More on Mommy

I got a few comments on the posting I made on Mommy a few days back. "Disturbing" was one and below you'll find some informative comments by Tony Velada in Chicago.

Lee,

I read your blog today, entitled "Mommy" - regarding a t-shirt you observed a teenage girl wearing. I agree that in light of events involving school violence, its likely to send the wrong message. At least initially. Curious about finding a deeper meaning, I decided to search online, those exact words found on the t-shirt. What I found was interesting. Apparently, "Mommy Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight" is a song by the punk band the Misfits.

Below, I've included links to the lyrics, an audio clip, and a t-shirt for sale on ebay.

Back to my thoughts... Do these words - whether found in song lyrics, on t-shirts, or spoken among the various cliques of our youth today - have a deeper meaning? Do they reflect a general disdain for society? Is it a cry for help? Is it simply something shocking to say to get a rise out of people? Perhaps all the above. The problem is, discerning between the wannabe punk who *thinks* he/she has problems or the truly disturbed individual that needs intervention. The next question can be, who is responsible for helping that person?

What is our role as martial arts instructors, mentors, role models... What are the ethical boundaries for intervention, should we find ourselves or one of our own in such a situation?

I certainly have my opinions about this topic and am not claiming to know the right answer(s). Just found it interesting to dig a little to try and understand the greater context. Unfortunately, I think it takes a tragedy to make society stop and really consider what is really going on.

References:

http://www.lyricsdomain.com/13/misfits/mommy_can_i_go_out_and_kill_tonightq.html

http://www.last.fm/music/Misfits/_/Mommy+Can+I+Go+Out+and+Kill+Tonight

http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-MISFITS-cd-cv-PUSHEAD-MOMMY-KILL-TONIGHT-Shirt-XL_W0QQitemZ270125041562QQcmdZViewItem

Tony Velada MBA