There is something happening.

[wilmuliini]

That I cannot wrap my brains around. Just does not understand.
A shooting-incident happening in a vocational school in Finland.
What an earth is that shooter thinking??

I do not myself have only happy school memories, I was bullied and teased.
Today I just thank myself being stronger than those bullies.

WTF is going on in schools? Last year there was same kind of incident in Jokela.  

[kerryness]

it happens a lot more than it should. i guess kids just have access to more today than they used to. even though you were strong, i know quite a few people i went to school with that i wouldn't be surprised at all if they went in and shot the place up, if they had access to a gun and it had been done several times before.

timesachangin :  

[Demona_Darchanjel]

I don't have happy school memories either Especially once I came out as being a lesbian. I wouldn't have shot anyone, but I'm not surprised that some kids just can't handle the pain and pressure of being an outcast. I don't condone that kind of behavior, but I can sort of understand why.  

[TheHellDevil]

I think a lot of it has to do with the individualistic mentality that has been gradually growing since... well.... since the advent of the television. My partner's grandmother noticed that people stopped going outside as much once the television became accessible to the average household. And that individuality, of isolating oneself has just increased further with the internet. Sure, it's interactive, but sometimes it's hard to imagine that there's another sensitive human being on the other side of the screen. And with all those imaginary superpowers that come with playing online games or being a mod/admin of a forum, some people expect or fantasize about similar powers IRL. Even saying something is IRL is kind of iffy nowadays.

Bleh... I'm rambling.
Check out Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation and you'll know what I mean.  

[ThisEmptySoul]

Both my spouse and I have not-so-fond memories of school. As a matter of fact, we both fit the bill of teens who are said to be more likely to shoot up a school. However, neither of us did. It takes a certain mindset to actually take that extra step and kill people.

I don't necessarily blame video games, music, and TV/movies like a lot of people since I listened to some of the same music, watched some of the same things, and played some of the same video games that are said to lead to "violent behavior", however, I myself am rather non-violent. I would not doubt that someone who has trouble discerning media from real life would end up violent from these things, though.

I do not blame the media for making these things because it is their right and freedom to do so. If parents are concerned that their children would have behavioral issues because of them, then perhaps they should sit down with their children and teach them the difference between media and real life instead of assuming that they will know or assuming the schools or government will do something about it for them.

I actually grew up watching horror movies {although, horror movies then weren't nearly as bad as today's horror movies stare } . My parents let me watch rated R movies since I was in elementary school. They figured as long as they taught me not to repeat or emulate what it was I saw, then it didn't matter at what age I watched it, though they still would not let me watch anything too sexual or gruesome and they would always watch questionable movies first to evaluate whether it would be okay for me to see it.

It seems some parents these days have very little idea as to what is going on in the lives of their kids. Because in a lot of places it requires both parents to be working, kids will spend more time being raised by day care and public schooling than their own parents. Parents are often "too busy" to get involved with their children. Sometimes they will buy them music and video games that the child says they like without even knowing what it really is, and then blame the company or artist that produced it when it "corrupts" their child. They put warning labels on that stuff for a reason gonk

My spouse and I theorize that it's because of parents gradually being more negligent or lenient that children are becoming sexual and/or violent at younger ages. A parent will say to themselves "I'm not going to be as hard on my kids as my parents were on me" and sometimes this is with good reason, however, sometimes this can also lead to a lack of discipline, depending on how much they "lighten up".

Most blame the media, but I know from my own childhood that watching violent movies and playing violent video games doesn't automatically make you a violent person. As long as one can distinguish between media and real life, then there should not be much of a problem, and kids can make this distinction at younger ages than most give them credit for.

By the way, I did not mean to offend any parents. I am not saying that all parents are like that, but I have seen some who are stare The TV is not a babysitter gonk  

[Ellemir]

I'm going to cite my grandmother's experience going to high school in the 1950's. She grew up in the Chicago area, where fellow female classmates would regularly bring in razors and liquor to school. In my mind, the violent atmosphere hasn't just materialized out of nowhere.  

[queen of qeeks]

I think it's combination of a lot of things. My parents were brought up by parents that worked all the time and forced their children to be independent people from a young age. They took suffering to be a test a strength and a lesson to just keep going with the flow.

Today, parents are obsessed with giving their kids everything they themselves never had, and I feel that in doing so, they are making them more dependent. My parents are from Spain, and from the beginning, they've worked and always made it clear that if I wanted something, I had to get it myself. Maybe it's just me, but because I always made things happen for myself as a kid, I know now that if my life sucks, it's because of choices I've made...and likewise, other choices and actions will make it suck less.

Kids today keep detached and helpless. The only way to get out is with a bang. People blame video games and movies being violent, but a generation ago, there was a real war going on. I dont think its exposure to violence. I think the problem is the way society treats their young people.  

