I recently made a comment in a thread on AMT that Americans need to stop worrying so much about terrorism and "shipping them back to where they came from" and closing the boarders to immigrants, and instead worrying about the people in their own backyard. Well, now I have come across proof of this fact, and it is overwhelming:
(CNN)—During his presidency, President Barack Obama has had to deliver statements on gun violence 15 times.
After a gunman opened fire at Oregon's Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and injuring seven, a visibly upset Obama said the shootings were becoming all too routine.
The gunman also died, although it's unclear whether he was shot by police or committed suicide.
"The reporting is routine," he said. "My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We've become numb to this."
He then asked news organizations to tally up the number of Americans killed through terrorist attacks in the last decade and compare it with the number of Americans who have died in gun violence.
Using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we found that from 2004 to 2013, 316,545 people died by firearms on U.S. soil. (2013 is the most recent year CDC data for deaths by firearms is available.) This data covered all manners of death, including homicide, accident and suicide.
According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas as a result of incidents of terrorism from 2004 to 2013 was 277.
In addition, we compiled all terrorism incidents inside the U.S.* and found that between 2004 and 2013, there were 36 people killed in domestic acts of terrorism. This brings the total to 313.
I recently made a comment in a thread on AMT that Americans need to stop worrying so much about terrorism and "shipping them back to where they came from" and closing the boarders to immigrants, and instead worrying about the people in their own backyard. Well, now I have come across proof of this fact, and it is overwhelming:
(CNN)—During his presidency, President Barack Obama has had to deliver statements on gun violence 15 times.
After a gunman opened fire at Oregon's Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and injuring seven, a visibly upset Obama said the shootings were becoming all too routine.
The gunman also died, although it's unclear whether he was shot by police or committed suicide.
"The reporting is routine," he said. "My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We've become numb to this."
He then asked news organizations to tally up the number of Americans killed through terrorist attacks in the last decade and compare it with the number of Americans who have died in gun violence.
Using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we found that from 2004 to 2013, 316,545 people died by firearms on U.S. soil. (2013 is the most recent year CDC data for deaths by firearms is available.) This data covered all manners of death, including homicide, accident and suicide.
According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas as a result of incidents of terrorism from 2004 to 2013 was 277.
In addition, we compiled all terrorism incidents inside the U.S.* and found that between 2004 and 2013, there were 36 people killed in domestic acts of terrorism. This brings the total to 313.
Good question and interesting discussion all around.
Three things come to mind: -Somehow curb the media to give people seeking infamy far less attention. -Make mental health more available and more affordable. -Make gun purchases more difficult, background checks more thorough.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I recently made a comment in a thread on AMT that Americans need to stop worrying so much about terrorism and "shipping them back to where they came from" and closing the boarders to immigrants, and instead worrying about the people in their own backyard. Well, now I have come across proof of this fact, and it is overwhelming:
(CNN)—During his presidency, President Barack Obama has had to deliver statements on gun violence 15 times.
After a gunman opened fire at Oregon's Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and injuring seven, a visibly upset Obama said the shootings were becoming all too routine.
The gunman also died, although it's unclear whether he was shot by police or committed suicide.
"The reporting is routine," he said. "My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We've become numb to this."
He then asked news organizations to tally up the number of Americans killed through terrorist attacks in the last decade and compare it with the number of Americans who have died in gun violence.
Using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we found that from 2004 to 2013, 316,545 people died by firearms on U.S. soil. (2013 is the most recent year CDC data for deaths by firearms is available.) This data covered all manners of death, including homicide, accident and suicide.
According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas as a result of incidents of terrorism from 2004 to 2013 was 277.
In addition, we compiled all terrorism incidents inside the U.S.* and found that between 2004 and 2013, there were 36 people killed in domestic acts of terrorism. This brings the total to 313.
Those numbers are staggering.
aren't they?
over THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE IN 10 YEARS. that should not be acceptable by any society. that is unbelievable.
I recently made a comment in a thread on AMT that Americans need to stop worrying so much about terrorism and "shipping them back to where they came from" and closing the boarders to immigrants, and instead worrying about the people in their own backyard. Well, now I have come across proof of this fact, and it is overwhelming:
(CNN)—During his presidency, President Barack Obama has had to deliver statements on gun violence 15 times.
After a gunman opened fire at Oregon's Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and injuring seven, a visibly upset Obama said the shootings were becoming all too routine.
