letters.

The Causes of Violence

Your cover (4/16/01) immediately caught my attention as being anti-gun. Living in Vermont, I have grown up around guns. I hunt and enjoy target shooting. I have had many problems in school with bullies picking on me. In the past, I've felt that I have not fit in anywhere. Does that make me a likely candidate for a school shooter? No. I didn't feel the need to shoot anyone. I learned how to punch and started fighting back.

Your cartoon (lower right, page 27) says gun availability is the problem. If that's true, then why were there no school shootings when my dad was in high school? He was on the rifle team and had guns in the school all the time.

JARED WHEATON Waterbury, Vt.

It is outrageous to think that violence in the media has any relation to school violence. The only thing I could relate school violence to is getting made fun of. There might be ways to help these people, but that's not up to the government; it's up to the kids.

CHRIS HOFFMANN Lake Bluff Ill.

Our history books have violence. Are you going to take those away?

ADORA CHAPMAN Randolph, N.Y.

These school shootings signal a weakness among the youth, perhaps showing that kids are being placed under too much pressure.

JESSIE KUEHN Cedarburg, Wis.

Cute, But Shallow

"Are the Oscars Anti-Teen?" (3/19/01). Of course not. The Oscars like what's good. Teen flicks are marketable to the teen audience. You have a cute boy, a pretty girl, and ta-daa!--a teen-like romance. The Academy knows what they're doing. They pick movies that have meaning. Teen flicks like Bring It On, 10 Things I Hate About You and She's All That, although cute, don't have much meaning. When a meaningful teen movie comes along, the Academy won't ignore it. They, like the rest of us, are just waiting.

BRITTANY CARBON Alconbury American Air Base, England

The Academy Awards are absolutely worthless. I saw probably 50 movies last year. Would you care to know how many actually got nominations? Two! It is simply disgusting. Either the Academy should start widening the movies they look at, or they should...