Kecoughtan High School

Hampton, Virgina

Teacher: Emma Flood

 

                                                                                                               

 

The Gray Area Effect

By Stephen Gaborik

 

Since our society began, “we have been experiencing economic growth and an improvement in the quality of life until finally reaching a point where the economic growth has begun to deteriorate our society.” This quality has been proven through the actions of the young people in such places as Littleton, Colorado; Pearl, Mississippi; and Paducah, Kentucky. Especially in Littleton, the deterioration has corrupted the minds of young adults who decided that violence was the only course of action.

 

Many viewers and analyzers have tried to place blame on society or on the parent s of the child assassins. Society is blamed for pushing violence and misbehavior as acceptable and for sending the wrong message to the young people. Yet, still others maintain their belief that the parents are the ones who are to blame. The parents are blamed for losing touch with their children and not teaching morals or values in the household. The question must then be asked, who is at fault, society [at large] or [only] parents?

 

If society is at fault, then what can be done to correct it? First of all, the deterioration must be stopped. The violence and aggression that are being taught to the young people of our nation must be limited and removed. Right and wrongs need to be as plain as black and white. The gray area and the confusion I between must be abolished. This has become one of the true problems of society and is causing a great misunderstanding. Once the children understand acting violent is wrong and [violent action] will be punished, they will stop.

 

In society today, punishment also has a growing gray area. Children are seeing the wrongs being done without any punishment or consequence. As a result, children are seeing the wrongs being committed without any results, so what is to keep them from doing the same. A distinct line must be drawn between right and wrong, good and bad. Without this line, the deterioration will continue because the gray area will grow and crime will grow worse without the punishment needed to keep it from continuing. Society is the one to correct this mistake and con do so through the use of technology almost everyday. The young people must be made aware that what is wrong will be punished and what is right does have rewards.

 

However, what about the parents? Besides society, parents also have a crucial role in their children’s lives and are almost wholly responsible for teaching…at the youngest age. If the [foundation] is not [laid] in the home, then the addition or development of what should be there is impossible. Does this mean…the parents of today are worse than the parents of yesterday? Possibly. Today children are not getting the same atmosphere that was present for their parents. “Today it’s common for unmarried couples to move in together,…even conceive a child—without bothering with the legalities.” This means children are being raised in a home with a mother and a father, but without the marriage or commitment that is present in a marital situation. In addition, the lack of “legalities” makes it easier for one parent to walk out, not only on the relationship, but also on the child. It could be concluded that the lack of commitment to a marriage correlates with the deterioration of American society.

 

The parents are the ones that need to give the children a basis of right and wrong and enforce it. Just because the gray area is not   taught, the child will learn about it if it is not eliminated through punishment. Once the basis is there, parents must stay involved in the child’s life. By not caring, the gray area is going to be developed. With love, caring and proper punishment, the child will be able to understand how he or she can work together with society for the betterment of both. Littleton and other places that have seen the tragedy of “gray-area youngsters” are simply examples of what could happen to the entire society…unless the gray area is removed. Therefore the gray area is causing the deterioration of society. Since the gray area is caused by the lack of definition between right and wrong and the lack of morals and values, then to prevent deterioration our society must begin to stress the importance of morals, values, and justice to better our society.

 

To start, communities must organize and form the initial movement to improve society. Once communities have decided to do this, the real work and the final results will begin to form. After the organization, communities must work together to support and help parents and children. This can be accomplished by simply staying involved in the community through a neighborhood watch program or a community cleanup. If parents have support then they can give their children the support they need, as well. This allows the children to grow up with the positive morals and values and without a gray area. Once this happens on a small scale, communities can work together on a larger scale. If everyone stays involved, the amount of work will be minimal, but the results can be fantastic. As the communities grow, so will the support and eventually, the nation would be unified and the gray area will have been eradicated. The society would be closer to perfection, everyone would have support, and children would have the ability to learn right from wrong and good from bad.

 

However, if communities refuse to organize and do not try to better themselves, the gray area will continue to grow and eliminate the right and the wrong. This will lead to anarchy because some people will be punished for one act and another will be let free for doing the exact same. This gray area will continue to deteriorate society to the point of animals until the society is able to correct their mistakes. Unless society as a whole realizes what is happening at this very moment, society will continue to deteriorate, our children will be confused and indirect, and parents will lose control without anyone to take it back. Our society will become nothing more than a pack of wolves with a leader trying to keep the pack alive. Unless society as a whole wants to stop the deterioration and work for the improvement of our future, there will be nothing left but a pack of humans without morals or values, being governed and ruled by the gray area.