Again...

[Majeed Badizadegan]

It's just heartbreaking.

Having a first grader myself and an eighteen month old, I can't begin to imagine the pain the parents must be feeling.

This was an act of truly unbridled evil.

 

[PhotoTish]

Just beyond understanding how anyone could do such a thing.

 

[Derrel]

This appears to be the gunman http://www.facebook.com/rlanza

His profile picture is getting something like 1,000 shares per minute.

Well, it turns out the NBC News reporter jumped the gun and reported the name of the guy's BROTHER, who was being held for questioning! so, NBC reported the WRONG MAN as the shooter!!!! "Ryan" is the BROTHER of the shooter, according to info I have gathered from NBC at 2:05 PM west coast time.

 

[ratssass]

i think the media sensationalism is quite disturbing also.imagine asking a 7 yr old a question like "did you see any of your friends,as you were led out of the school".An ambulance chasing parasite!!
That was about 1:30 pm,i saw that.Roughly 4 hrs after this started.

 

[sleist]

I lived the next town over for 10 years. Pretty surreal to see a place I know so well involved in such a horror.
Assault rifle used on children. Even God must lose faith ...

 

[TheFantasticG]

My wife and I are a blended family with 6 kids between us and 9 grand kids. We look at our grand kids and think they don't even know how to "play" like kids used to play. Some say it's the media, even going as far as using the 3 Stooges and the cartoon "roadrunner" as examples. I grew up with both of these "kids shows" but have never felt the need to hit someone on the head with a hammer.

But then I walked into my sons house and my 8 year old grand DAUGHTER was playing some western video game were she would walk up to cows and horses and shot them. The blood would fly, the animal was dead and she would laugh. THAT was scary. I could see where hours upon hours of this could desensitize a young mind. I think it different simply sitting back and watching compared to 'pulling the tigger" themselves. Like any "OLD man" my concerns were dismissed.

I've Grown up playing those types of games and watching the same cartoons and shows. I haven't committed mass murder nor will I. Runnah is right. It is education and the others are right that it is morality plays a big factor. Then again if something is chemically wrong in the brain education might not be able to overcome it.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

My wife and I are a blended family with 6 kids between us and 9 grand kids. We look at our grand kids and think they don't even know how to "play" like kids used to play. Some say it's the media, even going as far as using the 3 Stooges and the cartoon "roadrunner" as examples. I grew up with both of these "kids shows" but have never felt the need to hit someone on the head with a hammer.

But then I walked into my sons house and my 8 year old grand DAUGHTER was playing some western video game were she would walk up to cows and horses and shot them. The blood would fly, the animal was dead and she would laugh. THAT was scary. I could see where hours upon hours of this could desensitize a young mind. I think it different simply sitting back and watching compared to 'pulling the tigger" themselves. Like any "OLD man" my concerns were dismissed.

I've Grown up playing those types of games and watching the same cartoons and shows. I haven't committed mass murder nor will I. Runnah is right. It is education and the others are right that it is morality plays a big factor. Then again if something is chemically wrong in the brain education might not be able to overcome it.

Yeah. There is no ONE thing to blame for this kind of thing. It's a culmination of many ingredients.

As far as Ricks grand child not knowing how to play...and playing a violent video game. You can blame the parents. Don't blame it on the video game.

 

[mishele]

Common response is to try to understand or push blame in a direction when these things happen. Guns are not the problem, violent games, or even parents, the fact is you have a person that is completely off their rocker. What made them that way? Most likely it's in their making. Something that was there from birth that made them capable of such horrible acts. From what I read, and it could of changed since then, this person had mental issues.

 

[EIngerson]

A side question. How many of you (parents) teach your children that they have the infinite right to defend themselves. In cases like this, nearly 100% of the victims are found in a submissive posture. Multiple shooters have been interviewed and ask why they killed so many people and the answer was simple....."No body stopped me." As gruesome as the subject is, you have to teach your children to defend themselves. Kids are taught never to lay their hands on anyone and THAT will be the instinct they follow in a traumatic environment. If a kid had the presence of mind to throw a desk instead of cowering down, lives would be saved.

I don't mean to rant, but I'm pretty passionate about peoples lives. Please give some thought to teaching your children about how to react when the unthinkable happens. Sometimes it's as simple as hearing from a parents mouth.

