What the hell is wrong with kids [Archive]

Cagey

March 5th, 2001, 17:06

IMHO, it is the parents, not the kids. (And I am talking in general here so don't jump down my throat!)

I see it happen all the time. Parent's don't seem to want to take responsibility for their children's behaviour. They act up at school and complain that their child has been suspended and now what do they do with them. Both parents, if a child is so lucky to have 2 in the same home, work leaving children alone at home unsupervised. When they do get home from work they are too tired to find out what their children have been up to. School officials have their hands tied when it comes to disciplining the students. It used to be that the threat of the strap kept most kids in line. Now that there is no strap, all school officials can do is suspend - which just sends the kids out to get into more trouble.

It used to be when a kid broke something belonging to someone else, the parents would pay to have it fixed or replaced. Now they say, "tough ****". Kids learn from their parents' examples. No wonder they have little respect for other people's property.

It used to be kids had curfews. Now it is not unusual to see kids as young as 10 hanging around on the streets well after midnight. Tell me why a child that young is on the streets at that time? For what legitimate purpose?

Yes, guns and the media have played a role in this, but not to the extent that some people would like you to believe. Forced gun registration would not have an effect on situations like this. Illegal guns are easily obtained. Criminals do not register guns.

What is needed is stronger parental and community involvement. When a kid is in trouble, someone needs to care before it gets out of hand. Children have tough enough lives dealing with all kinds of stuff that some of us older folk never even dreamed of. They have not lived long enough to acquire the maturity needed to deal with a lot of it rationally and in an adult manner. They hurt. They need to stop the pain. They don't know how.

Parents: Teach your children how to deal with loss, disappointment, pain and feelings of inadequacy. Teach them how to cope without hurting others. Teach them how to live.

cowax

March 5th, 2001, 17:23

Couldn't say it any better

KapTinKiRk

March 5th, 2001, 17:41

My parents had the evil strap and I deserved it every time :( ... well said Cagey.

Webdude

March 5th, 2001, 19:19

Here is Texas (jw should know this), the parents can be held accountable for their kid's actions. It should be like that in all states.

Then again, part of it in other states has to do with the laws. When I lived in Utah I started looking up some of their laws after I met some parents who got into trouble. At least in Utah anyway, kids are required to goto school. If they dont goto school, the parents can get huge fines. However, if a child doesnt want to goto school..but the parents make them goto school, it is child abuse. What choice does the parent have?

I like Texas, because Corporal Punishment is not illegal. My kids do something wrong, I can take the paddle to their @$$. And that sucker DOES hurt. In other states though, this is illegal. Other states take away a parent's rights to discipline their kids, and takes away people's rights to self defense. California is one of those states. Here in Texas, if someone breaks into my house and steals stuff, I can shoot him in the back as he runs down the street to get away, and it doesnt matter their age either. Dont try that in California though.....if a teen pulls a gun on you there, the only option you legally have is to stand there and let them shoot you, and hope you survive. If you defend yourself and you hurt the kid, the courts will be making a decision as to what prison they should send you to.

So no, it's not the parents in a lot of cases. It is the rediculous laws that give parents no legal rights to do a damned thing to ever prevent it from happening.

Rodie

March 5th, 2001, 23:17

Isn't it a ----- that like every school shooting in the past 6-7 years or so seems to have happened in either suburban America, or a rural part of the country? It seems all we ever hear about is how bad and dangerous the inner-city schools are, but when was the last time a shooting occured in an inner-city school.

From what it sounds like, most of the time the kids that do these things are kids that get picked on and lash out this way. I've never understood why people have so much fun in making other's lives hell like that. Yes, we have kids that are pretty eccentric at my school and I don't hang out with them, but so many people just go up to their face and pick on them. It's really kind of sad for both parties

Coolin

March 5th, 2001, 23:19

Although all the above comments are true and make sense, one cannot forget that the child's actions were created on his/her own. No matter how parents are treating their child, it still does not give the child an excuse to go to school with a gun and mow down everyone. Although discipline could prevent this from happening, the only major factor that would stop this action is the child himself.

