In response to the article “Unity, ‘radical civility’ preached at walkout” where, according to the article, “The purpose of today’s demonstration is to protest the lack of action targeted at ending violence in schools. We are here advocating for an end to all violence in schools, from school shootings to bullying, because no student should be afraid to attend school.”

Endless talk about gun control and enacting tougher laws regarding the purchase and type(s) of guns allowed or banned is useless when a society refuses to discuss the underlying cause of violence.

While no one wants students to be afraid to attend school, and many are “advocating for an end to all violence in schools,” why is it that no one is talking about recognizing what I believe to be the underlying cause of the violence in not only schools, but society at large, and it isn’t simply a lack of funding and resources for mental illness? (Why are there so many mentally ill kids?)

Our culture and attitude about human life and morality is one that is both destructive and the primary cause of violence. When our youth are bombarded daily with violent, vicious, and perverted movies, television programs, music and advertisements, all specifically targeted to shape the mind and attitude of our children, which promote and glorify vices rather than virtues and poison the mind with pictures and ideas that are destructive to the development of a sound mind capable of distinguishing the truth from falsehoods, and our politicians, celebrities (who have become idols), educators, media and government are promoters of violence against humanity-abortion and assisted suicide for example,-there can never be a lasting solution to violence. How can the culture who promotes violence eradicate it?

I wonder if walkout organizers Briley Conant and Zach Pederson would consider evaluating this opinion of an old lady who, in her youth, was never subjected to school shootings nor the violence that the current generation is subjected to and promoted by adults who should know better in any on-going discussion by students at Sumner High School.

Elaine Biggerstaff

Bonney Lake