The targeted slaying of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has laid bare the ethical crisis in our nation. We are a country that seems to be going rogue, ignoring traditional rules and celebrating the breach of authority and law. Many are excusing, in jest or outright, the murder of an individual that few, if any, of us knew personally - a man who was a father and a husband but who worked in an industry plagued with deceit. To make this situation worse, the alleged murderer used a 3D printer to create his weapon, a ghost gun because it’s unserialized.
The moral ambiguity implied by the pushback to the prosecution of this assassin is palpable. Should we be permitted to take the law into our own hands to right perceived injustices?
This murder does not stand in isolation. Other popular news stories include the Menendez brothers’ murder of their parents in 1989. Media attention has prompted a recent demand for the release of the imprisoned brothers, suggesting that the killings were justified due to the emotional, physical, and sexual abuse the boys faced during childhood at the hands of their parents.
Many teenagers are attempting to process these stories through the lens of comedy, because they are watching this news play out on TikTok and in sketches, such as those on “Saturday Night Live.” Too many of these teens lack moral guidance, a dangerous combination.
High school has long been a location where sharp one-liners get a laugh and attention. No doubt, the moral ambiguity woven into these stories becomes even more prominent as teens recreate and share the jokes that they have heard about these stories and others.
Amid these headlines, Reynolds experienced a school shooting last week.
When our high schoolers come home, most of them retreat to their bedrooms where they stream, watch football, and game, each of which reinforces, to some degree, violence and unhealthy rhetoric as opposed to morality and well-reasoned debate.
Parents also seem to lack authority these days. Many parents feel as though they have no ability to punish or to control their children and no way to enforce their own house rules. At the holidays in the coming weeks, I encourage you to reconnect with your children. We as parents must get these children out of their bedrooms and into common spaces.
Authority is under attack, but structure and order, not anarchy, preserve safety, stability, and goodness. By reconnecting with your children and by engaging in deep discussions about these headlines, you may be able to realign your children’s moral compasses and eliminate the ambiguity.