Dragon of Fury

March 5th, 2001, 23:48

Me parents beat my --- enough for me to now know wrong from right and good from bad. I'm the last person you'd see even as much thinking of shooting up a school. Its not the jail cell I'll be afraid of the most. Its what happens AFTER they release me and send me back home is what will scare the hell out of me.

Mom and Dad will BEAT MY ASSSSSS everyday till I get out of college with a degree in computer science(what I want to majo in) to show them I'm not a dumbass and they can stop beating my --- DEAD WHITE!:D

LeX

March 6th, 2001, 06:56

I'm 15, a teen, and I'm in middle school. I (kinda) know how most kids/teens are feeling, what they're thinking.

There are a number of reasons for kids to do things they normally wouldn't.

Number 1 on my list is peer pressure. It doesn't seem serious, you'd think it's easy to resist, but I'm telling you, it's not. Kids who aren't "cool" and "tough" enough are looked down upon, and people usually can't bear the pressure, so they just have to show their fellow classmates or the friends they hang out with how cool they are, and they do things to "prove" it, which can mean a prank joke on the teacher, or maybe a bit of shoplifting. Or maybe brining guns to school. What for? Just to earn some respect, and recieve "oohs" and "aahs". Really, it's just that simple.

Number 2 is family problems. If a kid is regularly beaten and tortured at home, or just get screamed at too often, the anger from the beatings is usually taken to school, where he "in return" bullies fellow schoolmates just for the heck of it. And he doesn't think it's wrong, he thinks "Hell, my parents do that all the time, why can't I? I'm not doing anything wrong!"

Number 3 is curiousity. They want to know what will happen if they do something outrageous. Or maybe they even do it "just for fun".

Or maybe kids these days watch too much TV, play too much violent games.

Or maybe the guy's just mental.

}:8) Supermoo

March 6th, 2001, 13:59

I've put my thoughts around quotes, please don't feel as I'm attempting to intimidate you in any way because of this. I just feel that these posts have the overall feeling of the thread.

Originally posted by Cagey
IMHO, it is the parents, not the kids. (And I am talking in general here so don't jump down my throat!)

Yep, I'd agree it's got large amounts to do with the parents. The basic fundamentals of discipline and the basis of all psychological behaviour, both provided by the parents.

Lex:I'm 15, a teen, and I'm in middle school. I (kinda) know how most kids/teens are feeling, what they're thinking.

There are a number of reasons for kids to do things they normally wouldn't.

Number 1 on my list is peer pressure. It doesn't seem serious, you'd think it's easy to resist, but I'm telling you, it's not. Kids who aren't "cool" and "tough" enough are looked down upon, and people usually can't bear the pressure, so they just have to show their fellow classmates or the friends they hang out with how cool they are, and they do things to "prove" it, which can mean a prank joke on the teacher, or maybe a bit of shoplifting. Or maybe brining guns to school. What for? Just to earn some respect, and recieve "oohs" and "aahs". Really, it's just that simple.

You've got a valid point about group mentalaty, although I think some people go a little bit futher. Some students will even go home and cry (these are 15 year-olds) over not being accepted into the 'cool' groups.

Yet when they're accepted into the 'cool' groups the drugs they have to take, and the kids they have to bash to get to stay is extremley high.

Number 2 is family problems. If a kid is regularly beaten and tortured at home, or just get screamed at too often, the anger from the beatings is usually taken to school, where he "in return" bullies fellow schoolmates just for the heck of it. And he doesn't think it's wrong, he thinks "Hell, my parents do that all the time, why can't I? I'm not doing anything wrong!"

I think this is a bit steered in the wrong derection, just my thoughts though. Parents may bash their children and or pressure their children generally have been doing so for years. Where is the foundation for their lives, not exisitant.

Number 3 is curiousity. They want to know what will happen if they do something outrageous. Or maybe they even do it "just for fun".

Normaly psychology and family theropy help, but there is always a yerning curosity in many.

Or maybe kids these days watch too much TV, play too much violent games.

Proven by a rescent study that playing Quake etc. do not effect a mentally stable person in any way. They had to get that way before the violence.

Or maybe the guy's just mental.

Through what you've said above it's most likley true, but not in a retarted way. A deprived way.

My advice to anyone in this situation;

Parents will annoy you, that's what they do best! ;) But if physical damage has been started or large amounts of abuse go and see a social worker or a school counsler.

