## 22 A story of Violence

Violence made the news. There was a case of child violence where a schoolboy stabbed a supervisor at his school during a police bag check. Everyone is talking about it: politicians, police officers, editorialists, psychologists. They're proposing radical solutions, such as banning knife purchases online, banning social networks for those under 15, and installing metal detector gates. They can't imagine that a child could use a kitchen knife, a compass, a metal ruler, or even a piece of glass or wood as a weapon. But what about the origin of this violence? Did we behave this way when we were children?

I'm the kind of person who thinks violence is part of being human, especially for men. When I think back on my childhood, I also remember violence among young children and fights in the playground. 95% of the violence was between boys and 5% was between girls. I was a victim of violence two or three times, and I remember perfectly who and why. Territorial disputes and differences are so typical of humankind. Adults still do the same. But there were no weapons. However, I clearly remember the fascination some of my friends had for large hunting knives, like the ones in Rambo movies. They weren't planning to use them, just to become like their hero. We also had video games, but they weren't so realistic. Of course, our parents didn't let us watch violent movies. But there was always someone who said he had seen the latest violent movie with one of his brothers... (The same went for blue movies.)

I don't know how many enemies I've killed in games like gallery shooters, first-person shooters, third-person shooters, beat 'em ups, and shoot 'em ups. They're all violent games, but they've never made me fascinated by violence or weapons, nor have they made me violent. The only exception is when I get angry at my joystick because I can't beat a boss on the last level, ha ha. It's too simple to blame video games. But I clearly remember young boys buying GTA V on the first day of its release, sometimes with their parents, despite the age limit label on the box. Those are probably the same parents who give smartphones to nine-year-olds when a dumb phone would suffice. Why does a child need to call his parents? I lived without one for years. The social pressure to have a smartphone is only for idiots. I also felt pressure to wear brands or to have seen the latest movie or series. It's too simple to give in to every social pressure. Social networks emphasize everything, but they are not the root cause of anythi
ng.

I always say that I could have died or committed suicide if I had had social networks in my childhood. Rumors and maliciousness could have killed me. Social networks only amplify rumors and maliciousness. I haven't heard everything that other children said about me. I only remember a teacher calling my parents and me to find out what was going on because she had heard something. She was so kind. I could have become violent like a friend of mine who fought back against the children who mocked him for being different. No weapons, just despair. As for the children who stabbed the supervisor, it seems to be a different situation. I won't comment on it because the inquiry is ongoing. However, there are more and more stories like that, with a fascination for racism, death, and weapons. Although statistics show fewer cases, they are more violent, like the one in France. What happened?

ld To me, it has to do with us adults. It's easier to talk about racism, weapons, and death. Despair about our work, our planet, and our future has become commonplace. Becoming famous without doing anything or becoming influential with a brand is also a dream. For some people, becoming famous by killing someone could be a goal, like a rite of passage to adulthood. The SARS-CoV-2 period revealed many issues with children's mental health. However, we are always looking for solutions and answers, without questioning the root cause of these problems. I was an only child, often alone with my grandparents. I was curious about everything and always had something to read. I was a fan of science fiction, heroic fantasy, and folktales. Those worlds were an escape for me, but I wasn't sad to be alone. I was always inventing games and adventures with whatever I had. Sometimes, less is more when it comes to stimulating our imagination. However, it's hard to see your friends playing more realistic games, which are also ex
pensive.

Perhaps I could have read some bad things, but I always had my parents and grandparents to tell me stories about their childhoods, the two wars, Nazism, and deportations and prison during wartime, as well as riots and protests. Maybe this appetite for knowledge and history is what's missing for more and more people. There are no more landmarks or references when more and more parents think that knowledge is on a screen. The same is true for adults. They have forgotten the past, the horrors of war, the far right, and dictatorships (even those from the far left). Remember, humans are weak and fallible, and they can explode at any moment like grenades.

Another reality is that we don't have enough people to treat mental illness, especially in children. This is important because this is when everything is formed. There were more nurses and doctors in French schools during my youth than during my young adult years, and now it's worse. There are more children, more temptations, and more questions and despair, but fewer people to answer and cure them. There is not one reason for violence, this dark side of humans.

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