I was walking across the Oval this evening when I read an interesting chalking. Plainly written on a concrete sidewalk, it said, “OSU riots = result of suburban parenting.” While I can’t agree that purely suburban parenting is the reason for the behavior seen east of High Street, I think the anonymous chalker was on to something.
It seems a growing faction of people in our age group have lost a sense of accountability for their actions. For example, the thought of commandeering an innocent bystander’s automobile, flipping it and torching it seems ludicrous to me and most other sane people.
Furthermore, ripping the door from someone’s home as fuel for fire to most people seems absurd. As of late, there is a growing element — within the age group of college students — that participates in these activities of reckless abandon with no sense of consequence.
Enter the parents. Those who exhibit this behavior demonstrate a clear lack of understanding of accountability. Why are they without accountability? It is because their parents never taught it to them. Many “baby-boomer” parents, in an effort to be what they perceive as “better” parents than their own, have become too permissive with their children.
By not properly disciplining children, or teaching them consequences, parents have showed their children that one is not responsible for his actions. It is because of this type of child rearing that this violent trend continues, and we’ve seen the genesis of school shootings, violent university riots and other damaging activities. Imagine social trends that drive high school kids to murder and a football game that drives college-age people to destroy. What’s wrong with this picture?
I truly feel bad for Coach Tressel, the team and the majority of students at this university — those who are hard working, well-tempered people. There are so many great things happening here; yet until things change, the success of many will be overshadowed by the lack of responsibility of a few.
I hope the university and the city of Columbus punish Sunday morning’s offenders to the full extent of the law, and finally send the message that their parents didn’t care to teach them: you will be held accountable for your actions.
Reed Chamberlinsenior in music education
