The Connection Between Social Status & Violence

The Impact Leading to Violent Crimes in Colleges and Schools

Whoever said "Money doesn't buy happiness" was seriously mistaken. As seen in the recent events at Virginia Tech, to some, money is happiness. While money may not bring direct happiness, it does bring about peace of mind, improved health, better shelter and better food supply. While most middle to high income families, in the United States, are oblivious to the impact their monetary value has on their life, the poor and lower income families, in this country, are all too familiar with it.

As we can see in American history, to be poor or of a lower class in this country, you will almost certainly suffer, to some extent, from a greater risk of poor health, due to lack of the best healthcare, lack of proper diet and due to an increase in physiological stress factors. While this is not to say that the wealthier in our country do not suffer from these same issues, it is statistically supported that the poor and lower income social groups suffer in greater numbers.

While we all may have varying interpretations and opinions regarding the events which led up to the tragedy at Virginia Tech University, it is evident, to me, that the underlying psychological factor, although very distorted, was due to a complication in personal self image. The individual responsible for this massacre was raised in a poor, poverty stricken environment as an infant and toddler. Brought to the United States at a young age, he continued to live in poverty although financial conditions appear to have improved throughout the decade that followed. Yet, this individual still felt inferior to those around him and never seemed to capture the "American Dream", in my opinion.