Pearl, Miss., West Paducah, Ky., Jonesboro, Ark., Springfield, Ore.,
I-Fayetteville, Tenn., Edinboro, Pa., kanye nesonto eledlule-Littleton, Colo. Ukudutshulwa kwezikole okuyisikhombisa
esikhathini esingaphansi kweminyaka emibili.
Futhi ngemuva kwe-avalanche yezithombe ezibuhlungu kanye nochwepheshe ongapheli we-CNN
eziphawulayo, yini esiyifundile ngembewu yalolu dlame olunyantisayo?
Ochwepheshe bethu bezempilo abanikezi izimpendulo ezilula, kuphela iqoqo lezimpendulo
izinkinga: ukufinyelela okulula kwezibhamu, imidiya ye-pop enodlame, ukuba ngumzali okuvumelayo, ongekho emsebenzini
ukukhulisa izingane, ukungazi ngezimpawu eziyisixwayiso, ukungakwazi ukukhuluma ngemizwa, ukungabi namuntu omdala
ukugadwa.
Kodwa kukhona okushodayo lapha. Iqiniso elimangalisayo lazo zonke
ukudubulana kwakamuva kweningi ezikoleni ukuthi kwenziwa ngabafana-ukucacisa,
abafana abamhlophe.
Izakhi zofuzo kanye nesayensi yezinto eziphilayo azibenzi abafana benze izinto ezimbi
izenzo zodlame. Ngakho-ke yini ngesiko lethu laseMelika elicindezela futhi licindezele abafana
sibheke ephuzwini lapho ukubulawa kwabantu abaningi kwamukeleka khona?
Kuneqiniso eliningi kusisho sakudala, "ubudlova bufana neMelika
njengophayi wama-apula." Kusukela ekuqothulweni kwesizwe entshonalanga kuya ekuqhumeni kwamabhomu eNato
I-Yugoslavia, i-USA izwakalise ukugqama kobudlova obunobudlova. Ukuncintisana kwethu
izinhlaka zenhlalo-mnotho nazo zikhuthaza ukuziphatha okunolaka, ukuncintisana kuyo yonke imikhakha
yokuxhumana nabantu. Futhi kulolu hlelo lwamanani olunolaka, abafana namadoda,
uma kuqhathaniswa nabesifazane namantombazane, sekuyisikhathi eside beklonyeliswa ngokuba "engeziwe"
enolaka.
Nokho, emashumini amathathu eminyaka edlule, namahora okusebenza ethola
isikhathi eside futhi ubudlelwano bomndeni kanye nomphakathi buqhubeka nokuwohloka, ulaka lwabafana abamhlophe
kubonakala sengathi ithatha inguquko entsha ebulalayo. Igunya labantu abadala nelabazali elingekho, intsha eningi
abantu baphendukela kontanga, umculo, amamuvi, i-tv nemidlalo yevidiyo ukuze bathole amanani, usekelo, kanye neqhaza
amamodeli. Futhi labo abazizwa belahliwe ikakhulukazi futhi behlukumezekile babonakala bengenwa kalula
ubudlova.
Enye intsha enolaka nenezinkinga ifunda ukuthi ubudlova busebenza kanjani
ukuhlukunyezwa ngokomzimba nangokomzwelo ekhaya. Abanye bafunda odlameni lwabezindaba (okuhloswe ngalo ikakhulukazi
kubafana) ekhombisa isu elilula neliyimpumelelo lokuthola amandla. Intambo evamile
ukuthi izingane ezibulalayo zizizwa zihlukunyeziwe futhi ziphathwa kabi.
Kodwa nabafana, kukhona nendaba "yokuba yindoda."
Ukuphathwa kabi kwabafana abaningi kuwubudoda kancane. Futhi kwabaningi, ukubonakaliswa kokwesaba,
ubuhlungu, isizungu, noma ukuba sengozini kwanoma yiluphi uhlobo kuyisenzo sokululaza. Ngamafuphi, abanye
eminyakeni engamashumi amathathu ngemva kokuvela kwenhlangano yabesifazane besimanje, abafana abaningi basenayo a
isikhathi esinzima ukuveza noma yimiphi imizwa ngaphandle kwentukuthelo. Futhi ngeshwa, lokhu kusho ukuthi
ukuhlengwa kwe-ego yesilisa kuza ngobudlova nobudlova.