The gunman also died, although it's unclear whether he was shot by police or committed suicide.
"The reporting is routine," he said. "My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We've become numb to this."
He then asked news organizations to tally up the number of Americans killed through terrorist attacks in the last decade and compare it with the number of Americans who have died in gun violence.
Using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we found that from 2004 to 2013, 316,545 people died by firearms on U.S. soil. (2013 is the most recent year CDC data for deaths by firearms is available.) This data covered all manners of death, including homicide, accident and suicide.
According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas as a result of incidents of terrorism from 2004 to 2013 was 277.
In addition, we compiled all terrorism incidents inside the U.S.* and found that between 2004 and 2013, there were 36 people killed in domestic acts of terrorism. This brings the total to 313.
Those numbers are staggering.
aren't they?
over THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE IN 10 YEARS. that should not be acceptable by any society. that is unbelievable.
it actually is making me pretty angry right now.
The first time I read that I actually missed that figure. I read something earlier the Australian PM or someone who was in charge when they had their laws passed in the 90s said that the US situation is just too far gone at this point. I kinda wish we could get those guys on our payroll though and see if they can't come up with some solution.
I really think the op has hit upon something big. Prior to 1968 you could go to your local hardware store and buy surplus ww2 weapons like bazookas, flame throwers, etc and you didn't hear about any of these crazy massacres. Imagine if those weapons were legal today? what has changed? to me the recipe for disaster includes: self gratification, social media, the current state of the "news", the number of guns available, depression, all these crazy prescription drugs that are now available, and the opportunity to become "famous". just a crazy ass world we live in. to me, these people are almost like suicide bombers in the middle east. I just can't wrap my head around it.
Only $1,000...Order yours today!
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Good question and interesting discussion all around.
Three things come to mind: -Somehow curb the media to give people seeking infamy far less attention. -Make mental health more available and more affordable. -Make gun purchases more difficult, background checks more thorough.
great ideas brian! I'd love to see all three passed.
another thing since I was just scrolling through FB
so many people are posting or reposting reports of the statistics which very plainly show that more guns = more gun deaths, but there's still incredibly stupid shit popping up like a graph that shows the entire fault is "mentally disturbed people who don't care about laws"
That kind of willful ignorance JUST to be argumentative or contrarian astounds me
yeah, the americans I've met on my limited travels have all been pretty nice and pretty happy.
I specifically said as a group. As a mass. I have talked about how much more friendly Americans are than Canadians on a personal level a ton of times. But the angry, nationalistic, paranoid, divisive fervor of Americans en masse and in their media and government is pretty hard to miss too, and that cultural bugaboo may contribute to all the mass killings.
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
In all seriousness, the main "cultural" issue in America is our cultural tendency to politicize everything.
Any chance someone gets, they will tie a stance back to a main political party and start blaming everyone but themselves for the woes at hand.
GOP blocks this.... Dems block that....
GOP fault for this.....
That's the culture you need to change.
The "Us vs. Them" mentality of the U.S. is what needs to change, and so do your false dichotomies. It used to take about a week for people to mourn dead people in a national incident before the moved on to the blame game, now it takes 12 hours.
This is why, to many, America doesn't look like a problem-solving nation to anybody, it looks like a bunch of crybabies. We seem to thrive on the governmental infighting.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
In all seriousness, the main "cultural" issue in America is our cultural tendency to politicize everything.
Any chance someone gets, they will tie a stance back to a main political party and start blaming everyone but themselves for the woes at hand.
GOP blocks this.... Dems block that....
GOP fault for this.....
That's the culture you need to change.
The "Us vs. Them" mentality of the U.S. is what needs to change, and so do your false dichotomies. It used to take about a week for people to mourn dead people in a national incident before the moved on to the blame game, now it takes 12 hours.
This is why, to many, America doesn't look like a problem-solving nation to anybody, it looks like a bunch of crybabies. We seem to thrive on the governmental infighting.
