It's interesting that no one here has focused on what in the hell the REAL problem is here.
Of course it was exacerbated by easy access to a .22 handgun.
But then...it used to be in this country even MORE people had guns around, a lot, and we didn't have school shooting sprees.
Hell, my dad, bleeding-heart-liberal that he is, had a .22 rifle.
My grandfather, great uncles, and all their friends that lived on farms had rifles, shotguns, and usually a .22 pistol for "varmints," whatever those are.
But that was in a time where very rarely did you have both spouses working. The term "latch-key kids" did not exist.
Now, everyone's so eager to "keep up with the Jones'" that they both work, and sometimes pull a lot of overtime so they can get that shiny new SUV.
And that's only if there are TWO parents, and not divorced, like over half of the population of the US is today.
We've stopped thinking of our families, and started thinking only of ourselves. No wonder our children feel "disenfranchised."
And when something goes wrong, we try to blame anyone but ourselves. Gun manufacturers, ID Software, teacher's unions, Democrats, Republicans, bus drivers, anyone but ourselves.
Gun laws are more strict in this country that they ever have been before. And my post is not to discuss whether they are too strict, or not strict enough, but to point the finger at the REAL culprit...OURSELVES.
We need to spend a little more time wondering what Johnny is doing up in his room. We need to spend a little more time thinking about what is good for our families and our children, and stop worrying about satisfying the child inside US.
I'll be the first here to say it isn't easy. I've got my almost-17 year old daughter living with me full time, and every other day I have my 4 year old too.
Every other day of my life, after 5pm, I am basically a slave to the whims of my children. But that's okay...except for those rat-bastards who invented "Barney." I admit to letting my 4 year old watch TV while I clean, cook dinner, serve dinner, do dishes, and do laundry. But, other than that, I take my kids to the store to show them how to interact in societal situations, talk to them, and try and be a part of their lives.
Believe me, I'm no Mr. Rogers. I've got more holes in my parenting than Doan's has little pills, but I at least give it a shot.
Now let's pretend my IQ is about 50 points lower, I'm a woman, I'm divorced (well, already there...), but have an "ex" who threatens me on the phone constantly, and a boyfriend who is a low-life scum, but because of limited time and a low self-esteem, is the only person I seem to be able to have a relationship with.
The "ex" doesn't want anything to do with the kid or kids, because they're busy running around to bars at night, and work during the day. Plus, they've got a new sweetie.
Then my boyfriend wants my attention, and decides that I should raise my children the way he was raised...with a lack of interest and compassion.
I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. And remember, my IQ and self esteem aren't up there in the "comfort" zone.
Now I'm a guy, and I'd rather have a girlfriend than a boyfriend, but I can see this happen all around me. I think you know what I'm trying to say here.
It is a problem of society more than anything else. I saw guns all around me when I was younger, and firearms and ammunition were a lot easier to procure than they are now.
We played "Army" constantly, had cap guns, really cool machine guns with cool sounds, and watched "Combat," "Rat Patrol," and anything else where people shot each other and blew things up.
But for some reason, the furthest thing from our minds was taking a firearm to school, and shooting everyone in sight.
And I didn't live in some Ozzie 'n Harriet type of home. Just a normal, worried-about-bills, the occasional argument between parents, "clean up your room" followed by "you guys just don't understand!" that sort of thing.
And don't think that living in Europe solves all these problems.
It's the same there. There just aren't guns, so people use truncheons, chains, broken bottles, knives, rocks, and fists. Guns are just a little quicker and cleaner. I believe that European society gave us the first example of "punk rockers", who by their own admission were doing what they were doing because they felt lost, lonely, and seperated from normal society, and felt they did not belong. Wonder what it would have been like back in the 70's and 80's if those folks had easy access to firearms. Probably not too pretty a sight.
And I'm not even going to touch on the subject of Sporting Hooliganism.
We as a society, and by that I mean the global society, need to get out of our own tulips and back into the hearts and minds of our families.
If a kid doesn't feel like he's unwanted, he or she might be less prone to getting attention by blowing away their classmates. And while I'm not a psychologist, and I don't even play one on TV, I think you'd find that a large majority of them would say that that was a contributing cause in all of these incidences. A cry for help, a cry for love, and an expression of being "disenfranchised", and wondering why they exist in the first place.
And don't think that simply putting a little blazer on your kid with a crest on the breast pocket is the answer either. That is not an adequate substitute for love and attention. They are some pretty sick little puppies out there in preppy land, and personally, I want my kids to be able to interact in this world, with all sorts of people from all walks of life.
I want them to be able to have lunch with banking executives, but to have enough life-skills to be able to communicate effectively with people they meet in everyday life.
I have lunch with bank executives (when they pick up the tab!
), but I also have enough people skills to be able to impress an African-American female, with 15 years experience in the public transportation system of the great city of Chicago, that I am not a heartless yuppie, and to take the time to show me, like a child, how to work the various ticket/transfer machines, how to read the schedule, what side of the platform to stand on, and how not to get lost.
For the Europeans in the crowd, and domestics who are not familiar with this type of individual, let me say that these people wake up early every morning with a smile on their face, eager to participate in another day of biting, chewing up, and the spitting out of pushy, uppity, yuppies clad in Brooks Brothers suits.
The French Foreign Legion would probably send officers on recruiting junkets to America to try and get these folks to become drill sergeants, if they weren't afraid that they would be too strict, and cause more desertions than they already have.
A lot of kids today have absolutlely no manners. A lot of kids today are so lost, they don't know how to interact with people in stores, the police, transportation officers, clerks at utility offices, etc. They've lost the ability to interact in an effective manner with those around them. A lot of this has to do with a definitive lack of parenting, and taking the time and effort to teach their children to be polite. That's hard to do when you're working overtime so you can get the shiny new SUV with the V-8 and the CD player.
Maybe if the parents took an active interest in them, they would know they were loved. If they felt loved, maybe they wouldn't feel the need to blow people's brains out. They'd also be able to find their way from the airport to downtown, on a complicated inner-city transit system, because they were able to communicate politely and respectfully with someone who was willing to shut down their ticket booth, step out from behind the protective glass, take them almost literally by the hand, and say, "Look here honey, here's what you do..."
And really, in closing, it isn't just the trailer-dwelling element that is experiencing this problem. Children of doctors, lawyers, and insurance executives too. We all need to take a look out ourselves. My mother worked full-time, and my father was working his way through graduate school and towards his doctorate. I remember looking at the back of his head a lot as he studied and graded papers for hours on end, but he always found a little time to toss the football, go on a hike, or watch Jonny Quest with me.
So if you want to point a finger, stand in front of a mirror. The longer we keep blaming this detachment of children on certain countries or gun laws, it will continue. While other parts of the world may not experience as many schoolyard shootings as the U.S., I'm sure you'll find a lot of violence, drugs, and gang activity all over the world.
Young people in general world-wide are not too "solid" right now. While that is certainly a product of youth itself, we should all work together to lessen the blow, and do what we can to make kids feel that they are wanted, and loved.
Sorry for making the post so long. I was just concerned that no one had effectively put their finger on the main antagonist in this horrible nightmare.
Mk
