To all the victims, their family and loved ones, and to the
all the people who live there.
What a senseless tragedy, and once again, it takes something
like this to remind us what is truly important in our lives.
Agreed. Good post.
What troubles me is the frequency of these killing sprees in the U.S. There was another one the same week in Alabama. A guy walked into a restaurant with a semi-automatic rifle and started shooting people. He then walked down the street and turned himself in at a FedEx. :shrug: Luckily noone was killed, which is why the media didn't cover it, which also makes me sad.
I think the violence is a symptom of our culture and society. Gun laws or no gun laws, something is fundamentally wrong with our society. I can't put my finger on it.
I personally believe it is a combination of many factors, not just one. Media, disconnectivity within community, family, etc, poor mental health care, poor education, distrust and hatred of people that are different, proliferation of easily accessible weapons and a constant promotion of selfish values.
I think all of these attributes of our society have created a "perfect storm" for these killing sprees to take place. While I'm not so naive that I believe we can eliminate the violence within our culture completely, I do believe we can stake steps to drastically reduce it.
Unfortunately, the issue is complex and would take a massive commitment and investment of time and resouces, not to mention the deeply divisive issues (e.g. gun control) seem to drive the debates on such a topic, which, inturn, leads to more vitriol, hatred and disconnection.
In other words, nothing will be done and another killing spree will probably take place in a few months. We have averaged more than two a year since Columbine and sadly, I think it will just become a "normal" part of our society.
Anyway, that's my two cents.
Agreed. Good post.
What troubles me is the frequency of these killing sprees in the U.S. There was another one the same week in Alabama. A guy walked into a restaurant with a semi-automatic rifle and started shooting people. He then walked down the street and turned himself in at a FedEx. :shrug: Luckily noone was killed, which is why the media didn't cover it, which also makes me sad.
I think the violence is a symptom of our culture and society. Gun laws or no gun laws, something is fundamentally wrong with our society. I can't put my finger on it.
I personally believe it is a combination of many factors, not just one. Media, disconnectivity within community, family, etc, poor mental health care, poor education, distrust and hatred of people that are different, proliferation of easily accessible weapons and a constant promotion of selfish values.
I think all of these attributes of our society have created a "perfect storm" for these killing sprees to take place. While I'm not so naive that I believe we can eliminate the violence within our culture completely, I do believe we can stake steps to drastically reduce it.
Unfortunately, the issue is complex and would take a massive commitment and investment of time and resouces, not to mention the deeply divisive issues (e.g. gun control) seem to drive the debates on such a topic, which, inturn, leads to more vitriol, hatred and disconnection.
In other words, nothing will be done and another killing spree will probably take place in a few months. We have averaged more than two a year since Columbine and sadly, I think it will just become a "normal" part of our society.
Anyway, that's my two cents.
........sadly, I think it will just become a "normal" part of our society.
Agreed! And, as much as I hate guns, I don't think stricter gun
laws will stop the person who wants to kill. (i.e. Norway has
strict gun laws, but that man was able to kill over 70 people last
year.) That being said, the fact that an average person can just
go out and purchase a semi-automatic assault rifle is beyond ludicrous!
What I don't agree with is the media trying to figure out the
personality type of a person capable of this kind of destruction.
How many "quiet and strange" teenagers walk the halls of every
school system?
I think part of the problem is that our population is getting too big,
and people are having children without teaching them right from
wrong. (But, even if you try and teach someone good morals, they
can still snap, as we know.)
And, of the course, the media. The majority of TV shows
are about murder, and I won't even mention the Internet, I can
go on and on about that! If I had children, I would be very afraid
to allow them free internet access...
There is no GOD anymore, so anything goes. People aren't centered by religion. Everything is material, physical. Morally bankrupt.
When I have my children, I will not have a television in the home. The first five or ten years of his life will be without television and he will be much healthier for it.
I don't think religion, or lack of religion, has anything to do with it. The least violent countries, with the lowest crime rates (e.g. Japan, Sweden, Norway, Denmark) all have the highest percentage of agnostic/atheist populations, some as high as 75%. America is the most religious country in the modern industrialzed world and has the highest violent crime rate in the modern industrialized world. Also the highest number of citizens per capita incarcerated in the enitre world. God does not necessarily equal morals.
There is no GOD anymore, so anything goes. People aren't centered by religion. Everything is material, physical. Morally bankrupt.
When I have my children, I will not have a television in the home. The first five or ten years of his life will be without television and he will be much healthier for it.
There is still a God for many. Anyway, think of ALL the atrocities
committed and being committed in the name of religion?
I don't know what the answer is, or the cause. But, I do know
that in our country, many people want it all and to do it all. And,
the children are suffering because of this mindset.
So, is it from a lack of family values. Do we NOT value our
children as much as other societies?
I can say I'm doing this and that in the name of Newbie, this doesn't mean Newbie is bad.
I don't think we value our children as much. I think, in general, we feed them to the wolves at an early age. You have parents who are effectively children themselves, and they're having children, it's just a terrible downward spiral we're in and it looks like it will get worse before it gets better.