Re: "Tendency to violence is handed down to us," July 29.
We can't just sit back and say violence is innate. We have work to do.
First, as long as we make the drug trade a lucrative career for young people, we will subject ourselves to gang-style killings. (Remember Capone?)
Second, it would be nice if we would take real steps to curtail the kind of violent shows that TV spews out. And it is high time we rigorously rejected our preconceived notions of women and accepted them as persons - this will save a lot of them from beatings, if not death.
Most important, we need to give solid support to those who run our youth-guidance programs. Money spent here is well spent and soon pays for itself.
Finally, those horrific tales the media most focus on are the products of deranged minds. This type of violence is the most difficult to anticipate, but we should not give up on developing preventive measures.
And, of course, eliminating poverty would help a lot too.
Andy Mulcahy
Victoria