Blaming
Chris Rock once did a bit where the theme was Whatever happened to crazy? There was a school shooting in a surrounding county yesterday where a 15 year-old opened fire on three school administrators with a 22 caliber pistol, killing one. Local talk radio yesterday and today was filled with the typical knee-jerk reaction of why this happened. Blame the parents. Blame video games. Blame music. Blame the breakdown of family structure. And one dude actually blamed the principal that got shot. Seriously. This is Tennessee so no one blamed guns.
My thoughts: Kid was crazy. Why do we (and by we, I mean not me) feel the need to find some root cause? Not enough love from home. The kid didn’t need to attend some hippie, tree-hugging re-birthing ceremony. He was just nuts. There were crazy people before rap music, the supposed familial breakdown, and video games. Some folks are just insane.
Update: Michael has a round up. And Frank has more.
Update 2: Turns out it’s a profound and pervasive lack of respect for the value of life. Sounds like crazy to me.
November 9th, 2005 at 11:06 am
I completely agree.
Apparently, the kid thought his problems were society’s fault. Unfortunately, many in that society would seem to agree with him. Those who don’t need to be armed.
November 9th, 2005 at 11:14 am
I graduated from there about 15 years ago. Coach Pierce was my PE teacher, and I am relieved he survived. My thoughts and prayers go with the other families as well.
Me and my father personally know the shooter’s father…who himself shot a man in self-defense in the late 70’s…involved in some gambling mischief but not a bad man.
His son, however has been a little prick since well, forever. Not at all surprised about that.
In the late 80’s we all carried shotguns and rifles in our vehicles for hunting and such and it never once occured to anyone to shoot the place up.
November 9th, 2005 at 9:11 pm
I do wonder if he was on some sort of anti-depressant drug though.
November 10th, 2005 at 11:59 am
If you mean Meth, then you would be correct.
November 12th, 2005 at 4:43 pm
Isn’t that pretty much the clinical definition of sociopathy? At least, as clinical as a definition of that can get, anyway.