If the 'cool' people at school annoy you, leave them. Get on with you own life, why worry about theirs? If they start to get physical don't be afraid to contact a student representive or a higher school authority. They will not mind you speaking to them and can often help.

Hmm... I better be off to school now! :)

Zitech_Industries

March 6th, 2001, 16:07

ALL THIS IS ONLY GONNA LEAD TO MORE GUN CONTROL

Webdude

March 6th, 2001, 16:25

I dont know, I never ran into peer pressure. I was one of those guys who enjoyed picking on the bullies. I liked fighting, but only with those I figured would fight back. The bullies rarely did. Bullies are only tough when they have the upper hand, or until they actually get hit. I was cool and had a lot of friends, went to a lot of parties, had girls claiming their kids were mine, etc (blood tests proved them all wrong...skanks)...but it was a matter of me doing my own thing, not what others would have liked me to do.

Heh, I remember this bully at one school in Cleburne Tx. His name was Robert Jackson and he was big. I think he had failed like three grades. Well, what was scary about this guy, even to me, was that he only had one hand, and his other arm ended at the wrist. Pure bone there. No-one wanted to get hit with that..LOL. One day, he decided to attempt to pick on me. Till then, I had avoided him. However, I got pissed and chased him all the way to his house. What's he do, he comes out with a pair of numbchucks. I'm like, dude, you only got one hand, how are you going to use those??

I remember one party, a buddy handed me a joint, I said I didnt want it. He was like, why not! it's cool and everyone else is doing it. Nobody bothered me about it again after I asked in front of everyone how cool a person with a bloody nose and a joint in his mouth would look...LOL..as a matter of fact, the joints seem to start to disappear real fast.

I had a different mind about things. I knew if someone else's fist could hurt me, then mine could hurt them. Regardless who they are. Knowing that, I was never afraid of bullies. Knowing that I was my own person gave me the ability to ignore peer pressure. And you know what? Most others thought that was kewl. You should try it sometime.

I think I still do things differently. I dont know what all, but one good example in the business is banner placement. All other fwp's put their ads at the top of your pages, and they are pressured by advertisors to do that. Where do my banners sit? Just one of many things...

Generally, just be your own person, and you'll be fine..

[Edited by Webdude on 03-06-2001 at 05:28 PM]

Canuckkev

March 6th, 2001, 18:10

Glad I live in Canada and there's only been one school shooting in my province in the last couple years.

As to why kids do it? I" think it's simply they don't care. They have limited their choices to killing themsleves, or killing other people, or both. Any gun control law won't help this. If a kid wants a gun, they can get a gun. And knives will always be around.

And is it just recently that kids are resorting to violent behaviour? No way. They have, and always will be misguided and violent. Solution: Hell I have no idea. Maybe give kids a better way to vent frustration. Like Rugby instead of wus "sports" like baseball.

Zitech_Industries

March 6th, 2001, 18:44

Like I said before, what I am really concerned about is the backlash on guns and their owners. Every time there is a school shooting, I recieve five more forms to fill out about my assault rifles. Case in point, Columbine. 3 days later, I had to take a psychology test to be able to keep my collection . After Arkansas, I had to take several gun safety courses, by gunlocks, and fill out another form. This is getting very sickening. I'm not some suicidal mad man. I'm not some redneck hunter. I am just a huge FBI/CIA/SWAT fan. In fact, I am planning on joining the CIA as a life-long dream. This kid was a coward. Not only has he ruined his life, but he has hurt the lives of millions of others.

Nick

March 6th, 2001, 19:35

I think that humans are evolving, and that kids are growing more rapidly than usual making them less controlable. I remember looking at some old newspapers and noticing that the men were no where near as big and tall as the high schoolers of today. Now many adults are overweight while their children are huge and I think that children have more control over the family, not just a dictatorship deal where the parents rule. In other words, kids are no longer obedient(sp?). They are intelligent and think for themselves and parents just can't tell them to do something anymore. The immediate response is "Why?" in many cases. The parents usually respond with the "I'm your mother/father, that's why". This leads to rebellion and children no longer listen. The parents loose complete control and kids do whatever the hell they want to. Lots of parents are not as responsible is another problem. I know fifteen year old kids in my school who's parents let them smoke, and even give the fags, what's up with that? I also know some kids who are allowed to drink which is stupid IMO. A lot of parents don't give a flying **** anymore and I see that as one big friggin' problem. Well, I'm kinda right, but not really. I better stop rambling.

