Make a grid on the floor by crisscrossing a piece of rope or tape. Place the words violent and nonviolent at opposite ends of one axis; place the words positive for society and negative for society at opposite ends of the other axis.
Place yourself on the grid according to how violent or nonviolent and how positive or negative for society you think each of the following activities are. Discuss differences on where you and your classmates stand on each activity. Add activities.
- Driving a car
- Playing football or hockey
- Cheating on a test
- Dominating a
- conversation
- Bombing a country
- Stereotyping people
- Writing graffiti
- Aborting a fetus
- Recycling
- Hitting a child
- Watching TV
- Using the death penalty
- Genetically altering seeds
- Advertising in schools
- Buying sweatshop-
- made clothes
- Suicide missions
On April 26, 2000 Tony Basta, 17, was bicycling south in the bike lane of a boulevard near his home. At about 10:30 P.M. Dale Stewart, 20, shot him in the back with a 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun. Jonathan McNeil, 19, drove the car; Daniel Angus, 19, allegedly provided the weapon. The three had been looking for someone to kill. Tony died on the spot.
Tony attended an arts high school. His friends honored him using creativity like his own in creating a graffiti banner at the spot where he died. They brought gifts symbolizing Tony and expressing their grief. They spray-painted three questions on the bike path to protest his violent and senseless death: Who? What? Why?
Stewart was convicted of pre-meditated first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on October 31, 2000.
