Gina Stagliano

Some People’s Children

Imagine a world without hate, anger, violence, and, most importantly, war. The world would be a much better place. No one would have to worry about all the horrific things that happen day- to- day. People would not have to live in fear of “what awful events will happen today.” The role of young people in wars today has changed dramatically over the past years; however, the thing that has remained the same throughout the decades is the way people involved in wars treat “other people’s kids” (the enemy) and the horrific things they do to “other people’s kids” (the enemy). Although the world would be a better place without all the violence, it’s hard to imagine that things will ever change.

What comes to your mind when you think of other people’s kids? How would you treat them? You’d most likely treat them like your own, right? According to Mary Walworth’s article “No Child Left Behind … Unscarred?” some people choose to do different things to other people’s kids. It seems that people will do horrific things to other people’s kids … things they would not even think about doing to their own kids. Would you “send their mothers (stained with blood and stuck all over with little pieces of broken glass) running away from flames?” Hopefully not to your own kids, but it seems that people think it’s okay to do that to other people’s kids. “You don’t kill their daddies and you don’t steal their countries and their assets.” According to Walworth there are things you just don’t do to anyone, your kids or not:

You certainly don’t nudge these guys into seeking self-worth by fighting in a war that will leave them permanently shattered and terrorized and scarred-- fragile and brittle from the horror-- never fully able to stop hearing the screams of scared children and the moans of a dying soldier-- friends, stinging with grief

and guilt and trauma from the rest of their days. These are things you don’t do to other people’s kids.

It shouldn’t matter whether they live across the street from you, or across the town from you, across the country; or across the globe. You just don’t do this to other people’s kids.

A seventh grade science teacher of mine would use a line “Some people’s children” when someone did something that bothered her. When reading about what people will do to other people’s children the first thing that comes to my mind is Mrs. Bush standing in our classroom saying “Some people’s children” with a disgusted look on her face!

The role of young people in the war today has changed over recent years. This country has never had trouble finding young men and women who are willing to serve in the armed forces as long as the Pentagon and the White House have been clear and honest with the tasks they are likely to pursue and they know they have been deployed to a place that makes sense and progress can be seen. Years ago it would have been difficult to find both young men and women who were willing to go risk their lives for the good of their country. Now, the number of women that go to war has dramatically increased over the years because women are now more welcome in the armed forces. Many would say that our country is much better off now that the role of young men and women has become much more serious in recent years, and is much more open to the people of younger generations.

Many people, although hoping for peace, have said that there cannot be peace at any price and that sometimes it is right and just to go to war. It seems that no matter what is done to make peace, it only ends up making more of a commotion and making it that much harder. There will never be peace in the world if people keep blowing up children’s fathers, burning their mothers, cutting off their siblings’ limbs, turning off their electricity, leaving unexploded bombs for them to play with, or leaving radioactive containers around for them to drink out of. You just don’t do these things; it doesn’t matter whose kids they are … you don’t do it. There will never be peace in the world if people keep living like that.