Morgan Freeman's insight into the recent tragedy

[GScholz]

Sadly it is not unique to the U.S. The first recorded "school shooting" in Europe was in Bremen, Germany June 20, 1913. A 29 year old unemployed teacher shot and killed five girls and wounding more than 20 other people, before being subdued by school staff. Since then there have been about 20 more school shootings in Europe, the most recent one being at the University of Pécs in Hungary, 2009. While not a school shooting, in my own country there was a horrible lone-wolf attack last year that left 77 people dead; mostly children and young adults.

[Motherland]

Sadly it is not unique to the U.S. The first recorded "school shooting" in Europe was in Bremen, Germany June 20, 1913. A 29 year old unemployed teacher shot and killed five girls and wounding more than 20 other people, before being subdued by school staff. Since then there have been about 20 more school shootings in Europe, the most recent one being at the University of Pécs in Hungary, 2009. While not a school shooting, in my own country there was a horrible lone-wolf attack last year that left 77 people dead; mostly children and young adults.

The occurrence of this kind of thing isn't unique, but the sheer frequency is unfathomable compared to any place else. There have been more than twice as many school shootings in the United States as the rest of the world combined since Columbine.

[GScholz]

That is certainly true...

[Karnak]

Motherland,

On Friday, in China, a deranged man entered an elementary school and stabbed 22 children with a knife.  Fortunately, last I had heard none had died.  I have no doubt that had he been able to obtain a gun he would have used a gun instead of a knife. I am not suggesting guns need to be banned in the US.  Such a thing is literally impossible.  I was merely referencing another deranged act on the same day of similar type in a very different culture.  China has, in the last few years, had a rash of adult men stabbing school kids in schools.

Deranged people do deranged things and sometimes those deranged things are violent.  The question becomes, "What can we do to reduce the harm that they do?"

[Motherland]

Motherland,

On Friday, in China, a deranged man entered an elementary school and stabbed 22 children with a knife.  Fortunately, last I had heard none had died.  I have no doubt that had he been able to obtain a gun he would have used a gun instead of a knife. I am not suggesting guns need to be banned in the US.  Such a thing is literally impossible.  I was merely referencing another deranged act on the same day of similar type in a very different culture.  China has, in the last few years, had a rash of adult men stabbing school kids in schools.

Deranged people do deranged things and sometimes those deranged things are violent.  The question becomes, "What can we do to reduce the harm that they do?"

I think that we have to look at this as something with multiple problems with multiple solutions, and I definitely think that your point is accurate, though the role of firearms of this is being done to death and I think it's definitely a mistake to focus solely on that. Also of course that's a huge issue on this board that always just turns into feces-throwing.
However another problem I think we have is that we're being forced to accept these kinds of things as just 'something that we should get used to' by certain people, as opposed to talking about the causes and how they become worse and looking for solutions.

[Karnak]

Looking for other ways to reduce the damage is what Morgan Freeman was getting at in the OP's quote.

From David Brin's article I linked on the last page:

David Brin wrote:
... Small surprise - this is not a new problem. Two millennia ago, in the Hellenistic era, a young man torched one of the seven wonders of the ancient world — the Temple of Diana at Ephesus. When caught and asked why, he replied first with grievances against individuals and his city state, then admitted that he really wanted to make a mark, to be remembered. Since he wasn’t a great warrior, or creative person, his best chance was to gain infamy by destroying something. ...

If fame/infamy is a drawing factor, remove that factor.

[Motherland]

What's the solution though? Just don't tell people what's going on in the world?
It's kind of a double edge sword, I think. There were apparently shootings that happened this year that either weren't reported or just weren't remembered (by me at least), and years previous as the body count wasn't high enough. I mean, this is really only compared to Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Aurora- only the truly unique and 'big' events really stick on the national level. You could imagine that at some level, if fame motivates it at least, they want to kill enough people that the national media really just has to report on it. It's like a monster that feeds itself.

[Karnak]

Read Brin's article that I linked to.  Nothing about not informing people, but rather about denying the fame sought by the deranged person(s).