Webdude

March 6th, 2001, 20:58

It's a matter of perspective. I have let my kids drink alchohol. Course, what I did was put really hard liquor in a beer can, but now they cant stand to get around the stuff. I drink very little actually because only at a party (here or elsewhere) or at a club. So early in life I gave them a total dislike of alchohol. I can make them behave by saying if they dont get their room clean, I am going to make them drink a shot of tequila. It works now, and hopefully it will work later...at least they learned about alchohol from me and not their friends first.

I reward the kids for doing good, and am extremely harsh when they do bad. They are learning to think about the consequenses of their actions. They are 4 and 6. They do their own chores, most of the time they make their own food, and they clean the kitchen when they are done. That teaches responsiblity and independence. Beyond all this, there is little more I can do. I can only hope that what I drill into them now, will stick with them throughout their life. As a kid, I went thru various children's homes, and was on my own at 14 and on the streets. I can only raise them in a way that I think may have made a difference with me had someone done them....and use the few things that DID work with me.

My kids are proclaimed by other parents as extremely respectful and well behaved kids. So far, I think that shows I am doing the job correct. I see a lot of kids throw fits when they dont get their way. Mine say "Ok" and go find something else to do (-:

I sincerely believe in "Spare the rod, spoil the child". Too many parents, instead of doing what they should, simply get mad and tell the kid to get out of their face..which is just laziness. Others take it too far and actually degrade the child, this is very bad especially in front of others. Then these parents wonder why their kids rebel...My ex-wife with my oldest son is a perfect example. He is now in a kid's jail somewhere for burglary. Before our breakup, he was a very good kid. A few years later, he was rotten.

So remembering my hard childhood extremely well gives me the ability to see it from a kids viewpoint. Being a parent who's child was in the other parent's control after a separation gives me that experience. And having kids under my guidence that are as good as they are, gives me more experience, and the knowledge that I must be doing something right.

But do you think any shrinks or politicians would listen to me? Nope. It is true when said that the people who know how to raise a child the best are those that have University Degrees, but no kids.

cowax

March 7th, 2001, 14:05

I just came home school and there has been ANOTHER school shooting in Williamsport, PA, just 50 miles from where I live! I guess some 14 year old girl shot another girl. No one died.

Hobbes

March 7th, 2001, 23:23

Woohoo! Someone with a brain. :) I'm amazed .. there's actually people out there like this :)

The guy that brought a gun to my school got arrested because someone told the administrators. The people who knew and did NOT tell were suspended in addition to the arrest.

It is parents AND the kids. Notice how this world is screwed up? None of these should've happened. Dumb parents for not overseeing their kids and telling them to flip off when the kids have a need or concern. Dumb kids for not stepping up and saying that there might be a potential threat when the shooter made comments about it. It's a joke. The parent is portrayed to be the "idiots" in normal situations. Ever hear of spare the rod and spoil the child? Well, look at this... if you spare the rod, and spoil the child, you won't care what the child gets him/herself into and this is exactly what happened.

All I'll say is:

PEOPLE: Get your head out of your --- and start taking the responsibility you've been entrusted with. We don't need this happening EVER again.

Originally posted by Cagey
IMHO, it is the parents, not the kids. (And I am talking in general here so don't jump down my throat!)

I see it happen all the time. Parent's don't seem to want to take responsibility for their children's behaviour. They act up at school and complain that their child has been suspended and now what do they do with them. Both parents, if a child is so lucky to have 2 in the same home, work leaving children alone at home unsupervised. When they do get home from work they are too tired to find out what their children have been up to. School officials have their hands tied when it comes to disciplining the students. It used to be that the threat of the strap kept most kids in line. Now that there is no strap, all school officials can do is suspend - which just sends the kids out to get into more trouble.

It used to be when a kid broke something belonging to someone else, the parents would pay to have it fixed or replaced. Now they say, "tough ****". Kids learn from their parents' examples. No wonder they have little respect for other people's property.

