Slender Man cannot be guilty: Because he does not exist!

Source: Wikipedia

One of the many other things I'm interested in besides physics is mythology. Every kind. I am interested in that since I was a kid. When I became a teenager, I played RPG also because I enjoyed the great variety mythologies in so many different universes. When I say mythology, I am also including religion.

These days, there has been news about two 12 year-old girls who stabbed each other to prove worthy to Slender Man. Slender Man is a mythological character that was spread by the internet recently, but seems to have roots in German mythology. The Guardian has an article about the incident:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/04/slender-man-online-character-wisconsin-stabbings

The obvious reaction of everyone involved was exactly the one we expected: they decided that it's nobody's fault. In fact, they decided it's Slender Man's fault, but as he does not exits, that's the same thing.

We know that there are many variables involved in cases like this, but we also know that there are clearly two great responsibles for that:  the parents and the government.

I will defend my thesis.

Twelve years-old persons are definitely, undeniably capable of telling apart reality from fiction unless they have some cognitive limitation. There are two ways for them to be instructed how to do that.

The first place is, of course, school. Schools HAVE THE OBLIGATION of teaching children that ghosts, fairies, gods (yes, that should be included) and other supernatural beings are creations of human imagination and, although people have the right to believe in them if they want to, the truth is that there is overwhelming evidence contrary to their existence.

If schools are not teaching that, that's because the curriculum does not include it. After 40 years of my life being a student and half of that teaching, I know very well that it's the GOVERNMENT, not the instructors (teachers, lecturers, professors) which decide what is taught in schools. We, instructors, either have the choice of obeying or being fired AND having our careers trashed by 'disciplinary actions'. Of course, we try to smuggle a little bit of sense into the system, but we are not supported by anyone, including parents.

So, clearly, if the school did not teach those children that Slender Man DOES NOT EXIST, then it's the politicians' fault. Politicians, of course, never accept the blame for anything and redirect it wherever is easier. In this case, to a NON-EXISTING fictional character.

Now, even if the school has failed, this is no excuse for parents to try to avoid responsibility. They too have to teach their children the FACT that supernatural beings do not exist. The problem here is that many of them believe that they do! Does this exonerate them of all guilt? Of course not. On the contrary. Parents are responsible for their children independently of what they believe or not. When I was a child and was afraid of ghosts, my father would always say to me that I shouldn't because ghosts do not exist. Many years later, I found out that he believes in ghosts, but he knew rationally that they should not exist and that was what he should taught me.

Yes, those things can be avoided, but those who can and should do something are those we know will never take the blame and look for a scapegoat. Even one that is not real.