Comments | american_arcane: In case there was any doubt left...

american_arcane

In case there was any doubt left...

Oct 02, 2006 13:20

...Yes, the world has gone completely insane.

Report of Shooting at Amish Schoolhouse
NICKEL MINES, Pa. Oct 2, 2006 (AP)- Police surrounded a one-room schoolhouse Monday in response to reports of multiple shooting victims, a television station reported, and a state police official says "a number" of people were shot to death at an Amish school ( Read more... )

school shooting, news, amish, crazy

Comments 20

papercuppie October 2 2006, 17:32:29 UTC

They're currently looking for another kid with a gun at two Las Vegas schools. And there were two fatal school shootings in the Midwest last week.

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

pakgwei October 2 2006, 17:45:27 UTC

The world has gone to hell since I've been laying here. I lost track a while ago how many people have been shot, run-down, stabbed, and beaten.

I actually wonder if this is fate's way of keeping me out of the fray.

american_arcane October 2 2006, 19:04:35 UTC

Ah-ha! So it's all your fault!

Quick, get better and get up--the world needs you! :)

kittenofwrath October 2 2006, 18:00:50 UTC

I don't really feel that the world has gotten more violent, in general, than it was, say, 500 years ago. I mean, France used to do public beheadings while people laughed and looked on. If we did that nowadays (especially in the U.S) people would be ashast and disgusted, for the most part. I think random acts of violence have always been a part of humanity's history, and that the media (whether it's the "liberal" media or the "republican" media) loves to focus on the negative.

Do they ever show reports of how a high school student might spend his weekend at a homeless shelter, dishing out soup and getting to know people? Or any random act of kindness? I think it's good to realize that more good happens out there than we realize. :)

american_arcane October 2 2006, 19:08:07 UTC

The world in general? Nope. We've just got much more efficient and effective ways of perpetrating our violence these days. And we're better at sweeping it under the rug.

But our youth and our schools? Much more violent today than they were fifteen years ago, that's for sure.

I've found that if you accept the fact that there needs to be a balance in the Universe, evidence of bad stuff is the best argument for the perpetuation and existance of good stuff.

Lots of good stuff happens. It's just not usually showy and good in pictures. Evil is more often grandstanding, trying to look impressive and scary. :)

kittenofwrath October 2 2006, 19:14:26 UTC

But our youth and our schools? Much more violent today than they were fifteen years ago, that's for sure

I can understand and agree with that. I do disagree that we've gotten better at hiding violence, though, or are more efficient at it, just in my opinion. I mean, Hitler was pretty damn (and horribly) efficient, and that was 60 years ago, right? And most Americans didn't even know it was going on until afterwards (at least, most of what I've read on it supports that statement)

People in authority have always swept things under the rug. Conversely, perhaps, people in authority, in the past, may have been more open and unapologetic about their violence (such as rape or murder). Eh, I'm sort of rambling, but, just spouting off my thoughts. It's something I've thought of and pondered, myself, so I see your perspective.

And good insight about how good deeds are often less "showy". That's very true.

american_arcane October 3 2006, 16:11:06 UTC

The key thing with the efficency and sneakiness of mass acts of violence today has to do with the prevalence of media and the people willing (and able) to take the time to record and report it.

We are seeing more small scale violent acts these days because everyone's got a camcorder and now everyone's got YouTube. Those large-scale things--like what's gone on in Sudan and Darfour--they don't get the coverage you'd expect. It's either because those who should be looking out are looking the other way or because the perpetrators are being more quiet about it.

I'd like to believe it the latter and not the former. In reality, it's a mix of both.

Thread 12

mreraser October 2 2006, 19:01:41 UTC

Somehow this will be a 'goth' amish kid :)

american_arcane October 2 2006, 19:09:06 UTC

Nooooooooooooo!

That would just be too much. It would be total and complete proof that we're living in a poorly written episode of some bad TV series.

:)

mreraser October 2 2006, 19:21:14 UTC

"written episode of some bad TV series."

You mean we don't?

kittenofwrath October 2 2006, 19:15:00 UTC

And eventually, a video game will be made out of it! :P

Thread 5

(The comment has been removed)

Re: hmmm american_arcane October 3 2006, 18:26:22 UTC

I think that's the popular catch-phrase everywhere. All part of the double-edges sword of being one of the loudest, best known and open nations in the world ( ... )