[Sir_Bors]

queen of qeeks

I think it's combination of a lot of things. My parents were brought up by parents that worked all the time and forced their children to be independent people from a young age. They took suffering to be a test a strength and a lesson to just keep going with the flow.

Today, parents are obsessed with giving their kids everything they themselves never had, and I feel that in doing so, they are making them more dependent. My parents are from Spain, and from the beginning, they've worked and always made it clear that if I wanted something, I had to get it myself. Maybe it's just me, but because I always made things happen for myself as a kid, I know now that if my life sucks, it's because of choices I've made...and likewise, other choices and actions will make it suck less.

Kids today keep detached and helpless. The only way to get out is with a bang. People blame video games and movies being violent, but a generation ago, there was a real war going on. I dont think its exposure to violence. I think the problem is the way society treats their young people.

I can't really agree with this opinion more...
However, it's still quite hard to think about the best solution possible to solve this problem.
Sometimes, it's quite easy to say something than really implementing that action. In addition, doing the best solution possible might not give the most effective result as well...
sigh......  

[bbydaeriel93]

I think it is the aspect of the "individual" mentality. The advent of television has simply made us different people. Today, humans are capable of overcoming/understanding the reason they didn't have an easy life, but they don't. It's easier to put up walls and use technology to drown it out than actually deal. Someone who was solitary back then couldn't watch a violent film, or play video games; things that don't require human thought, emotion. They had do something; reading, writing, creating, walking, singing; most singular activities required some sort human emotion. Essentially, they have learned to deal by distraction, which is hardly dealing at all.  

[Shenyu]

I would add that the job-situation has become much harder. When our parents were young you could even get a good job with a lesser good school education. Nowadays a lot of people stay unemployed because of there grades.
And bullied people are not always good in school. (Of course that does not affect everybody). So you "might" feel like the other ruined your life. Actually I am not so well informed about the Finnish school system....  

[Phoenix7]

All things tend toward decay. Things have been going downward since THE DEPRESSION in the 30s. The fact that it is getting worse now is just a matter of course. The world needs new ideas and thinkers to unite us under new banners and bring people in a new direction as the world changes.  

[ladyrose2]

I dont know what the shooter was thinking.. But maybe you get pushed so far and you had enough..I personally wouldnt get that far I know you can get help.. But maybe they feel theirs no one to talk to, no one cares.Alot of people get bullied, bothered by others ..Its very sad.  

[shall she sail seas]

bbydaeriel93

I think it is the aspect of the "individual" mentality. The advent of television has simply made us different people. Today, humans are capable of overcoming/understanding the reason they didn't have an easy life, but they don't. It's easier to put up walls and use technology to drown it out than actually deal. Someone who was solitary back then couldn't watch a violent film, or play video games; things that don't require human thought, emotion. They had do something; reading, writing, creating, walking, singing; most singular activities required some sort human emotion. Essentially, they have learned to deal by distraction, which is hardly dealing at all.

Aye. And this is why I disagree when people dismiss the fact that modern mass media played a role in all this. The issue with parents is that they are now given the alternative of having the telly/video games/etc. babysitting their children. Previously, they had absolutely no choice. They must tend to their children. And likewise, the children must entertain themselves by interaction with other humans or by creative expression.

The advent of modern mass media isn't the full cause of the violence, of course. However, has made those who are more vulnerable to violent tendencies to actually act on it. The rest of us who are normal have no problems with watching gory movies, playing violent video games, etc. Most of us have the moral values and the emotional self-control not to carry out those fantasies in real life.  

[pretty hate machine]

Ellemir

I'm going to cite my grandmother's experience going to high school in the 1950's. She grew up in the Chicago area, where fellow female classmates would regularly bring in razors and liquor to school. In my mind, the violent atmosphere hasn't just materialized out of nowhere.

I agree. I think the violence has always been there, but it just wasn't as talked about as it is now. I don't particularly have fond memories of school either, but the majority of my problems were due to hormonal imbalances from going through puberty.

Unfortunately kids have easier access to more lethal types of weapons such as guns to act out their aggression as opposed to knives and the like or just fists.

I think the whole idea of video games brainwashing kids is just a scapegoat. It's so much easier to say "the video games told me I could do it," rather than be blamed for make a poor choice, and unfortunately a lot of grown up people roll with that. It's just something else to blame so they won't get in trouble. I grew up playing violent video games, watching gory horror movies and all of that, yet I didn't go out and shoot people. I knew it was wrong to begin with and my parents never sat down and talked to me to tell me these things were wrong. But then again, this is me and not all kids are alike.

The sad thing is, most schools have a zero tolerance policy towards bullying. Kids can get help if they feel they are being bullied, just so situations like these don't happen anymore, but unfortunately not a lot of kids use these systems to get help.  

[Lady_Niqui]

It's really sad but I have to agree that this isnt a new problem at all. The capacity for violence has always been there. Now it seems more like accessibility of weapons and the will to act are both there as well.