Peace
to be honest, it is quite fair to blame the one party that blocks any possible improvements to gun laws. after sandy hook, 90% of americans wanted tighter gun laws. 90%!!! the republicans blocked it. why? why the fuck can we not pass something that 90% of the public, and most legal gun owners want? because of the nra lobby and it's hold on the republican party.
us vs them?
no, it is the people vs the nra.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
another thing since I was just scrolling through FB
so many people are posting or reposting reports of the statistics which very plainly show that more guns = more gun deaths, but there's still incredibly stupid shit popping up like a graph that shows the entire fault is "mentally disturbed people who don't care about laws"
That kind of willful ignorance JUST to be argumentative or contrarian astounds me
welcome to american politics since 2008.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
I recently made a comment in a thread on AMT that Americans need to stop worrying so much about terrorism and "shipping them back to where they came from" and closing the boarders to immigrants, and instead worrying about the people in their own backyard. Well, now I have come across proof of this fact, and it is overwhelming:
(CNN)—During his presidency, President Barack Obama has had to deliver statements on gun violence 15 times.
After a gunman opened fire at Oregon's Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and injuring seven, a visibly upset Obama said the shootings were becoming all too routine.
The gunman also died, although it's unclear whether he was shot by police or committed suicide.
"The reporting is routine," he said. "My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We've become numb to this."
He then asked news organizations to tally up the number of Americans killed through terrorist attacks in the last decade and compare it with the number of Americans who have died in gun violence.
Using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we found that from 2004 to 2013, 316,545 people died by firearms on U.S. soil. (2013 is the most recent year CDC data for deaths by firearms is available.) This data covered all manners of death, including homicide, accident and suicide.
According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas as a result of incidents of terrorism from 2004 to 2013 was 277.
In addition, we compiled all terrorism incidents inside the U.S.* and found that between 2004 and 2013, there were 36 people killed in domestic acts of terrorism. This brings the total to 313.
Those numbers are staggering.
i agree. the numbers are indeed staggering. it makes me angry to think about it too.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
Some interesting thoughts and opinions here, cheers for the input.
I suppose what I'm trying to isolate is what makes America different and I don't think it's as simple as the availability of guns, though clearly that is a large part of the problem.
I agree that it's not one single thing but a combination of factors. One of these I think is the attitude towards government in America. Would it be fair to say that there is an inherent distrust amongst Americans towards politicians, both local and national? You seem to view them not as your representatives working to make your country better but as an irritant, interfering in your lives and conspiring to keep you down. I'm sure there may be good reasons for this attitude but such tension between a government and its citizenry creates a very unhealthy atmosphere.
Secondly, could the multicultural nature of America be a factor? Is it perhaps unsurprising that there is no longer a strong sense of community in a country divided into a plethora of different races and cultures? I could even go further and suggest that it even traces back to the fact that all Americans (barring the Native Americans of course) are in fact immigrants themselves and that although you may identify yourselves as being of one nationality, you never truly feel that unbreakable bond of kinship with your fellow Americans that would be felt by the Irish, for example.
I'm probably losing the run of myself here but am just throwing out some ideas, feel free to shoot them down (poor choice of words in the circumstances!)
Some interesting thoughts and opinions here, cheers for the input.
I suppose what I'm trying to isolate is what makes America different and I don't think it's as simple as the availability of guns, though clearly that is a large part of the problem.
I agree that it's not one single thing but a combination of factors. One of these I think is the attitude towards government in America. Would it be fair to say that there is an inherent distrust amongst Americans towards politicians, both local and national? You seem to view them not as your representatives working to make your country better but as an irritant, interfering in your lives and conspiring to keep you down. I'm sure there may be good reasons for this attitude but such tension between a government and its citizenry creates a very unhealthy atmosphere.
Secondly, could the multicultural nature of America be a factor? Is it perhaps unsurprising that there is no longer a strong sense of community in a country divided into a plethora of different races and cultures? I could even go further and suggest that it even traces back to the fact that all Americans (barring the Native Americans of course) are in fact immigrants themselves and that although you may identify yourselves as being of one nationality, you never truly feel that unbreakable bond of kinship with your fellow Americans that would be felt by the Irish, for example.
I'm probably losing the run of myself here but am just throwing out some ideas, feel free to shoot them down (poor choice of words in the circumstances!)
We definitely have trust issues with our government (I was just having a discussion with my step-daughter about bill riders- basically a the ability lawmakers here have the ability to get something passed through congress by attaching it to something unrelated. When she read me the textbook definition it truly caused a face-palm reaction in me.) But I don't know that this is a major cause of mass shootings.
Racial issues do get involved sometimes but again, not a major factor. Plus I think that despite what you hear about race issues in America I would say, in my lifetime at least, it seems people more easily mix in terms of race than we did here in the 50's and much of the 60's. Probably because schools are more integrated than they were back then.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
We don't trust politicians. A politician's job is to get elected. Once elected their job is to remain in office or aspire to a higher office. period. I dunno where this idea that politicians are keeping us down or whatever comes from but that's not something I'm familiar with.
