Vietnam Blindness: Third Time Around
“How many deaths will it take ‘til he knows
that too many people have died?
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.
The answer is blowing in the wind.
Composed by Bob Dylan
Sung brilliantly by Peter, Paul and Mary.
“How many deaths will it take ‘til he knows
that too many people have died?
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.
The answer is blowing in the wind.
Composed by Bob Dylan
Sung brilliantly by Peter, Paul and Mary.
The history of killings in schools is disheartening at best, wrenching at worst. And disturbing in any event. One cannot escape the emotionalism. Nevertheless, in spite of inner anger and frustration, one can still think. One can look up their history and look for answers. The facts are as plain as they are irrational. There were many angles of psychology operating. So also for drugs and even for religion on occasion. The key word that captures the violent behavior is irrational. If there is a failing, it is in the nurturing side of our culture, and with few exceptions, all cultures. When one’s Internal Locus of Control is loose and the External Locus of Control is weak or disregarded, conditions are ripe for a rampage. Society-wide behaviors leading to weak loci of control include: Indifferent parenting, depictions of excessive violence in the media, unrecognized psychopaths on the loose who humiliate others, laws written out of emotion, ideology, or tradition in ignorance of the facts. Insufficient, or indifferent, education in responsible citizenship at home, in school and on the playground also contributes to violence in our society. These problems are grossly aggravated by the ready availability of guns.
On nature’s side, public violence arises from the internal wars waging in many if not most of us between our benevolent and violent selves. While widely admitted, too many of us are in denial of that internal predisposition. But many societies do a better job of it than we do. Norway, for example, cherishes their individual peacefulness. When violence occurs there as it has, the society mourns. We do not need to look just elsewhere for an example. The Amish response to their school shooting on October 2, 2006, was one of remorse, not just for the victim, but also for the perpetrator, who was not Amish, as well. “The emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation in the response of the Amish community was widely discussed in the national media” is how Wikipedia put it.
For a complete listing of school killings in the US since 1764 see: Wikipedia
Other places where people congregate are also subject to shootings
Mall or, Equivalent Public Site
Jan. 8, 2011 Tuscon, Arizona. “Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in an assassination attempt. At least 17 others are shot by a gunman, identified as Jared Lee Loughner, who opened fire on the congresswoman's constituent meeting outside a local grocery store. Six people are fatally wounded, including U.S. District Court Judge John Roll, and a young girl.”
12 Dec 2012: 2 dead. Clackamas Town Center, Oregon Mall shooting: Used stolen AR-15 assault rifle on victims; then himself. Killer Jacob Tyler Roberts, 22
11 Nov 2012: No injuries, one shot discharged at a ceiling next to merry-go-round before gun jammed. Hobart Indiana, Westfield Southlake mall:
8 Oct 2012: Two injuries grew out of one shot from the subsequent stampede for the exit. HENRICO, Va. Regency Square Mall. Shooter: Moses Bryant 23 (Created unwelcome publicity)
Theatre Shooting
20 July 2012: 12 people massacred; 58 wounded: Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: Suspect Bought 4 Guns, 6,000 Rounds of Ammunition in Past 60 Days: killer James Eagan Holmes, 25.
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