Should Violence Define Our National Character?

On this inaugural day, I want to reflect on something that is a national debate. Recently, a conservative talk show host declared, "America was born on violence and whiskey. It's true we're a violent society...", suggesting that there's nothing you can do about gun violence in today's America. President Obama, his administration, and tens of millions of mainstream citizens will consider that an extremist view. Not only have President Obama and Vice President Biden had the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and do the right thing for the nation,



the president has also once again called on all Americans to work together in today's inaugural speech in order for "all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of the Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown" to be kept safe from harm.

Back to the topic of whether violence should define American national character, this past weekend, local language expert Richard Lederer wondered aloud how we can ever stamp out violence if our language contains such a good deal of violent populist rhetoric. As a real or inferred strand in the American DNA, either the issue or the language should make for some lively discussion in our classrooms as our students acquire English and sharpen their critical thinking skills. There's always ways to skin a cat. Oops.