Albany is like one big joke though with the corruption and shit so, I don't even know how many of them have been arrested already, I think Sheldon Silver is under investigation now for Chrissakes - and don't even get me started on Bloomberg. Man got rid of term limits so he could be mayor for an extra four years. Like, what? My coworker got soooooooooo mad at me cuz he was going on and on about how we're going to vote Bloomberg out - I'm like "you're joking right? the man got rid of term limits so he could have a third term. You really think it fucking matters what the actual votes say?" he got all "my vote counts!" and then sure enough Bloomberg got his third term. Like, fucking duh.
Is there a more ruthless state of capitalism than the US?
Is the 'dog eat dog' attitude more prevalent in any other country?
I ask because I wonder if this attitude transcends itself through the fabric of US society and affects some in ways which are immeasurable and unexplainable- largely through feelings of inadequacy.
To serve as background to what I am saying... I backpacked Costa Rica back in 1991 (or 1992). Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north had experienced civil war in the same era (roughly). Costa Rica had no internal tension. What was the difference? Same geographical regions, people, and languages... but Costa Rica provided public education and health care while the other countries didn't. The people were content with baseline levels of social programming.
Interestingly... Costa Rica police, at the time, never carried guns.
In a nutshell... does the pursuit of the American Dream (fame and fortune) drive some to despair and anger? University and colleges are prime places for people to begin to realize they might not materialize into what they had hoped.
I guess we should be carefully looking at the fact that these are all men. Don't men have some insight there? What could be done to help the problem of all these males turning to extreme violence as a way to express themselves?
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
I guess we should be carefully looking at the fact that these are all men. Don't men have some insight there? What could be done to help the problem of all these males turning to extreme violence as a way to express themselves?
Men are brutal. We are prone to violence and much more dangerous than the fairer, kinder gender.
I guess we should be carefully looking at the fact that these are all men. Don't men have some insight there? What could be done to help the problem of all these males turning to extreme violence as a way to express themselves?
Men are brutal. We are prone to violence and much more dangerous than the fairer, kinder gender.
emotionally suppresed and thought weak or less then a man for trying to express emotion. builds until it explodes in harmful ways. seems we arent allowed to be fully expressed human beings first.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I guess we should be carefully looking at the fact that these are all men. Don't men have some insight there? What could be done to help the problem of all these males turning to extreme violence as a way to express themselves?
Men are brutal. We are prone to violence and much more dangerous than the fairer, kinder gender.
emotionally suppresed and thought weak or less then a man for trying to express emotion. builds until it explodes in harmful ways. seems we arent allowed to be fully expressed human beings first.
You feel we are conditioned as we are?
While, to some degree I would concur, I feel it is within our genetic code to act with more aggression- we are wired differently from women. Couple our inherent tendencies with a dash of faulty wiring, perfect environmental conditions and... voila... a mass murderer.
There are multiple items that successfully contribute to the construction of the 21st century freak murderer. I think the feeling of despair is the spark that ignites the fire though. Once the 'perfect blend' feels useless... hatred swells within and we experience their expression of rage.
I guess we should be carefully looking at the fact that these are all men. Don't men have some insight there? What could be done to help the problem of all these males turning to extreme violence as a way to express themselves?
Men are brutal. We are prone to violence and much more dangerous than the fairer, kinder gender.
emotionally suppresed and thought weak or less then a man for trying to express emotion. builds until it explodes in harmful ways. seems we arent allowed to be fully expressed human beings first.
You feel we are conditioned as we are?
While, to some degree I would concur, I feel it is within our genetic code to act with more aggression- we are wired differently from women. Couple our inherent tendencies with a dash of faulty wiring, perfect environmental conditions and... voila... a mass murderer.
There are multiple items that successfully contribute to the construction of the 21st century freak murderer. I think the feeling of despair is the spark that ignites the fire though. Once the 'perfect blend' feels useless... hatred swells within and we experience their expression of rage.