It used to be kids had curfews. Now it is not unusual to see kids as young as 10 hanging around on the streets well after midnight. Tell me why a child that young is on the streets at that time? For what legitimate purpose?

Yes, guns and the media have played a role in this, but not to the extent that some people would like you to believe. Forced gun registration would not have an effect on situations like this. Illegal guns are easily obtained. Criminals do not register guns.

What is needed is stronger parental and community involvement. When a kid is in trouble, someone needs to care before it gets out of hand. Children have tough enough lives dealing with all kinds of stuff that some of us older folk never even dreamed of. They have not lived long enough to acquire the maturity needed to deal with a lot of it rationally and in an adult manner. They hurt. They need to stop the pain. They don't know how.

Parents: Teach your children how to deal with loss, disappointment, pain and feelings of inadequacy. Teach them how to cope without hurting others. Teach them how to live.

rperkins

March 8th, 2001, 00:53

if parents would put gun locks on and keep the key with them

Gun Control SUCKS

with all these gun control laws myself and my uncle and cousins have lost alot of classics, my uncle has lost alot on money

Cagey

March 8th, 2001, 07:47

Originally posted by rperkins
if parents would put gun locks on and keep the key with them

Don't you think that ANY child over the age of say 10 would know how to unlock them???? It's really not that difficult with or without a key.

Gun locks are an excellent preventive measure against ACCIDENTAL shootings, not the type we are talking about with the schools.

Nick

March 8th, 2001, 18:11

Originally posted by cowax
I guess some 14 year old girl shot another girl. No one died.

The day it happened we were in fifth period. A girl said something to the effect of "Isn't it strange how none of the shootings were done by a girl?". Of course, everyone 'knocked on wood', and laughed it off. You can believe how surprised everone was at school the next day when they found out a girl commited a school shooting.

cowax

March 8th, 2001, 18:49

Even worse... it was Bishop Neuman, a private church school.

Gayowulf

March 8th, 2001, 22:11

Webdude- I like your comments.

I think it has something to do with TV and video games. I know no one likes to hear it, but, i mean, there is violence everywhere, and with so much you sort of get used to it. Violence and killing and stuff on tv is usually without consequence-- especially if its the good guy going on a rampage against evil. kid gets bugged thinks hes a good guy and the bullies are the bad guy. shoots em then realises that in real life he gets to go to jail. and be even more haed than before.

Still there is no excuse for killing someone, especially in school.

It takes a whole community to raise a child

Rodie

March 8th, 2001, 23:22

If someone is in high school or junior high then they know the difference between right and wrong. If they are so messed up that TV convinces them it's allright to kill, then they are a ticking timebomb that is going to eventually go off. It's just a matter of when. If not now, then they would probably shoot up their workplace.

Koolguy

March 8th, 2001, 23:55

Thats true, I love to play games such as quake and counter-stike and watch violent movies but I would NEVER even think fo going on a shooting rampage. I think ti has more to do with the person's values and mental state then anything else. There are warning signs too..

Of course there are allways the nutcases who just don't give a f*ck.

Gayowulf

March 9th, 2001, 00:00

I think it works in the subconcious. the person gets desperate enough that there is no trace of common sence left. its just the devil on the shoulder talking

Toefur

March 9th, 2001, 02:39

I agree with Gayowulf. It's a subconscious thing. I'm not saying movies and games make people want to go out and mimic them (although it does happen often), but there is a certain degree of subconscious activity.

You can sit there and watch massacres on the tv, then go on your own massacre in quake and say it's not affecting you, and it probably isn't much, but your subconscious is taking it in, and you are in SOME form or another affected by this violence whether you believe it or not; for the average person it will desensitise you or some such.

Webdude

March 9th, 2001, 14:08

My wife and I were discussing some things. The main thing that however bad you were as a child, will come back 3x to you from your children. Anyone noticed how true this is turning out? I think the proper explanation to it is that most parents are a little bit more lenient than their parents were....so it turns out, their children realize what they can and cant get away with. As children get away with more over each generation, they become more violent.

Where does this leave us in 40 years?

