CHILDREN AND VIOLENCE

Author blames U.S. leadership

In a recent speech at the University of Notre Dame, President Bush said, "To paraphrase that fantastic philosopher Barbara Bush, `What you teach at your home is more important than what happens at the White House,' and she is absolutely correct."

But educator Jonathan Kozol vehemently disagrees.

"Some parents don't do what they should, but no matter what your parents do, they can't change the fact that you're living in a nation that glorifies violence," he says. "I'd blame George Bush before I'd blame your mother or father."

Kozol was in Indianapolis recently to talk about his new book, Savage Inequalities, and the violence he saw both in his teaching career and when doing research for his book.

Kozol's book focuses on inequality in schools, but he couldn't help commenting on violence in America's cities, what he believes causes it and how kids react to it.

One student in East St. Louis, Ill., told Kozol that the newspapers and TV stations always draw attention to the violence that kids her age commit. However, she said, "they don't show the violence of the society in putting us here to start with." This young girl went on to say the president is violent because he tolerates children's suffering when he has it in his power to change things. And he chooses not to.

"I've heard other young people speak of when the president of the U.S. chooses to use money to go to war in the Persian Gulf, instead of using the same money to provide health care for poor children in America. And then those children die. He is their murderer," Kozol said.

"Far more violence is done by people with white collars and neckties in offices, people with college degrees, than is done by poor kids on the street," said Kozol. "I'd like to see the day when our government leaders would teach us peaceful lessons.

"I mean I don't approve of either kind of violence, but . . . when there's an argument over drugs or something, and one kid shoots another, that's a tragedy, but that's just the death of one person. The president of the U.S. denies health care to millions in this country _ that means the death of thousands of people. It's a greater crime. That's not the kind of crime we punish in this country."

Kozol doesn't feel the government is spending money on lessons for peace. Government money goes instead to law enforcement.

In Indianapolis, for example, this year some of the public schools' funding went for random metal detection to protect students and teachers by ferreting out weapons in schools. And in New York public schools, Kozol said, some funds went to buy 2,300 handcuffs.

"I think it makes (students) feel like they're in prison," Kozol said. "In fact, it is a prison when they do that, and I'm against it. I don't think you should do that unless you're facing the most desperate conditions.

"If you're informed that some gang is going to come in, is trying to sneak a machine gun into school, yes, I'd search everybody. I'm against it in the long run, (but) in the short run you may have no choice."

When kids see this violence in their schools, in the news and on television, they have different ways of dealing with it. Kozol commented on some of the ways he observed.

"Some of them deal with it by reciprocating violence, by becoming violent themselves, others by becoming withdrawn and very quiet and passive, just avoiding trouble, avoiding confrontation of any kind.

"And others react by looking into the roots of violence and finding out why kids are violent and often developing a political (ideal) in order to deal with violence."

Kozol said he wishes more people would analyze the causes of violence rather than just react to violent acts.

"For example, (I wish they would analyze) the violence that's on television every night," he said.

Kozol believes that "the U.S. is the most violent country in the world . . . to the degree to which we generate almost a lust for violence."

"If this nation is worried about teen violence, why is it all the movies geared to teen-agers are so violent?" Kozol feels this is especially true in movies that feature black stars and black kids.

"It's almost as though people who make movies are trying to teach black kids how to kill themselves," said Kozol.

He finds it shocking how much kids understand violence and how they accept it as part of their lives. Eight-year-old Smokey, one boy from East St. Louis whom Kozol interviewed for his book, witnessed his sister being raped and murdered.

"I felt shaken that little kids would be exposed to that kind of violence, such extreme violence, firsthand," Kozol said. "At first I was just shocked, jolted.

"Afterwards I realized how common it is to see things like that nowadays in cities.