4 ms·

I honestly think precedent and copy-cat syndrome are hugely to blame. "Shooting up a school" has just become synonymous with going on a shooting rampage. How do

I honestly think precedent and copy-cat syndrome are hugely to blame. "Shooting up a school" has just become synonymous with going on a shooting rampage. How do we go back from this? Even if we ban guns, how do we stop the determined from getting their hands on a gun so that they can shot up a school? It think it's incredibly tragic that we have gotten to the point where killing multiple primsry school aged children is the go to outlet for mentally ill people who want to go on a killing spree in the United States.

colechristensen 4y ago
We have to start by giving less attention to these events. We have to start by being kind to the people who need it most and are often the most difficult to be kind to. You can’t just create a way to think of people who do things as some sort of “other”, we are all human and capable of similar things given the wrong circumstances.
- chmod600 4y ago
  I've often wondered what would happen if mass shootings were just reported in some dry government report released on some Friday in July. (Obviously this would either have to be a voluntary media cooperation or violate the free press. But an interesting hypothetical.)
- awsrocks 4y ago
- jimbob45 4y ago
  Replacing the perp’s name with “John Doe” or “Jane Doe” in major publications seems like a strong first step.
  - watwut 4y ago
    Unfortunately, that would be also great ground for misinformation about those shootings. Which is already large factor - both with regards to concrete incidents and general culture.
  - nisegami 4y ago
    If the shooter is white, the left wing will accuse the media of trying to cover up for a hate crime. If the shooter is not white, the right wing will accuse the media of trying to cover up a violent criminal.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
  We have given relatively little attention to all the times someone has driven their car through protesters, but it still keeps happening.
  - pc86 4y ago
    A third of the country thinks those protesters probably deserve it (regardless of what they're protesting). I'm not sure the analogy holds for 8 year olds.
oefrha 4y ago
The country is fascinated with crime. Fascination of the masses and breathless media coverage keep reinforcing each other. The worst criminals are almost treated with awe — referred to with their full names, including fucking middle names, like FDR or JFK; when do you see Bill Gates referred to as William Henry Gates? Right now, if you’re a failure in life, the easiest way to make a name for yourself and have a loud exit is to shoot up as many people as possible. I wonder what would happen if these idiots are given as little attention as possible and just referred to as John Doe.
shreyshnaccount 4y ago
I blame the media. Everything is just another storyline for reactions. Don't romanticise it. In any way. Because you dont know what glory looks like to a school shooter.
gsibble 4y ago
It's precisely because we all act like this and essentially glorify the shooter. If we ignored it, it would go away.
AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
I agree. I'm in favor of the second amendment for a variety of reasons, but since it is clear that firearms are amplifying the casualties inflicted by crazy people and the US has a lot of crazy people, I'm open to restrictions that I think can have a tangible effect. That said, it is treating the symptom instead of the cause. Our society is fundamentally rotten. We are growing increasingly irrational and violent, we are hating each other more and more, we believe in wild nonsense because we want to believe in it. People are lashing out, but where is all that anger coming from? I think this single-minded focus on firearms any time these events happen is a distraction, a furthering of the divide between people who don't understand each other and increasingly have no desire to. The real issue is that people feel trapped, oppressed, caged, and helpless, and because they feel like that they act rashly. People do not shoot up schools, run over protesters, and storm government buildings because they feel like things are mostly ok. As long as we continue to pretend that our society as it is today is fundamentally sound we'll continue down this path.
lliamander 4y ago
Eliminate gun free zones. Mass shooters overwhelmingly prefer to target such locations for obvious reasons. If it becomes known that most attempted mass shooters will die an ignominious death before they achieve their goal, the incentive for copycat shooters will be gone.

colechristensen 4y ago

We have to start by giving less attention to these events. We have to start by being kind to the people who need it most and are often the most difficult to be kind to. You can’t just create a way to think of people who do things as some sort of “other”, we are all human and capable of similar things given the wrong circumstances.

chmod600 4y ago
I've often wondered what would happen if mass shootings were just reported in some dry government report released on some Friday in July. (Obviously this would either have to be a voluntary media cooperation or violate the free press. But an interesting hypothetical.)
awsrocks 4y ago
jimbob45 4y ago
Replacing the perp’s name with “John Doe” or “Jane Doe” in major publications seems like a strong first step.
- watwut 4y ago
  Unfortunately, that would be also great ground for misinformation about those shootings. Which is already large factor - both with regards to concrete incidents and general culture.
- nisegami 4y ago
  If the shooter is white, the left wing will accuse the media of trying to cover up for a hate crime. If the shooter is not white, the right wing will accuse the media of trying to cover up a violent criminal.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
We have given relatively little attention to all the times someone has driven their car through protesters, but it still keeps happening.
- pc86 4y ago
  A third of the country thinks those protesters probably deserve it (regardless of what they're protesting). I'm not sure the analogy holds for 8 year olds.

oefrha 4y ago

The country is fascinated with crime. Fascination of the masses and breathless media coverage keep reinforcing each other. The worst criminals are almost treated with awe — referred to with their full names, including fucking middle names, like FDR or JFK; when do you see Bill Gates referred to as William Henry Gates? Right now, if you’re a failure in life, the easiest way to make a name for yourself and have a loud exit is to shoot up as many people as possible. I wonder what would happen if these idiots are given as little attention as possible and just referred to as John Doe.

shreyshnaccount 4y ago

I blame the media. Everything is just another storyline for reactions. Don't romanticise it. In any way. Because you dont know what glory looks like to a school shooter.

gsibble 4y ago

It's precisely because we all act like this and essentially glorify the shooter. If we ignored it, it would go away.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago

I agree. I'm in favor of the second amendment for a variety of reasons, but since it is clear that firearms are amplifying the casualties inflicted by crazy people and the US has a lot of crazy people, I'm open to restrictions that I think can have a tangible effect. That said, it is treating the symptom instead of the cause. Our society is fundamentally rotten. We are growing increasingly irrational and violent, we are hating each other more and more, we believe in wild nonsense because we want to believe in it. People are lashing out, but where is all that anger coming from? I think this single-minded focus on firearms any time these events happen is a distraction, a furthering of the divide between people who don't understand each other and increasingly have no desire to. The real issue is that people feel trapped, oppressed, caged, and helpless, and because they feel like that they act rashly. People do not shoot up schools, run over protesters, and storm government buildings because they feel like things are mostly ok. As long as we continue to pretend that our society as it is today is fundamentally sound we'll continue down this path.

lliamander 4y ago

Eliminate gun free zones. Mass shooters overwhelmingly prefer to target such locations for obvious reasons. If it becomes known that most attempted mass shooters will die an ignominious death before they achieve their goal, the incentive for copycat shooters will be gone.