Could this be why we get these terrified boys coming here to attack women and feminism and anything that threatens their preciarious place in the pecking order?

Ouch, Matsu; that's my nerve.

I agree that many of these things are rooted in early childhood development. But what of the "Danny" at the bottom who asks, after being run over by "Charlie" (I think that was his name),

"What's the fun in that?" but still, to a great extent, at least fifty years ago, had to say "I like runnin' over people; it's just I aint as good at it?" Perhaps that's one of the reasons I so welcomed the second wave; it told me it was OK not to want to hurt people.

Still, I got a load of the other, and not my choice. The draft forced me into the army in 1966; i was made an an interrogator through language training, and I found myself struggling, in the middle of fear and horror, to keep my humanity. Mostly, I did, but the ways I didn't still burn after thirty seven years, as I suppose they will. It was such a temptation to lord it over the helpless. I'm proud I managed to resist despite the constant pressures.

I guess my point is (did I have one?) that I still don't see the fun in running over people, even poor Charlie, if he's alive and possibly struggling; it's short-lived (very) glory at best. On a larger scale, I hope we can lose this, though I'm not sure it'll be in time. I've got the superficial cred (combat veteran, bronze star, etc.) to say "violence sucks" and I do wherever, however I can. I don't know a simple or easy way to deal with this; I speak to kids "...ardent for some desperate glory..." about "...the old lie..."

But I'm still haunted by the playground.

John