And those displayiing more of the feminine are taunted and teased to a point where the maleness emerges in not so feminine ways.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I guess we should be carefully looking at the fact that these are all men. Don't men have some insight there? What could be done to help the problem of all these males turning to extreme violence as a way to express themselves?
this is an interesting point.
i have never thought of that before. i just always assumed mass shooter is a male.
if you look at the majority of these guys, they are mostly white males, that have some sort of social awkwardness, live with their parents into late 20s, and have been shunned by women. they are loners. so they act out out of some form of vengeance or retribution.
if you think about that, you can almost begin to look at people and suspect that they could be capable of doing something like this. i know we aren't supposed to profile, but you show me a squirly white dude with metal frame glasses or a bowl haircut who has no friends and has never had a girlfriend and you compare him to a professional boxer, i am going to be less suspect of the professional fighter.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
I wonder if dna can be tested to see if there is a gene that all these guys posses in common.A serial killer gene if you will.I don't think it would be a testosterone/ estrogen imbalance but maybe more along the lines of lack of feel good hormones and flooded levels of bad hormone.like what creates manic behavior or what keeps people paranoid,depressed.etc
rr, tons of research has been done on this. No sign of a serial killer gene yet. There are some abnormalities in the serotonin system (transporters, receptors, etc.) in a subset of those who attempt suicide by violent means, which might apply here as in many of these incidents the shooter doesn't intend to live through it. Some subtle abnormalities in structure as well as information processing in psychopaths, too.
my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
what i don't get is the need to kill people and take them with you when you commit suicide by cop.
you want to die, you have a gun and a handful of bullets, shoot yourself and nobody else.
i am convinced that the ready access to bullets contributes. let people have all the guns they want, but limit the number of bullets one can purchase legally.
they need to monitor ammo sales the way they monitor ammonium nitrate sales, or something like that.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
Comments
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-shooting-terrorism-gun-violence/index.html
(CNN)—During his presidency, President Barack Obama has had to deliver statements on gun violence 15 times.
After a gunman opened fire at Oregon's Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and injuring seven, a visibly upset Obama said the shootings were becoming all too routine.
The gunman also died, although it's unclear whether he was shot by police or committed suicide.
"The reporting is routine," he said. "My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We've become numb to this."
He then asked news organizations to tally up the number of Americans killed through terrorist attacks in the last decade and compare it with the number of Americans who have died in gun violence.
Using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we found that from 2004 to 2013, 316,545 people died by firearms on U.S. soil. (2013 is the most recent year CDC data for deaths by firearms is available.) This data covered all manners of death, including homicide, accident and suicide.
According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas as a result of incidents of terrorism from 2004 to 2013 was 277.
In addition, we compiled all terrorism incidents inside the U.S.* and found that between 2004 and 2013, there were 36 people killed in domestic acts of terrorism. This brings the total to 313.
www.headstonesband.com
Three things come to mind:
-Somehow curb the media to give people seeking infamy far less attention.
-Make mental health more available and more affordable.
-Make gun purchases more difficult, background checks more thorough.
over THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE IN 10 YEARS. that should not be acceptable by any society. that is unbelievable.
it actually is making me pretty angry right now.
www.headstonesband.com
I read something earlier the Australian PM or someone who was in charge when they had their laws passed in the 90s said that the US situation is just too far gone at this point. I kinda wish we could get those guys on our payroll though and see if they can't come up with some solution.
LIVEFOOTSTEPS.ORG/USER/?USR=435
The XM42 is the world’s first fully handheld, grab and go flamethrower on the market. No heavy pressurized tanks, no silly car-wash sprayers.
http://xm42.com/
Classifying a mass shooting as 4 or more people are killed or injured by gunfire.
Those that can be trusted can change their mind.
so many people are posting or reposting reports of the statistics which very plainly show that more guns = more gun deaths, but there's still incredibly stupid shit popping up like a graph that shows the entire fault is "mentally disturbed people who don't care about laws"
That kind of willful ignorance JUST to be argumentative or contrarian astounds me
LIVEFOOTSTEPS.ORG/USER/?USR=435
In all seriousness, the main "cultural" issue in America is our cultural tendency to politicize everything.
Any chance someone gets, they will tie a stance back to a main political party and start blaming everyone but themselves for the woes at hand.
GOP blocks this....
Dems block that....
GOP fault for this.....
That's the culture you need to change.
The "Us vs. Them" mentality of the U.S. is what needs to change, and so do your false dichotomies. It used to take about a week for people to mourn dead people in a national incident before the moved on to the blame game, now it takes 12 hours.
