by sarah (Mon Nov 30, 2009)
Did you see over the weekend that a man in Florida killed his aunt, two
sisters and his cousin's six-year-old daughter at a Thanksgiving dinner
party? And I am horrified to say, that I didn’t feel much emotion in
response to this sickening news. I know that it’s terrifying and
horrifying; however I am becoming increasingly immune towards the
horrors of which I read everyday. Are people becoming evermore sick and
twisted, or was the world always this bloody?
A friend of mine is adamant that all of the incomprehensible family
murders… and honour killings… and unprovoked attacks… and school
shootings… are committed by the mentally ill. She is not blaming the
mentally ill: she is blaming the State. For it is we, the State, that
do not provide adequate support for the mentally ill, or for their
families. And that is why so many of them become killers.
I have taught in special needs and mainstream education and I have felt
despair at the lack of information provided for people who have, or
teach, children with additional needs. These children, possibly because
their education and home life is not adequately tuned to meet their
needs, presumably do grow up misunderstood and frustrated. They are
never given the opportunity to realise their full potential. More
concerning, they are never taught strategies to contain or control
their emotions and reactions.
According to the Miami Herald, family tensions were running high on
Thanksgiving night for the ill-fated family. Is this meant to offer an
explanation to these deaths? I cannot equate family tension with murder
(to be facetious: if I did equate feeling tension to committing murder,
my family would be long dead). We deal with tension, we deal with
stress, we find ways to make light of bad situations, confide in
friends – we have outlets to prevent ourselves committing psychotic
reactions to situations. So the questions I’m asking is: why doesn’t
everyone have these outlets and how do we make sure they do?
