the time that Labor Day marked the unofficial last day of summer. Labor Day was the last day of summer before school started. Labor Day hinted at the coming football season. It meant the return of numerous community and cultural events. It signaled a renewed dedication to work as summer vacations and summer breaks came to an end.
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Home Economics
Home economics once meant sewing, cooking, child development, family finances, and food nutrition. It was once a subject taught solely to young women in high school.
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Thumbs up
THUMBS UP: To the milling and resurfacing work underway on Patterson Street. On July 15, Reames and Sons Construction Company Inc. began work on the 2.833-mile stretch of road. According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the project was let for bid on May 21 and is scheduled to be completed on Oct 30. The $1 million-plus project, although a bit of a nuissance for those traveling the road after 7 p.m. and during the overnight hours, is long overdue. It’s been 12 years since Patterson Street was resurfaced and the high-traffic road has been a rough ride for motorists for a while due to tree roots and wear and tear.
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Football traditions 2010
With the Valdosta State University Blazers returning to the field Saturday, the region’s football season is in full swing. The traditions continue.
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What we think: Preserve our past
Now that the majority of offices and personnel have relocated to the new Lowndes County Judicial Complex, the former courthouse is sitting empty and ready for its next incarnation.
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What We Think: Gubernatorial South Georgia
Both the Democrat and Republican candidates for governor are targeting South Georgia as part of their campaigns.
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Don’t blame the fee
The Lowndes County Trash Permit has only been around for two years, so how is it to blame for all of the illegal dumping that is and has been going on for decades?
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Flatlanders Fall Frolic
It just wouldn’t be Labor Day weekend in South Georgia without Lakeland’s Flatlanders Fall Frolic. And this tradition of great crafts, tasty food, and good music continues this coming weekend.
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Don’t be a drip
We take water for granted. Even during past droughts, water has been plentiful. Homeowners had to curtail lawn watering, but the region still had plenty of water for drinking, showers, and other necessities.
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Leisa Marshall for helping area families in need. In the process of improving her own health, the Valdosta State University accounting professor developed a fundraiser to help a student's father, who was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. The inaugural Honor Our Neighbor 5K Run was held on July 10. Future runs will benefit another family battling disease.
- More What We Think Headlines
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Labor Day
