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I've never been so scared in my life

It's okay. It's a valid point. But in my mind, it reinforces the importance of safety and training.
Good response

Just got briefed by the police. Apparently, the kids own parents were at the school checking on him because they were concerned about him. His own dad was the one to take him down.

Wow, that's crazy
 
Glad it all turned out okay. What a scary thing to go through. Hope your daughter will be able to process it okay.
 
Scary stuff. My sister lives in Bountiful but her kids go to the next school over. Glad everything is okay, but man it's a scary world out there.
 
Also wouldn't safety and training just make sociopathic children who bring guns to school more deadly?

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I don't see these kids that way. I feel a lot of empathy for this kid. For every kid that takes a gun to school I bet there are a million more that suffer in similar ways. It may manifest itself through self harm, suicide, drug use, dropping out just to escape, etc but I don't think we can continue to think that there is something wrong with these kids. Honestly I think what this kid did was a perfectly natural reaction. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there are at least 10 more boys in that school that have thought about doing the same thing. There are probably at least 100 kids in that school using drugs and alcohol to cope and many more exhibiting other self harming behaviors(everything from cutting themselves to anorexia). Forgetting about the shooters for a second and just looking at everything else it seems clear to me that the problem is systemic not individual bad kids.
 
I don't see these kids that way. I feel a lot of empathy for this kid. For every kid that takes a gun to school I bet there are a million more that suffer in similar ways. It may manifest itself through self harm, suicide, drug use, dropping out just to escape, etc but I don't think we can continue to think that there is something wrong with these kids. Honestly I think what this kid did was a perfectly natural reaction. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there are at least 10 more boys in that school that have thought about doing the same thing. There are probably at least 100 kids in that school using drugs and alcohol to cope and many more exhibiting other self harming behaviors(everything from cutting themselves to anorexia). Forgetting about the shooters for a second and just looking at everything else it seems clear to me that the problem is systemic not individual bad kids.

I think it depends on the situation. That Sandy Hook shooter, for example, was very probably a sociopath. But I agree that most likely aren't.

But, what is the systemic problem you're talking about? What do you think is going on?
 
I think it depends on the situation. That Sandy Hook shooter, for example, was very probably a sociopath. But I agree that most likely aren't.

But, what is the systemic problem you're talking about? What do you think is going on?

For starters I don't think we can ignore their biology. I think a lot of it is a natural biological reaction to putting a bunch of teenagers in the same building. While it's a normal practice now it is neither natural nor is it normal over the course of human history. You take a person going through profound biological changes and put them in the most stressful social situation you possibly can surrounded by pheromones 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Then you ask them to concentrate and learn and if they don't they are a disappointment to their parents.
 
For starters I don't think we can ignore their biology. I think a lot of it is a natural biological reaction to putting a bunch of teenagers in the same building. While it's a normal practice now it is neither natural nor is it normal over the course of human history. You take a person going through profound biological changes and put them in the most stressful social situation you possibly can surrounded by pheromones 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Then you ask them to concentrate and learn and if they don't they are a disappointment to their parents.

Mass shooting is specially a problem in the United States (and a relatively recent one at that). You can't blame it on the modern schooling system since it has been ubiquitous since the industrial revolution, and has become the global standard the past century or so.

I think the problem goes deeper, and it has to do with the loss of community that technology and development brings about. This is exacerbated in North European cultures, like that of the United States, due to the inherently individualistic and productivity oriented outlook. Mentally vulnerable individuals suffer in their isolated bubbles, and end up breaking down, and sometimes lashing out.

I recommend you give the book Tribe: on Homecoming and Belonging a look. It tackles the question of why many people, specially men, specially in developed countries, and specially in the United States, miss war, and often find it difficult to readjust in modern society. The book often reaches in its explanations, but that is expected since it's written by a journalist and not a sociologist. The thesis it advances for the astronomical rates of PTSD for US war vets, even those who never saw combat, applies to problems like mass shootings and other extreme anti-social behavior. It's a good quick read.
 
I don't see these kids that way. I feel a lot of empathy for this kid. For every kid that takes a gun to school I bet there are a million more that suffer in similar ways. It may manifest itself through self harm, suicide, drug use, dropping out just to escape, etc but I don't think we can continue to think that there is something wrong with these kids. Honestly I think what this kid did was a perfectly natural reaction. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there are at least 10 more boys in that school that have thought about doing the same thing. There are probably at least 100 kids in that school using drugs and alcohol to cope and many more exhibiting other self harming behaviors(everything from cutting themselves to anorexia). Forgetting about the shooters for a second and just looking at everything else it seems clear to me that the problem is systemic not individual bad kids.
Yea, I feel empathy for him too and hope he gets help.

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