[Motherland]

Read Brin's article that I linked to.  Nothing about not informing people, but rather about denying the fame sought by the deranged person(s).

You'd have to wonder how effective that would actually be in the internet age, although it's definitely an interesting premise

[Grayeagle]

I agree completely with just not watching the 'Ted Baxter Wannabe's'  ..
'News' is all about who's dead, and who's dead near you.
I pass.

The only time a killers name need be mentioned is when he is executed.
I do not need to know how many people died as if it is some kind of contest.
I fully agree with the way Texas handles killers.
Fast trial, fast execution, all done ..sorry 'media'
..perhaps 'media' can find a cat stuck in a tree ..see ya.

As for actor's opinions .. like people ..some have way more on the ball than others.
Most are lost without a script to read ..
..on their own in front of a microphone they have to depend on what they know.
A lot of actors just do not know much and think that because they are 'famous' their opinion matters.

I call those types of people ..
..Wrong.

-Frank aka GE (just sayin -tm Pasha)

[guncrasher]

The vast majority (85%+) of these shooters were either on or just getting off some physcho medicine like prozac, etc. That is NOT to say that this leads to all shootings but the connection is there. Next time you watch a TV commercial for a mood altering drug they will list possible side effects to include violent and/or suicidal thoughts. Again, I'm not saying this is the cause. Without a doubt many factors involved but it. Is the mmost common connection.

Sad!

Boo

no you are wrong.  you are still stuck on the idea that using meds like prozac is only for crazy people.  I can make a statement something along the lines that "100% of mass shootings are committed by people with firearms so the guns are to blame.." and that would be misleading too.

why this people commit mass murders we'll probably never know.  you can say that they are mentally unstable but what exactly is the definition of "mentally stable"?  if there ever is one definition probably most of us will fit under the category of "mentally unstable".  that or you can believe that your family is the brady bunch.  then of course you find out about all the crap that happened between them.

midway

[TonyJoey]

Motherland,

On Friday, in China, a deranged man entered an elementary school and stabbed 22 children with a knife.  Fortunately, last I had heard none had died.  I have no doubt that had he been able to obtain a gun he would have used a gun instead of a knife. I am not suggesting guns need to be banned in the US.  Such a thing is literally impossible.  I was merely referencing another deranged act on the same day of similar type in a very different culture.  China has, in the last few years, had a rash of adult men stabbing school kids in schools.

Deranged people do deranged things and sometimes those deranged things are violent.  The question becomes, "What can we do to reduce the harm that they do?"

 

[Hajo]

I grew up in the fifties and sixties.  No one would think of doing something of this magnitude.  It wouldn't be thought of as an option.
The first mass killing that I remember was by a deranged ex-marine in a tower in Texas.  That was in the early 60s.
If there were a disagreement at our school it would be taken up across the street in a mano a mano fist fight.  No jerks with guns
or knives.  Afterwards....winner and loser forgot about it.  It was settled.  No one bringing knives or guns into school.  Again
not an option, unheard of.

Place the blame squarely where it lies.  On todays society.

[ink]

I grew up in the fifties and sixties.  No one would think of doing something of this magnitude.  It wouldn't be thought of as an option.
The first mass killing that I remember was by a deranged ex-marine in a tower in Texas.  That was in the early 60s.
If there were a disagreement at our school it would be taken up across the street in a mano a mano fist fight.  No jerks with guns
or knives.  Afterwards....winner and loser forgot about it.  It was settled.  No one bringing knives or guns into school.  Again
not an option, unheard of.

Place the blame squarely where it lies.  On todays society.

absafnlutely.

[j500ss]

I grew up in the fifties and sixties.  No one would think of doing something of this magnitude.  It wouldn't be thought of as an option.
The first mass killing that I remember was by a deranged ex-marine in a tower in Texas.  That was in the early 60s.
If there were a disagreement at our school it would be taken up across the street in a mano a mano fist fight.  No jerks with guns
or knives.  Afterwards....winner and loser forgot about it.  It was settled.  No one bringing knives or guns into school.  Again
not an option, unheard of.

Place the blame squarely where it lies.  On todays society.

Exactly!!  Well put sir