There is indeed more than meets the eye involved in the bullying issue. The authorities have a good chance to determine if some of the lifestyle inputs of the perpetrators and the bystanders had an effect on the choices between right and wrong on this matter.

We note that the boys who are alleged to have done the deed are under arrest. Possibly more worrisome are the boys who simply let this event happen without raising an alarm. It appears they did not even lift a finger to assist the victim after the beatings.

We need to find out what was in the heads of so many young men who were away from home in a school dormitory setting. What attitudes have they learned that gave them the idea they could use group physical violence to settle an issue? The event borders on rioting.

Let me pose one hypothesis. It must be the shocking entertainment available to our young people and the continuous exposure to wilful and selfish thinking. I have two young boys growing up in today's world. My army life exposed me to less violence than I see today in life.

If it isn't Astro and local channels, it's the cartoons and computer games. The news is violent. Discovery Channel is violent, showing animals attacking animals. Even biologists are violent, stalking wild animals so we can wonder who will be bitten next.

Sports are violent. From 'professional' wrestling to soccer, athletes attack one another on the sports fields and injure their fellow players. Advertisements for these programs are teasers for violence. Even Malay TV dramas show behaviour that promotes violent solutions.

It bears truth to the statement that stupid people will not watch intelligent television (what little there is) and intelligent people will watch stupid television (no matter what it is). Advertisers count on it. Hollywood is worse. We even wear tee shirts with 'Just Do It' written on them.

Is it any wonder that our children, in Malaysia, the USA or elsewhere are predisposed to use a wilful or violent process to resolve issues? They see this as 'OK' because it is repeated so often on TV, in the theatre, on computers and even in comic books. We all must be going wacko.

Holding parents responsible for the conduct of their near?adult children is a good idea. I am not certain what you can do with near?adults who misbehave so badly except incarcerate them and try to rehabilitate them. It certainly would be a difficult task.

The authorities have a chance to check into the lifestyle history of all who were involved in this incident. It would be interesting to see if there may be a connection between their actions and those of characters on TV and in movies, in video games and in comic books, etc.

I hope the authorities take time to make a good investigation of this incident and make any results public.