Are you ready to be shocked, irritated, and possibly confused? Yes? Good. No? Too bad.
Morality is taught and therefore subjective.
That's it. Morality is subjective. As far as I can tell, there is no higher code inborn into humanity. This is how you can have some cultures with ritual human sacrifice and others that value all life. Everyone is born a man of clay, completely neutral. A newborn cares not a whit one way or the other on race relations, religion, abortion, politics, whatever. A baby is born totally neutral. It may have predispositions towards 'good' or 'evil' thanks to genetically dictated hormonal and neurological chemical balances (i.e. it may have a shorter/longer temper, be prone to be happy/sad, etc.) but still, the brunt of whether this small babe becomes the next Hitler or Gandhi depends on its environment and upbringing.
Take a child who was born and raised on the streets. He's a tough kid, geared for survival in the violence and drug riddled slums. He does something illegal, and is put into the care of 'social workers' who try to appeal to his 'better nature.' Reality check: He doesn't have a 'better nature' unless his parents or friends tried to instill him with some. The average street kid has no moral qualms with what they do, as they're only trying to survive or escape. Survival and escape are the ultimate good, and anything needed to achieve them must be good. A street kid has been constantly taught that you can only trust people as long as you can see them, and some people can't even be trusted that far. If you try to appeal to the belief he doesn't have that people are generally good, your entreaties will be doomed to failure.
Do not think for a moment that I have lost faith in humanity, far from it. All people can be taught to one extent or another. You cannot appeal to a nonexistent better nature, but you can instill and cultivate one. But how is this done?
I have no idea.
No, I admit that I don't know how to make a 'bad' person 'good.' I assume that if you set an example and show him that it is profitable to be 'good,' he would take to it eventually. I assume that you should try to connect his current value system to the one you want him to convert to. If he sees survival as the end all and be all, show him that being 'good' leads to survival. This is probably not true in his current environs, so you would probably have to take him to what most of us would consider more 'civilized' and 'enlightened' places where it would be true. After 'good' is connected with survival, it will all be downhill as you teach him what is 'good.'
Of course, we come up with 'bad' people in places where 'good' behavior is conducive to survival. Why does this occur? Why don't they have better natures?
Same thing. They haven't been given one.
But why? Why are wealthy suburban kids blasting schools when, according to you, they don't have the environment or upbringing to make that right? The environment, true, is conducive to 'good' behavior. However, the upbringing is the important part. Unfortunately, many baby-boomer parents have taken a lassiez-faire attitude towards parenting. They basically let the kid do whatever they want as long as they don't kill anyone. No lectures nor reinforcement (positive or negative) goes into creating a moral structure, so once people get hurt its too late. These people have a fuzzy moral framework, not knowing exactly what's 'right' and what's 'wrong.' They know what is 'right' in theory... they know it but not why nor what will happen if it isn't done. They know what is 'wrong' in the same sense.
Violence in mass media is probably one reason. However, most people who witness this don't go around killing people. Therefore, it can't be the only reason. Maybe the parents aren't parenting. Oh, it can't be that. Pass the buck. Of course, yes, friends and school also have a great deal to do with upbringing. But parents have the responsibility both to their children and society as a whole to actually teach a moral code to their children.
Alas, many parents shirk their duty. My parents, fortunately, brought me up well with a combination of praise when good, 'time-out' and lecturing when I was bad, and spanking only when I committed the cardinal sin (which was basically lying). What can we do when parents don't do their job?
Should the government teach the morality through schools?
Should religious leaders take up the burden?
What to do?
I do not know.