What we've noticed in recent years is the diffusion of the culture of honor in relation to youth and teen culture. Much of this, he said, began with the spread of crack cocaine to America's inner cities in the 1980s. With mandatory sentences for drug trafficking, he said, dealers turned to boys under 16 as runners. Of course, when you're carrying drugs or money back and forth, kids felt they needed protection. And that meant guns.
Land also believes the prevalence of electronic violence has led to real-life violence.
He said kids see characters in electronic games being killed, then see them get up three seconds later and start the game over again. Land also said girls are much less likely to be involved in violent behavior and crimes for reasons ranging from patterns of socialization to anatomical and hormonal differences. Most kids in most schools aren't going to face this kind of violence, although there's plenty of school violence out there. Contact the Webmaster .