Did you know there are about 1 million people in prison within the United States? Did you know it costs the American people $4.6 billion a year to take care of them? Who's the real victim of their crimes? Instead of throwing away the key, we should flip the electric chair switch and walk away...

Cagey

March 9th, 2001, 15:39

Originally posted by Gayowulf
Webdude- I like your comments.

I think it has something to do with TV and video games. I know no one likes to hear it, but, i mean, there is violence everywhere, and with so much you sort of get used to it. Violence and killing and stuff on tv is usually without consequence-- especially if its the good guy going on a rampage against evil. kid gets bugged thinks hes a good guy and the bullies are the bad guy. shoots em then realises that in real life he gets to go to jail. and be even more haed than before.

For this philosopy to work, it would mean that EVERYONE would be affected by the violence on TV, movies and video games. That is obviously not true.

The same thing has been tried in regards to today's music. That it is the violent music that makes kids behave this way. Again, it does not affect ALL TEENS this way.

The same reasoning has been tried to explain why people molest children. "Because it was done to them as a child". Following this line of reasoning, you would then believe that every person who was abused as a child would become a child abuser themselves.

It is not the violence on tv, music, games. It is not the music. It is not the previous molestations. It is in how the child copes with what is in the world. Effective parenting would teach a child effective coping strategies.

That being said, I do agree with your viewpoint regarding the casual acceptance of violence in our everyday lives. This acceptance does make us tend to become immune to the violence around us. If violence becomes a socially acceptable thing, as divorce became not so long ago, there will be no turning back. Heaven help us then.

Cagey

Sick N Twisted

March 9th, 2001, 17:59

I seen a project they did on T.V. w/ teenagers and guns.
Turns out that like 7/16 teenagers in one place took the gun w/o telling the person thee doing the job for.

One thought it was loaded (it was but it was disabled) and he tryed to shoot his friend :O.

KapTinKiRk

March 9th, 2001, 19:03

I think it does affect everyone... just that some people act on it and some can control it.

Nick

March 9th, 2001, 19:20

If kids copied videogames they'd be like pacman, running around in circles in dark rooms, listing to repetitive music, and taking lots of pills.

Err, wait... Uh, I think I agree. Videogames DO have an effect on children. The idea that everything is going to be more realistic is the problem as far as I can tell. I'm sure children would have never imagined it in the 8-bit days, but now with scan-mapping actual people to look realistic is freaky and for children the line between reality and not reality becomes transparent.

LeX

March 10th, 2001, 06:42

Yeah, but only for kids who can't tell the difference between virtual reality and reality.

cowax

March 10th, 2001, 18:56

I really don't know why everyone is blaming this on the video game industry. I think this is BS. Its the school, the parents, and phsycological problems. I'm in 10th grade I see lots of sh*t being put on kids by other peers. Of course, I wouldn't shoot down a school because of this...

Victoria7

March 10th, 2001, 19:00

I don't believe it's any one thing; rather it's a combination of factors that is causing these massacres - by children, for heaven's sake!

But speaking of video games, the issue is not whether or not a teenager can keep the line between fantasy and reality distinct; that issue has been proven with D&D and related roleplaying games. Incredibly realistic - and violent - video games are just another incarnation of roleplaying games such as D&D. And trust me, there have been enough cases of people who lose touch with reality because of D&D, and the like.

The problem with these video games is not that teenagers can't discern between reality and virtual reality, but that these games intentionally blur the lines. The point is to make a game so realistic, so enticing, that it draws its players into its realm - like a book, almost, but much more vivid and lifelike. For a child who spends even just an hour a day on such games (and that's a minimum), the line between fantasy and reality slowly becomes blurred. And there comes a point when the two merge...or the philosophies of one carry over into the other. And when the violence is the dominating force - there is no way to be kind in these video games and still get to the next level - that dominating force carries into the real world.

The same concept can be applied to TV, or any medium - even books, although they are not quite so "in-your-face," and thus pose less of a danger. Unless, of course, one is reading lots of violent books 24 hours a day. :)

But most of all, as these teenagers grow up, and as more and more violence occurs, I find one thing to be the culprit. It is the fact that there is no decency left. In a world of relativism, what do you expect a child to do? School says one thing, parents say another, peers give another perspective, TV and video games bombard yet another message, and the child is left to find their own morality.

