Yesterday a hospital worker killed his wife, his five kids and himself , allegedly because he and his wife had both been fired from their jobs. That’s not the all of it, trust me. When the going gets tough, some run and hide — and some get out the pistol. The weak ones, I mean. Being jobless and destitute is ghastly, of course, but it’s also an opportunity to man up and become stronger. Tom Joad didn’t shoot himself. What about the underlying spirit of that “what’s it to ya?” diner scene in John Ford‘s film version? Kill yourself if you can’t take it, but you don’t kill your kids.
