 |
|
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Welcome to the club, Finland
Well, it looks like it isn't just us Americans anymore.
Of course, since it's only happened there once, people can just dismiss it as an isolated event. Until next time, anyway.
After that, people will stop asking "What's wrong with those Americans?" They'll be asking "What's wrong with all of us?" It won't just be about Euro culture vs. American culture anymore. It'll be about why violence - cold, poorly directed violence - seems to be the only answer for so many people these days.
Maybe, at that point, some semblance of an answer can be arrived at. We can hope for sooner rather than later. We're not likely to get it, but we can hope.
Posted at 09:35 am by Joe_the_Troll
 | | | Miz UV
November 7, 2007 11:12 AM PST
What if there is no answer? People don't like that because then they can't comfort themselves by saying if only they do X, Y, and not Z, it will never happen to them or their kids. Must find something to blame! Must must must. People have always been violent. To me, it's the same as asking why must Cocoa hiss at Tiki. | |
| | | Joe the Troll
November 7, 2007 11:21 AM PST
I tend to think that since it wasn't happening on a regular basis, and now is, that something is causing it. I may be wrong, but something seems to be changing. | |
| | | Eden
November 7, 2007 11:28 AM PST
Do you think it's indicative of a growing global culture, as opposed to an American culture (for example)? Are we all homogenizing or is everyone else becoming more like the US or what? | |
| | | Jefe
November 7, 2007 02:54 PM PST
Pretty soon the term "going postal" is going to be replaced with "going student." | |
| | | Miz UV
November 7, 2007 03:30 PM PST
Well, I do think access to firearms is one problem, and the glorification of violence in the media another, and they work together neatly, etc. Since we can't get rid of guns, and probably can't/shouldn't control the media either, I suppose it's not unreasonable to consider posting armed guards in schools.
As far as why some people snap and do this when others can handle the same stress factors just fine, I don't know. People will have their pet theories, but I haven't seen one yet that makes sense, except for maybe "faulty brain chemistry," which isn't really saying anything.
Maybe someone can invent a program that triggers an alarm at the police station closest to the IP of a person who posts pics of himself with weapons, in order to trigger an immediate investigation of same. :) | |
| | | Joe the Troll
November 7, 2007 03:48 PM PST
It does kind of amaze me that this stuff was on YouTube for weeks without anyone saying anything to authorities, or to YouTube. Maybe no one saw it. | |
| | | Sour Grapes
November 7, 2007 03:55 PM PST
There's nothing new about this. Nobody ever said it was only Americans, so this disproves nothing. Other countries have always had their isolated cases, and of course in today's media age everybody sees everything from everywhere, and there are bound to be copycats.
But the fact remains that this sort of thing is far more prevalent in the US than anywhere else. Miz UV goes, I suppose we can't get rid of guns. Well, you maybe can't, but others can. When it happened in a school in Scotland, we got rid of guns. Criminals still have them, sure, but nuts like this won't find it so easy. Maybe Finland will do it now. Or maybe they'll reckon that the right to have a gun is so important it weighs more than a few lives from time to time.
That's what the calculus comes down to.
| |
| | | Joe the Troll
November 7, 2007 04:53 PM PST
"so this disproves nothing."
Gee, I guess I had Della Street do all that footwork for nothing. | |
| | | nat
November 7, 2007 07:31 PM PST
No matter where it happens, it's a sad, sad thing.
F'ing idiots exist all over the world. | |
| | | Cheezy
November 8, 2007 01:04 AM PST
This sort of thing happens periodically everywhere - it's absolutely not happening just in one particular place.
However I think it's still a valid practice to look at the wildly different murder rates around the world and try to find out why... and how best to minimise them in future.
However, in terms of gun ownership in Finland, bearing in mind that hunting is such an ingrained part of the culture, and also consider than school shootings have been almost unheard of in Finland until now, then I don't think this one incident will be enough to cause any major policy changes. | |
| | | Cheezy
November 8, 2007 03:08 AM PST
MizUv: "Maybe someone can invent a program that triggers an alarm at the police station closest to the IP of a person who posts pics of himself with weapons, in order to trigger an immediate investigation of same."
Great idea - I'd be right behind this policy. I'm sure it would turn up some real psychos! | |
| | | FezMonkey
November 8, 2007 10:46 AM PST
Gee, I don't understand all the concern. I thought posing for a picture while pointing a gun at a camera was, like, really cool and gives all your blogfriends a big laugh, while proving just how much a great guy you are.
Surely I can't be wrong about this. I mean, consider all the folks you've seen posing with guns. Don't they all look cool and reasonable and level-headed and calm and sensible and not psychotic or aggressive or mentally unstable in any way?
Ook ook. | |
| | | Kat
November 8, 2007 05:04 PM PST
I think this kind of shit and violence of any kind is perpetual. It is fed. The only way it will ever stop is if we stop. The best anyone can do is to stop the cycle in their own tracks; when we save ourselves we save the world. Sounds like drivel but it's true. | |
| | | O' Tim
November 8, 2007 09:32 PM PST
"Consider all the folks you've seen posing with guns. Don't they all look cool and reasonable and level-headed and calm and sensible and not psychotic or aggressive or mentally unstable in any way?"
Perhaps so Fez, but then I always read their blog just to make sure. Your sarcastic lack of concern disproves something...maybe.
| |
| | | Lucyp
November 9, 2007 10:17 AM PST
It does seem to be happening with greater regularity these days but the only link i can see between the majority of the shootings is they are done by young, male students. The only girl i could find who went on a shooting rampage was the one who didn't like Monday's. Controversialy, heavy metal music seems to be quite a dominant theme also. | |
|
|
 |
