With the latest school shooting in Germany, and a recent shooting spree in the U.S, one has to begin to ask the question, why is it that Western countries are plagued by this phenomena? Why isn't it happening in other societies? Sure there might be violence in other countries, but usually it has some kind of point to it. People being oppressed, fighting for independance etc. But these shootings are just bizarre, kids going to school, often with no clear motive, and just gunning down their fellow students and often teachers.

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Timeline: Global school shootings

Schools, colleges and universities across the [WESTERN] world have been the scenes of multiple shooting incidents in recent years:

September 23, 2008: Kauhajoki, Finland

Matti Juhani Saari, 22, kills nine students and a teacher at the Kauhajoki School of Hospitality. He then shoots himself and dies later in hospital.

February 14, 2008: Illinois, US

Stephen Kazmierczak, 27, opens fire in a crowded lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, killing five students and injuring 18 others before committing suicide.

November 7, 2007: Tuusula, Finland

Pekka-Eric Auvinen, 18, kills seven fellow students and a teacher at Jokela High School before shooting himself.

April 16, 2007: Virginia, US

Cho Seung-hui, 23, fatally shoots 32 people at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, then kills himself in the deadliest gun rampage in the country's history.

November 20, 2006: Emsdetten, Germany

Sebastian Bosse, 18, an expelled student, kills 14 teachers, two students and a policeman during a gun rampage at Gutenberg School, his former high school, which ends with him taking his own life.

April 20, 1999: Colorado, US

Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, kill 12 students and a teacher, and wound 26 other people before taking their own lives, in a carefully planned attack on Columbine High School in Littleton, Denver.

March 13, 1996: Dunblane, Scotland

Thomas Hamilton, 43, kills 16 Kindergarten children and their teacher during a three-minute shooting spree in a primary school gymnasium before committing suicide.

Source: al-Jazeera

jordan484 wrote on Mar 12^th, 2009 at 9:27am:




We ["The West"] have definitely lost 'our way', in the last 5 decades or so, through choices we have made.
[a personal opinion]



abu said,

"Christianity should have a strong role in Britain"

".....the simple fact is that atheism and general falling away from religion is leading society into moral decay. I know, you'll tell me "But I know many moral atheists", and I'm sure there's some, but generally society has spiralled downwards since falling away from religion, this is a fact, even some not-so-religious people can accept."

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1236252136/7#7


I find myself agreeing with abu here.

Though i disagree with his own chosen path.

Abu - it is very alarming and bizarre, this spate of school killings.

Perhaps the unmitigated violent movies and games are not helping ?
The lack of a sense of any meaningful future ?

Yes, I have not heard of it happening in other cultures.

The glamourisation of violence in our media has been a thorn in my side for some time.
It desensitises people to violence.

lack of meaning gives people no goal. Starving afrivans have a goal.
They are too hard pressed to find food than to bother shooting helpless people, generally.

Being comfortable does make one lazy. I was in ways happier when broke.
"The hunger works for the labourer - it drives him on."

Indeed, a evolutionist belief can tlead to that sort of thought - people being just "lucky haphazard atoms."

This kids reality is no less real than yours or mine.  Just wildly different.

maybe it is also the stresses of modern life. eg climate change, the economy, multiculturalism.
many people suicide cause they can't face it. this kids could not face it, and did something different.

It's not good news.

I assume this is the same kid whose father was a member of a gun club and had many available firearms?

Take a look at the father for a minute.

He would probably have a military background (conscript?). What else did he do apart from that? Anything else? Shooter might have been under orders he was unable to refuse.

Most people who are conscripts do not maintain an interest in firearms to the extent of having nearly 20 or so of them lying around.

A specialised interest doesn't require that many.

Having that many would make you think that he had an interest not in just competitive shooting, but perhaps history, homeland defence, military pursuits, collecting etc.

That sort of interest is usually cultivated through indoctrination whether it be familial, military or through over-exposure to it.

It might not have strictly been the shooter at fault here.

But it very easily could have been.

jordan484 wrote on Mar 12^th, 2009 at 9:27am:




Because we have lost our 'way'.





Theoden - King of Rohan, at the battle of Helm's Deep.
J. R. R. Tolkien - The Two Towers

Sprintcyclist wrote on Mar 12^th, 2009 at 11:54am:




sprint,

There seems to be a theme developing here.....



Perhaps then, we should disarm our police, and our defence forces???.....
.....what with their clear capability to do something .
/sarc off

That logic is bulls!t.





What has got us 'here', is not 'violence', per se, but our unwillingness as a culture, to confront things in our midst which are clearly unjust and evil!

What is bad, is wickedness, and our moral delinquency.

Which can encourage a form of violence which is senseless and evil.





Have a read of this Telegraph, UK article....




"UK: Multiculturalism has failed, Grieve says"
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1236665651/0#0

If there is any correlation between declining religious belief in the west, and the propensity for some troubled individuals to engage in violent rampages, like those cited above, then I suspect the cause is more likely because of a dissociative psychology developing amongst our youth.

Now whilst I do not agree with any religious doctrines, I do recognise the sense of community that can develop amongst many religious groups, and it is that sense of community, rather than just moral direction, which seems to be lacking in our modern culture.

I would like to see a greater sense of community, and belonging, encouraged in our society, and if religion can help to achieve that, then that, at least, is one positive that can come from it, that will benefit the whole society.