Hoebel describes culture as an integrated system of learned behavior patterns which are characteristic of the members of a society and which are not a result of biological inheritance.
Monday evening Councilwoman Lovely Warren, Police Chief Sheppard, and Dr. Marvin McMickle of Colgate Rochester Divinity School met with members of the 14621 Neighborhood Association to discuss possible strategies and solutions to the excessive violent crimes in Rochester which occur primarily in their neighborhood.
If we are to agree with Hoebel, the culture of violence in Rochester is not inherent in our youth, but is a learned behavior.
Where is this violent behavior learned?
There is no question that violent behavior is experienced in the home. However, what most will not admit to is, violent behavior is experienced at home and reinforced in school.
Our current system of education belittles and bullies our children to such an extent that by the tender age of seven, too many Second grade students have already realized that school does not provide an alternative to the violence they experience at home but an opportunity to engage it, test it, refine it, and use it as a coping mechanism for solving problems.
We must stop blaming our children for trying to survive in a culture we created in which they are forced to live.
Join the Movement to Save Our Children!