Our nation is struggling to recover from a week of violence. Bombs were sent to two former Democratic presidents’ homes, followed by a massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue. National news is alive with questions: How did this happen and why? Who is to blame? I may have found one possible answer while shopping at a South Bay mall.
Passing a video store which obviously catered to young people and children I saw ads in the windows for the most violent video games. One was titled. “Call of Duty” depicting a rough looking soldier on a battlefield, carrying a machine gun. Another ad had a Western theme and was titled “Red Dead Redemption”. A third poster featured an ad for “Divinity Signature Weapon”. All this on the windows of a neighborhood video store. These types of images, combined with almost daily messages of hate and fear coming from our nation’s president, are planting dangerous seeds in the minds of our vulnerable youth. Maybe we need to start looking closer to home for the winds that fan the flames of hate.
Vivian Marlene Dunbar resides in San Ysidro.
