Sick Human Being

[Pedro-bot]

I remember very clear instances of gun violence in high school.
This included being mugged at gun point right outside of school, shot at and losing friends to it.
This was at a much older age than these little people in grade school.

I still remember the instances that emotions of anger and fear that overcame my coping mechanisms in my teens. These were hard things to work through as a young person. Morning, mid-day or night, it was never a particular time of day that terror struck, never a time of day you could predict which carried a higher risk of becoming a victim of violence. The one thing I do know about those days is that I could predict the neighborhood in which this was likely of to occur in. Unfortunately for me, this was not something I could avoid. This was the neighborhood I lived in, a crime-ridden inner city neighborhood where drugs, gangs and prostitution were right outside your front door. When I got my chance, I got out. Far away from that place, far away from the violence and the neighborhood that fostered all the evil that created so many victims. And still does.

I can't even begin to imagine how these little kids can even begin to work through this. In my experience, the neighborhood was the best predictor of violence. These children, families, they all live in what seems to be such a perfect little place in America. What is the predictor of violence for them? How do you find ways to decrease the likelihood of becoming a victim? These are rhetorical questions for me. Because I don't think there is a way to know. Just like the shooting in Aurora, the setting seems so random.

Such a sad story.

Prayers go out to all the victims, friends and family. May God find peace to fill the hurt in your hearts.

[kopfjäger]

Gerald is the worst reporter in the world. 

[zooom]

this has been going around on FB...

Morgan Freeman's statement about these random shootings....

"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.

It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single victim of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.

CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.

You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem."

I don't disagree with him at all...in fact...even though the new DSM-V is coming out with autism and other whole range of "spectrum disorders" reclassified into a new family together...I don't think it does anything without some real understanding and research and help...some of that is in fact due to fundage and some of that is through public education and outreach

[lethe]

I just shared that on debilbook too, writing that I agreed and if anyone doesn't tell me why and I'll tell you why you're a moron. Hoping I'll trim some unnecessary "friends" by the end of the day.

[Triple J]

I agree with that as well Zooom

[ducpainter]

Misinformation and misconceptions piss me off.

The TV media is reporting of this maniacs Aspergers diagnosis like it's a cause of the incident.

The truth is very different, and due to my 'interest' in the subject of autism I'll try to rebut this.

Contrary to popular belief...

The sources said investigators believe Adam Lanza's isolation and social awkwardness were consistent with Asperger's syndrome. Asperger's is a disorder that is part of the autism spectrum. It is marked by difficulty with social interaction. Many with Asperger's are otherwise high-functioning people. There is no pre-disposition toward violence, experts said.

"It's very important for people to know that there is absolutely no correlation between the diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome and a predilection toward violent behavior,'' said Dr. Harold Schwartz, chief psychiatrist at the Institute of Living in Hartford.

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-adam-lanza-newtown-shooting-1216-20121215,0,2311968.story

So if you want to discuss this tragedy leave the inaccuracies out of it, please.

And Morgan Freeman is spot on BTW. It was reported hours after this tragedy that a shooter in Oklahoma was caught before he could act. Did you see that on TV? Of course not...nothing sensational about it. Yet if the morons at CNN or Fox news reported that, might it stop the next asshole? We'll never know...no one died and we all know that sensational sells.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2248708/Sammie-Eaglebear-Chavez-Oklahoma-student-arrested-plotting-bomb-shoot-students-high-school.html

[RAT900]

this has been going around on FB...

Morgan Freeman's statement about these random shootings....

"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.

It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single victim of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.

CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.

You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem."

I don't disagree with him at all...in fact...even though the new DSM-V is coming out with autism and other whole range of "spectrum disorders" reclassified into a new family together...I don't think it does anything without some real understanding and research and help...some of that is in fact due to fundage and some of that is through public education and outreach

Plus 1

The media does treat mass mayhem like it is a Guinness World Record event

and if we know one thing for sure about this nation....

there are no shortages of unhinged people who don't even remotely have a casual relationship with reality

[hbliam]

Misinformation and misconceptions piss me off.

The TV media is reporting of this maniacs Aspergers diagnosis like it's a cause of the incident.

The truth is very different, and due to my 'interest' in the subject of autism I'll try to rebut this.

Contrary to popular belief...

So if you want to discuss this tragedy leave the inaccuracies out of it, please.

All the reports I have seen have not blamed the shooting on Aspergers, they have just pointed toward the Aspergers as being the reason Lanza was socially unaccepting and unaccepted. 

[PhilB]

As a side note, Snopes says it is unlikely that Morgan Freeman said that.  However, I completely agree with the statement, regardless of who really did say it.

Another intelligent response to the tragedy:
http://reason.com/archives/2012/12/15/4-archetypally-awful-reactions-to-sandy/singlepage
4 Awful Reactions to Sandy Hook School Shooting - And Thoughts on a Better Response

PhilB

[kopfjäger]

As Phil said, Morgan Freeman did not write or release that statement.

[fastwin]

Horrible shit... understatement of the year. That's about all can say.

[muskrat]

Did we forget the victims?  It seems to me that's the sole focus for now.   I wish those affected strength and all the love they deserve.

[hbliam]

As a side note, Snopes says it is unlikely that Morgan Freeman said that.  However, I completely agree with the statement, regardless of who really did say it.

Another intelligent response to the tragedy:
http://reason.com/archives/2012/12/15/4-archetypally-awful-reactions-to-sandy/singlepage
4 Awful Reactions to Sandy Hook School Shooting - And Thoughts on a Better Response

PhilB

That was just a way for you to sidestep the no politics rule.

[ItsaDuc]

Misinformation and misconceptions piss me off.

The TV media is reporting of this maniacs Aspergers diagnosis like it's a cause

So if you want to discuss this tragedy leave the inaccuracies out of it.

I'm with you on this one. We too have an Autistic child and all this will do is misrepresent those with the disorder. Wth the media only giving short sound bites here and there, people will piece together what they think is fact on the disorder and will look at all Autistic kids this way or that way.

[scduc]

I have no kids, but this has sickened me. Not really any sensible think to say.