Reader Response #3: Killer Culture

    
James Cone

Instructor Stacy Knapp

English 1A

May 09, 2013



     After reading "Killer Culture" by David Kupelian I was confronted with the question of, how healthy are the influences on the youth of America? He emphasizes how children of adolescent age are easily influenced. Kupelian writes, "so todays adolescents have co-opted inner-city black street style as the authentic way to be. To act black is to be strong, confrontational, and a little scary"(649). Kupelian goes on to say, "[t]his is a result of hip hop--a million dollar industry has captivated an entire generation with drama of the ghetto and its daily struggle for survival." I agree with what Kuplelian is saying. That the major influences on the youth of today are negative and growing more towards a place of darkness. This is what he calls a 'killer culture'. Kupelians' best idea to combat this issue is to home school your children and protect them from todays subculture. I don't agree. This issue can only be counteracted with positive influence, and positive direction from the authority figures in a childs life, not to be sheltered from the world around them.

    

     Kupelian writes about the five major corporations that dominate the mass influence of society: Newscorp, Disney, Viacom, Universal Vivendi, and AOL/Time Warner (650). These companies spend large amounts of money researching and studying the kids in society today, and how they can best market their product to them. It seems that the only thing that matters to these corporations is how they are going to make money, and not what is in the best interest of our society.

    Kupelians' solution for our 'killer culture' is to shelter your children from the horrendous world which awaits out your front door. I cannot subscribe to this at all. How do we learn without making decisions for our self? That doesn't mean I think a parent should give a child the right to make every decision for him or herself. When I take my dog to the dogpark I don't keep her on a leash, but I also don't take her off the leash and go run errands. I simply let my dog off the leash and allow her to enjoy being a dog. I watch and make sure that she is safe and not getting into trouble and if she does I take the necessary action to prevent it going on any further.

     There are things that Kupelian believes that I find to be true. It is evident to me that there is an underworld of negative influences on our radios, magazines, internet, etc. But for the most part I believe that the major influences in a childs life are the people within his or her environment. Its the responsibility of the parent, sibling, teacher etc. to be a role model, and to discuss the dangers within our society today with a child. If we were to try and protect the youth from the world they live in we would be depriving them of the very nature of childhood. Healthy guidance and direction is a way to combat this issue without having to live in fear of the world we live in.