This is why, to many, America doesn't look like a problem-solving nation to anybody, it looks like a bunch of crybabies. We seem to thrive on the governmental infighting.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
us vs them?
no, it is the people vs the nra.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I suppose what I'm trying to isolate is what makes America different and I don't think it's as simple as the availability of guns, though clearly that is a large part of the problem.
I agree that it's not one single thing but a combination of factors. One of these I think is the attitude towards government in America. Would it be fair to say that there is an inherent distrust amongst Americans towards politicians, both local and national? You seem to view them not as your representatives working to make your country better but as an irritant, interfering in your lives and conspiring to keep you down. I'm sure there may be good reasons for this attitude but such tension between a government and its citizenry creates a very unhealthy atmosphere.
Secondly, could the multicultural nature of America be a factor? Is it perhaps unsurprising that there is no longer a strong sense of community in a country divided into a plethora of different races and cultures? I could even go further and suggest that it even traces back to the fact that all Americans (barring the Native Americans of course) are in fact immigrants themselves and that although you may identify yourselves as being of one nationality, you never truly feel that unbreakable bond of kinship with your fellow Americans that would be felt by the Irish, for example.
I'm probably losing the run of myself here but am just throwing out some ideas, feel free to shoot them down (poor choice of words in the circumstances!)
Racial issues do get involved sometimes but again, not a major factor. Plus I think that despite what you hear about race issues in America I would say, in my lifetime at least, it seems people more easily mix in terms of race than we did here in the 50's and much of the 60's. Probably because schools are more integrated than they were back then.
I dunno where this idea that politicians are keeping us down or whatever comes from but that's not something I'm familiar with.
Albany is like one big joke though with the corruption and shit so, I don't even know how many of them have been arrested already, I think Sheldon Silver is under investigation now for Chrissakes - and don't even get me started on Bloomberg. Man got rid of term limits so he could be mayor for an extra four years. Like, what? My coworker got soooooooooo mad at me cuz he was going on and on about how we're going to vote Bloomberg out - I'm like "you're joking right? the man got rid of term limits so he could have a third term. You really think it fucking matters what the actual votes say?" he got all "my vote counts!" and then sure enough Bloomberg got his third term. Like, fucking duh.
LIVEFOOTSTEPS.ORG/USER/?USR=435
Is the 'dog eat dog' attitude more prevalent in any other country?
I ask because I wonder if this attitude transcends itself through the fabric of US society and affects some in ways which are immeasurable and unexplainable- largely through feelings of inadequacy.
To serve as background to what I am saying... I backpacked Costa Rica back in 1991 (or 1992). Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north had experienced civil war in the same era (roughly). Costa Rica had no internal tension. What was the difference? Same geographical regions, people, and languages... but Costa Rica provided public education and health care while the other countries didn't. The people were content with baseline levels of social programming.
Interestingly... Costa Rica police, at the time, never carried guns.
In a nutshell... does the pursuit of the American Dream (fame and fortune) drive some to despair and anger? University and colleges are prime places for people to begin to realize they might not materialize into what they had hoped.
Just thoughts off the top of my head.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
While, to some degree I would concur, I feel it is within our genetic code to act with more aggression- we are wired differently from women. Couple our inherent tendencies with a dash of faulty wiring, perfect environmental conditions and... voila... a mass murderer.
There are multiple items that successfully contribute to the construction of the 21st century freak murderer. I think the feeling of despair is the spark that ignites the fire though. Once the 'perfect blend' feels useless... hatred swells within and we experience their expression of rage.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
i have never thought of that before. i just always assumed mass shooter is a male.
if you look at the majority of these guys, they are mostly white males, that have some sort of social awkwardness, live with their parents into late 20s, and have been shunned by women. they are loners. so they act out out of some form of vengeance or retribution.
if you think about that, you can almost begin to look at people and suspect that they could be capable of doing something like this. i know we aren't supposed to profile, but you show me a squirly white dude with metal frame glasses or a bowl haircut who has no friends and has never had a girlfriend and you compare him to a professional boxer, i am going to be less suspect of the professional fighter.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
you want to die, you have a gun and a handful of bullets, shoot yourself and nobody else.
i am convinced that the ready access to bullets contributes. let people have all the guns they want, but limit the number of bullets one can purchase legally.
they need to monitor ammo sales the way they monitor ammonium nitrate sales, or something like that.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Kill yourself, not big news. Cause other lives to be lost in the process? Spotlight is huge.