MrMacphisto said:
I disagree... Kids are more violent today only because of two things: our culture is somewhat numb to violence, and we hear about it more. It's quite possible that school shootings occurred as far back as the '50s, but we simply didn't hear about it. Lots of things used to get censored in the media. Even today, our coverage of the Iraq War and insurgency is censored by the government. This could just be a matter of not knowing about previous incidents.
You're welcome to disagree, but my opinion remains the same. This did NOT happen when I was a teenager anywhere in the United States! My mother didn't keep me from anything, R-rated movies, violence, sex scenes, or anything else! I still obeyed the law and respected human life. These kids are getting smarter and more deviant by the day. They use the knowledge we're blessed with for heinous and evil things and not for the good of mankind at all. But when you are so narcisstic to the point where even you own life is meaningless in the end, something is severely wrong.
I won't even open the door to censorship by convenience. The media exposes us to violence, sex, drug use, and every deviant behavior known today. But they conveniently censor and filter what's going on in the Middle East. There's a reason for that, but it should be discussed in the P&R forum so I won't open the door here.
I also lay some responsibility at the door of many parents in today's society and their so-called parenting methods. Nowadays, many parents either spoil and pamper their children, or they abuse or neglect them. Both have dire consequences on the children.
#1-the television is NOT the babysitter and responsible for raising you children. You, the parent birthed them, now GO AND RAISE THEM TO BE RESPONSIBLE ADULTS!! Sounds like a novel concept in today's society, but I guarantee if people began doing it, a lot of lives would be saved. If it means that someone should cut back on their work hours to come home and be there for your children, than you give fewer physical gifts and give more emotional ones. Your kids won't remember what toys they played with, but they'll remember when you've been there for them. My son proved it to me recently but I'm going to spare the details for now.
#2-require more of your children than just existence! If a teacher calls home saying your child's a problem, get proactive, not defensive. Every teacher's not out to get your kid. If "little Jonny" is getting teacher calls home regularly and you deny he has a problem and blame others for his manic behavior, it's a time bomb waiting to explode. Get help by any means necessary.
#3-stop trying to buy your children's love, roll up your sleeves, and work with it! There were times I told my children "no" because they're going to live in a world where they're going to hear it repetedly. Too many parents drown their guilt and inadequacy by buying their kids everything they want instead of spending time with them and keeping them close. Once they turn teenagers, you have a stranger in your home with a false sense of entitlement that will make you count the days to his/her 18th birthday (provided they make it that far).
I could go on forever about responsible parenting, but I have a lot of things to do today. I have one adult and 1 15yr old so I have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. I had problems with my son for years. I dropped my pride and got him some help. It took nearly two years of hell, but I just kept kicking in doors until someone put him in a position he is in now-high school graduate with a very good job he can hang his hat on for the next 30 years if he wants to. He's better off than I am!
This young man had a pretty high deck stacked against him, but there are people who have gone through worse and have made it into society successfully. You wouldn't even know they had problems unless they shared them with you. Someone dropped the ball with this child, he slipped through the cracks, and he took a lot of people with him.
His grandfather was a cop-not all cops are bad, but many of them have issues. I wonder what the dynamics were between the two of them. Must not have been that great considering the end result. How did this child get access to the guns? Someone may not have been very responsible with their weapons. There are a lot of gaps in this story and a lot of directions it can go. This child was basically either taunted or ignored by his village. He's a classic example of it taking a village to raise a child.
