The spreading American disease? ( Archived) (8)

The news has been tragic from yesterday -

Germany, which has much stricter gun laws than the USA, had an America-style (now becoming almost 'everyday' and part of the American culture) high school shoot out......... seven students were killed and three teachers.

Apparently the young man (who had been expelled from the school where he went 'beserk'and had people 'LOL' him on the internet fof threatening to take his revenge) had been under some psychiatric treatment which he had failed to continue.

It's all very sad............ these youngsters who see that they have maybe no future in life believe that they can at least die in 'glory' and have their few minutes of fame or infamy as their final desperate act of attention seeking succeeds on the day that they die.

What makes our kids in western civilised societies so desperately suicidal?

What makes them feel such hatred for life that they decide to take as many people with them on the day they choose to die?

Are we failing our young people somehow?

Do we need to give them challenges that they feel are within their capabilities that they feel they have some chance of acheiving?

Is success and the 'American Dream' or an aspired to lifestyle in the west so totally beyond the reach of the majority of young people growing up?

I'm not, of course, saying that the average American or German or British or Spanish kid is likely to be a potential mass murderer - but does what is now happening on a fairly regular basis give us real cause for concern?

Please give your thoughts - kids are our FUTURE and this kind of thing scares the crap out of me!

I saw it on the news and was very saddened by your losses. We too have had high school and college massacares. I agree we are failing our young people but I don't have a clue how to stop it. I am one of those people who blame parents for everything. I'll probably get beat up for saying that but I believe child rearing all starts when they are young. By the time a child is 4 years old, they are who they will be.

My condolences to you Rusty.

this is an awful event as it would be anywhere ,but to call it an 'American Culture" is not really nice to say the least

Also" American disease"wow

Well Rusty.

Whilst I agree with your points, on our children, I think you may well have orchestrated yourself a public flogging, given the thread title and your comments, as Jesse has pointed out...

American Disease is a bit strong, Rusty...if it's no longer just in this country, then it means other societies are having the same issues, and it is a problem of society today, not just American society.

And I don't just blame the parents. I think part of it is because so many today don't get to be parents to their children that much. Children today in so many countries have two working parents and go to daycare where they are watched by a couple of strangers, and interact with other children at an early age. Some are damaged by this as they are mistreated by those other children at an early developmental stage, and then come home to parents who are stressed from working all day, and who might not get to interact with their children as often as they would like. Violence on TV and in the movies, and the violence on so many video games and in the music of today doesn't help, either.

And these issues aren't just American issues anymore.