@JDL Hi. I'm with you there. We get heavy influence of our environment. What we do in our freetime and what things are allowed in public or which things are forbidden. It depends on where you were born. Since the entire world is man made, we are controlled or steered by the people who created and are creating our environment. And when things that were taboo or forbidden many years ago become normal or accepted, we accept them because we accept the world around us as the truth and real reality.
But to go back to your quote. To say that we are just products of, to me means, that this person takes the blame off of him and says: I can do whatever I want because I come from an abusive home. No matter what I do, it's not my fault, because... No, it's not the kid's fault to take a gun and shoot people. He had a tough childhood and so on. So please, don't judge him for what he did. He was just a product of his environment. But since we have a free will and can make free choices, we can decide to do something or to not do it. Media preaches certain things and morals and some or many people follow what they see and react to it. But I admit that it is easy to fall into the trap of saying: Oh, yeah, he may have made a mistake, but he isn't (entirely) to blame. Look at the circumstances. It's easy. But as you correctly state, not everybody who has a trobleful childhood ends up a criminal. You make your own decisions and have your own responsibility.
@JDL Hi. I'm with you there. We get heavy influence of our environment. What we do in our freetime and what things are allowed in public or which things are forbidden. It depends on where you were born. Since the entire world is man made, we are controlled or steered by the people who created and are creating our environment. And when things that were taboo or forbidden many years ago become normal or accepted, we accept them because we accept the world around us as the truth and real reality.
But to go back to your quote. To say that we are just products of, to me means, that this person takes the blame off of him and says: I can do whatever I want because I come from an abusive home. No matter what I do, it's not my fault, because... No, it's not the kid's fault to take a gun and shoot people. He had a tough childhood and so on. So please, don't judge him for what he did. He was just a product of his environment. But since we have a free will and can make free choices, we can decide to do something or to not do it. Media preaches certain things and morals and some or many people follow what they see and react to it. But I admit that it is easy to fall into the trap of saying: Oh, yeah, he may have made a mistake, but he isn't (entirely) to blame. Look at the circumstances. It's easy. But as you correctly state, not everybody who has a trobleful childhood ends up a criminal. You make your own decisions and have your own responsibility.