I firmly believe in someone's right to be able to believe what they want. However, there is a big, bold line between cowardice and respect - and it seems to me that people today, particularly those who call themselves Christian, are falling on the side of cowardice. In an effort not to offend, we have created a greater offense - murder.

Victoria7

March 10th, 2001, 19:07

Reading over some of the posts, I came across a message by someone - I'm afraid I can't remember their name - but they stated that people were gradually evolving.

Sorry to push 'my' morality here, but doesn't it stand to reason that if someone is told that they are merely a cosmic accident, a being without a soul, a spirit, or a reason to live wisely, are we not creating such occurences?

A superpower...a super-race...a people who were gradually evolving...evolving towards a higher, god-like, supreme race...

Dear God, if the Holocaust was terrible, what will we, in an age of electronic tracking and record-keeping, do to keep those who are deemed unfit to live safe...?

Gayowulf

March 11th, 2001, 15:56

I dont know If any of you have seen the show A Clockwork Orange directed by stanley kubrik; it is about a group ao youths you like to partake in acts of "ultraviolence". The leader gets caught, and his love of violence is "fixed" in an unusual way. the doctors force him to watch acts of violence untill it makes him sick. they have him in a straightjacket tied to a chair and his eyelids kept open. By the end of the treatment even thinking about violence brings on attacks of nausea. Maybe this would be a good treatment for the school killers.

Nick

March 11th, 2001, 21:16

Originally posted by Victoria7
Reading over some of the posts, I came across a message by someone - I'm afraid I can't remember their name - but they stated that people were gradually evolving.

Sorry to push 'my' morality here, but doesn't it stand to reason that if someone is told that they are merely a cosmic accident, a being without a soul, a spirit, or a reason to live wisely, are we not creating such occurences?

A superpower...a super-race...a people who were gradually evolving...evolving towards a higher, god-like, supreme race...

Dear God, if the Holocaust was terrible, what will we, in an age of electronic tracking and record-keeping, do to keep those who are deemed unfit to live safe...?

I think someone misread my ramblings.

LeX

March 12th, 2001, 11:06

Personally, I think a lot of it has to do with violent games and movies. For instance, a kid sees a guy "solving" his problem by shooting someone in a movie... let's suppose a similar problem occurs to the kid, he'll prolly think the only way of solving that problem is by shooting the other guy, whereas kids who watches "educational" programs like Barney (:p) will solve the same problem by singing "I Love You", etc.

It's just how the stuff you see everyday can possibly influence your decisions, can possibly affect the way you act.

Webdude

March 12th, 2001, 14:21

Sing Along: School Teen meets Barney!
**************
I love you
You love me
I shot Barney in the knee
with a great big gun that I found in a drawer

*No more purple dino-saur*
_______________________________

atlas

March 12th, 2001, 17:44

When you consider the number of students in the school system it's not suprising that some events of irrational violence take place. Those people who do school shootings, etc obviously have severe mental and psychological issues. No matter how much you try to educate people and stop violence, there's always going to be a few -- it's inevitable when there are millions of people involved.

I'm just suprised at how much media coverage these events get. Do I see when some man who feels his life is worth nothing, as some of those kids apparently did, goes and shoots a convience store clerk all over the news? No, they don't spend a week of coverage over the thousands of rapes that occur or the shootings that occur in cities either.

-mk
atlascgi.com

Rodie

March 12th, 2001, 18:20

Originally posted by atlas

I'm just suprised at how much media coverage these events get. Do I see when some man who feels his life is worth nothing, as some of those kids apparently did, goes and shoots a convience store clerk all over the news? No, they don't spend a week of coverage over the thousands of rapes that occur or the shootings that occur in cities either.

-mk
atlascgi.com

This is something I also am very surprised at. The day after the school shootings, I was watching MSNBC, and they devoted a bunch of time talking about how many "copy-cat" or threats were made. It was absurd, especially after all these media outlets said that they would stop devoting so *much* attention to any kind of school violence. I mean, MSNBC even reported a freakin' bomb threat in this little segment. I'm willing to bet about 75% of school students in the U.S. have experienced a bomb threat at one time or another. That's not something that should make the national news.