I don't buy the Church argument either. Over the course of history, plenty of awful things have been done in the name of religion and the Church. And there are plenty of people over the years that attended Church who aren't exactly moral leaders. Simply attending Church won't even come close to solving the issue.

 

I also don't buy the "kids would rather shoot someone than fight" argument either. Spending much of my time around schools over the last decade as a coach, I've seen and heard about plenty of fights, but haven't seen anyone get shot. The categorizing of today's youth as morally bankrupt, lazy, troubled people is so far from the actual truth. Yes, there are bad apples, and quite honestly, there always have been.

 

 

You have listed many arguments of what is not the cause. Any thoughts on why we are seeing more and more of this random type of violence? I think a lot of kids are starved for attention and want their 15 minutes of fame among all of the other reasons mentioned on here playing a part. Social media and the news overall tends to glorify it.

You have listed many arguments of what is not the cause. Any thoughts on why we are seeing more and more of this random type of violence? I think a lot of kids are starved for attention and want their 15 minutes of fame among all of the other reasons mentioned on here playing a part. Social media and the news overall tends to glorify it.

 

No fear of repercussions.

You have listed many arguments of what is not the cause. Any thoughts on why we are seeing more and more of this random type of violence? I think a lot of kids are starved for attention and want their 15 minutes of fame among all of the other reasons mentioned on here playing a part. Social media and the news overall tends to glorify it.

 

I don’t know. But it’s certainly more complicated than the typical answers you hear, mostly which revolve around how much worse this generation is than previous ones. I do think that kids are under more pressure than ever before. Increased schoolwork, high level sports, college expectations, etc, all combined with less unstructured free time, creates tremendous stress. Throw in the normal pressures of growing up, and I think some kids just snap.

No fear of repercussions.

 

Who has committed this type of public violence and gotten away with it?? Some (if not most)end up dead, or at the very least, serving a very long, and likely lifetime prison sentence. Those two outcomes are about as serious as repercussions can get.

Who has committed this type of public violence and gotten away with it?? Some (if not most)end up dead, or at the very least, serving a very long, and likely lifetime prison sentence. Those two outcomes are about as serious as repercussions can get.

 

Your missing it, kids have no fear of repercussions because they aren't given any for other stuff they do. Parents, schools, community. So they think they can do acts like this with little repercussions.

 

 

When it escalates to this type of acts, the kids get their names and faces plastered all over the media, heck its a reward, look what I did.

Your missing it, kids have no fear of repercussions because they aren't given any for other stuff they do. Parents, schools, community. So they think they can do acts like this with little repercussions.

 

 

When it escalates to this type of acts, the kids get their names and faces plastered all over the media, heck its a reward, look what I did.

 

That’s a pretty big leap. If they are watching these events play out and decide to do it for the fame, they have to be aware of the likely outcomes. I certainly don’t pretend to be able to put myself in their shoes and know exactly what they are thinking. But often, these events are well planned and thought out. It’s difficult for me to believe that they aren’t aware that the likely outcome is either death, or a severe prison sentence. I’m not sure that “getting away with it” has ever been proven to be part of the plan.

Your missing it, kids have no fear of repercussions because they aren't given any for other stuff they do. Parents, schools, community. So they think they can do acts like this with little repercussions.

 

 

When it escalates to this type of acts, the kids get their names and faces plastered all over the media, heck its a reward, look what I did.

 

Do you think these kids care about repercussions?

Do you think these kids care about repercussions?

 

No, thats my point. They have never had to care about repercussions.

No, thats my point. They have never had to care about repercussions.

 

This is a little different from wrecking a car. Most of these kids know exactly what they are doing. No punishment matters.

This is a little different from wrecking a car. Most of these kids know exactly what they are doing. No punishment matters.

 

And if you are willing to shoot up a school full of kids, I doubt you're all that worried about the punishment. Most people who commit serious crimes usually aren't all that worried about repercussions.

Edited May 16, 20188 yr by rjs4470

I stumbled on this yesterday. It's an interesting take on what could be a possible reason these school shootings are happening. I'm not sure if I agree completely, but I can see a lot of what professor Bryan Warnick is saying as a potential reason for some of these tragic events. I'm interested as to what the rest of you think.

 

Lost in the noisy debate over gun control and mental health screening is another confounding question: why schools? Why do so many troubled young men choose schools as the place to act out their violent and vengeful fantasies? And what, if anything, can schools do to avoid becoming the next Columbine, Sandy Hook or Stoneman Douglas?

 

Bryan Warnick is a professor of educational ethics and policy at The Ohio State University who co-authored a paper on the meaning and motivations behind targeted school shootings. Even though many associate gun violence in America with poor, inner-city communities, mass school shootings almost always occur at upper-middle-class suburban schools. That's where the "status tournament" takes place, explains Warnick.

 

"Suburban schools do a lot of things to select winners and losers in ways that go way beyond academics," says Warnick, pointing to the adulation of athletics and the crowning of homecoming kings and queens. "The way we see it, when schools set themselves up as judges in the social status tournament, the resentment will sometimes be directed against the school itself."

 

"There's a different value system at play in suburban schools; it's called 'expressive individualism,'" explains Warnick. "What we see in movies and TV is students engaged in this process of self-discovery, breaking through norms of the school, breaking through social cliques."

 

Self-discovery and individual expression aren't necessarily bad things, says Warnick. But for certain troubled young men who harbor deep resentment of the system that rejected them, there's no better way to express their true, tortured selves than through a dramatic act of violence. And the higher the body count, the more powerful the message will be.

 

Why Do Mass Shootings Keep Happening in U.S. Schools?

I think that there is a growing negativity toward the institution of school. Students don’t understand the benefits of attending school and they don’t appreciate the learning that happens in school. They don’t have parents who support the schools and who acknowledge the student growth and achievement in schools.

 

Couple this with an overwhelming entitlement and “I don’t have to do it”, mentality, and you have students who have a twisted idea of how to move past personal set backs in school and in life.

 

This...and sitting in their room playing shootem up video games where pulling a trigger and watching people fall becomes numb and impersonal.

No, thats my point. They have never had to care about repercussions.

 

They probably think they will get a trophy for it....they get one for everything else they participate in. Everyone is a winner and never have to face disappointment. Oh you lost...here is a trophy because you are awesome!

They probably think they will get a trophy for it....they get one for everything else they participate in. Everyone is a winner and never have to face disappointment. Oh you lost...here is a trophy because you are awesome!

You really think that is the reason why kids become school shooters?

You really think that is the reason why kids become school shooters?

 

More than likely these kids were not put in a situation to even get a participation trophy, but the point made goes along with what I am trying to say.