 

[mishele]

Do you teach your children how to deal w/ the 99.9% of the situations that they will come in contact w/ in life or do you teach them about the .1%?
Again, no one is prepared for these kinds of situations.

 

[EIngerson]

Do you teach your children how to deal w/ the 99.9% of the situations that they will come in contact w/ in life or do you teach them about the .1%?
Again, no one is prepared for these kinds of situations.

I'm not trying to go all extremist or anything, but I disagree, you can be BETTER prepared to react to these situations. And when it pops up on the news that these tragedies happened, I remind my sons that they can do something about it instead of just sit there.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Yeah, because your first instinct when faced with a crazed gunman, is definitely to approach him, to punch his lights out.

 

[AgentDrex]

Perhaps not many people have the instinct to put their personal life and limb in danger for the potential benefit of others' safety. I'm sure,however, there are those people out there still.

 

[John27]

My wife and I are a blended family with 6 kids between us and 9 grand kids. We look at our grand kids and think they don't even know how to "play" like kids used to play. Some say it's the media, even going as far as using the 3 Stooges and the cartoon "roadrunner" as examples. I grew up with both of these "kids shows" but have never felt the need to hit someone on the head with a hammer.

But then I walked into my sons house and my 8 year old grand DAUGHTER was playing some western video game were she would walk up to cows and horses and shot them. The blood would fly, the animal was dead and she would laugh. THAT was scary. I could see where hours upon hours of this could desensitize a young mind. I think it different simply sitting back and watching compared to 'pulling the tigger" themselves. Like any "OLD man" my concerns were dismissed.

I've Grown up playing those types of games and watching the same cartoons and shows. I haven't committed mass murder nor will I. Runnah is right. It is education and the others are right that it is morality plays a big factor. Then again if something is chemically wrong in the brain education might not be able to overcome it.

Yeah. There is no ONE thing to blame for this kind of thing. It's a culmination of many ingredients.

As far as Ricks grand child not knowing how to play...and playing a violent video game. You can blame the parents. Don't blame it on the video game.

+1.

My undergraduate is in psychology and in several classes we spent a lot of time discussing this subject. My degree is certainly not a post-grad level, but what I have learned is that these games desensitize, they don't create.

It's very true, backed up by studies, and countless-ly tirelessly researched that violent media (video games, TV, you name it. Even news reports of crimes that don't actually show anything can have this same effect) can have a desensitization effect, it can make a person less likely to hesitate. It can take a person from holding a gun, to pulling the trigger.

In one such (very unethical) study from the 70's, two groups of children were researched for aggression and violent responses. One group was placed in a room, one at a time, and provoked and intimidated by a researcher. The other group was shown graphic footage from WWII and Viet Nam, footage of crimes, boxing matches, etc. In both groups, the ratio of children who reacted violently when provoked by the researcher was about the same. Some kids cried and cowered, others got angry and screamed or even hit the researchers. However, in the group that had witnessed the violent media, those who were agressive were much more agressive. They punched, kicked, bit, they became agressive quicker, and reacted more violently. They were also the only group to use weapons, chairs, books, clipboards, etc. Whatever they could find. Their violent outbursts, in addition to being more violent, also lasted longer.

So the point is, in this and similar studies, the violent media didn't really increase the number of individuals who reacted violently to stress, it did, however, increase HOW violent they were when stressed.

They do not, however, change anyone's personality. At least, studies haven't shown that. Millions of people absorb violent media and few of them end up harming someone. The scary part is, someone who is unwell, might be less likely to harm someone if not exposed to violent media, but in the end, we should treat the disease, not mask the symptoms.

People need to stop being so afraid of dealing with issues. Parents don't want to believe their kids are struggling with emotional or psychological issues, and people think counselling is only for almost-divorced couples and psychopaths. If we could show a little respect and love to our fellow man, and be there for people when they struggle instead of stigmatize them for having emotional or psychological issues, I really think we could make a difference. Again, treat the disease, not the symptom...

 

[EIngerson]

Yeah, because your first instinct when faced with a crazed gunman, is definitely to approach him, to punch his lights out.

LOL, Give it some real thought. What advice would you give someone on this situation?