Inkinga endala ngokuqinisekile. Kodwa kulokhu kudutshulwa kwezikole kwakamuva
kukhona okusha. Abafana abangenazihibe ababulala abantu abaningi ngokungemthetho babonakala benjalo
lingana iphrofayili efanayo. Ngolimi lwendabuko lwenkulumo kadoti yasesikoleni, lezi zinsizwa
"abalahlekile" kanye "nama-geek." Abaqinile noma abadumile noma abasubathi. Bona
abafana abangakwazi kahle ukuba abafana.
Ukucwaswa, ukuqokwa, nokuhlekwa usulu (ikakhulukazi abanye abafana), bona
bavame ukuba nesizungu. Abanye baxhumana nezinye izingane "zangaphandle" ezilahlekile. Kukhona ngokuvamile
intshisekelo enkulu yokufa namamuvi anetimu emnyama nomculo. Kukhulunywa ngokubulala futhi
ukuzibulala. Kwesinye isikhathi kuba nokucwasa ngokwebala kanye nokungahloniphi abesifazane kanye ne-overtones ye-fascism. Sekukonke, an
ubuwena obuveza intukuthelo, ubuhlungu, kanye nesifiso sokuziphindiselela.
Ngokusobala laba bafana, izingane ezinjengo-Eric Harris noDylan Klebold, zinjalo
izimpahla ezilimele. Ubuntu babo budidekile futhi budidekile ngezindlela ezibenza baphumelele
akunakwenzeka ukuba badlule ezicini ezijwayelekile zokuhlalisana ngobulili babo. Noma kunjalo,
abawona ama-aberration. Ingemuva elithusayo lokudutshulwa kwesikole sase-Littleton yileso sethu
isiko kubonakala likhiqiza abafana abaphazamisekile, abanolaka.
Yize izibalo zingakhomba kuphela ukujula kwenkinga, yakamuva
izinhlolovo ezenziwa uMnyango Wezempilo Nezinsizakalo Zabantu wase-US kufanele zisabise. Ngokusho
ezilinganisweni zikahulumeni, ingane eyodwa kwezi-1 kanye nentsha inokuziphatha okungathi sína futhi
izinkinga ezingokomzwelo futhi cishe izingxenye ezimbili kwezintathu zalezi zingane azitholi noma yiluphi uhlobo losizo.
Akuzona zonke lezi zingane ezibulala abantu abaningi. Kodwa
izibalo zodlame lwentsha zikhombisa izinga eliphazamisayo lolaka lwansuku zonke. I
I-Children's Defense Fund ibika ukuthi izingane zaseMelika ezingu-11 ezingaphansi kweminyaka engu-20 ziyabulawa
usuku ngalunye. Futhi nsuku zonke, ezweni lonke, ezinye izingane ezingu-18 ziboshelwa ubugebengu obunobudlova.
Ngemva kokudubula eLittleton, izibalo ezinjalo zinjalo
esetshenziswa ezingxoxweni ukusunduza uhlelo lwezobulungiswa bobugebengu ukuze luqine ebugebengwini bentsha.
Izikhulu zezikole ezweni lonke zikhuluma ngezindlela ezintsha zokuphepha: insimbi
imitshina, amakhamera agadayo, izikhulu zezokuphepha ezisekhampasini, kanye nabezengqondo zabafundi
amaphrofayili. Futhi futhi, impikiswano mayelana nokulawulwa kwezibhamu kanye neziqhumane zokufinyelela kalula.
Kodwa izimpande zodlame lwentsha azinakwa kakhulu. Ukuqala
nge, inkinga akuyona "izingane" noma "izingane." Lokho okufanele sibe yikho
ukukhuluma ngakho iqiniso lokuthi cishe bonke ubugebengu obunobudlova emphakathini wethu benziwa
abesilisa. Ingabe lokhu kusitshela okuthile mayelana nokuba abazali bethu, izikole, imiphakathi, izindawo zokusebenza
kanye nabezindaba? Uma sibeka noma yisiphi isitokwe embonweni wokuthi kuthatha idolobhana lonke ukukhulisa
ingane, khona-ke singase siqale ukuqaphela ukuthi kukhona okungalungile ngakho
indlela amasiko ethu akhulisa ngayo abafana.
Nokho, ngisho namanje lapho izithombe ukuklabalasa izingane futhi ethukile
abazali basha emehlweni ethu, bambalwa ababonakala benentshisekelo yokugxila "ekujwayelekile"
ngodlame lwabesilisa. Ngakho imigqa phakathi kwezisulu nabahlukumezi iyaqhubeka nokufiphala. Nawe
angabhejwa, okubi kakhulu kuseza.