Just thought I'd point out---that the number of mass shootings actually hasn't changed over time----merely the amount of coverage of such things.
http://boston.com/community/blogs/crime_punishment/2012/08/no_increase_in_mass_shootings.htmlI don't necessarily agree with the author's conclusions regarding what needs to be "fixed" --- but his statistics regarding mass shootings over time is interesting.
This isn't in any attempt to say that "this was just another one of those things"----but it is to note that yes, kids play lots of video games, watch violent movies, and are indeed obviously reared in a "self-esteem" mode versus a "self-respect" mode AND YET those really don't seem to be causing much in the way of changes.
Matter of fact, if you think about it, given those statistics, the RATE at which mass shootings are occurring is actually getting
lower each year, due to how the population is growing.
We just hear about it much, much more.
That should tell people something. (It won't, of course---as has been pointed out, we want a "fix" for everything horrible that happens, even if there cannot be a "fix" for it.)
Guns aren't the problem. If they were, the massive increase in the number of guns in the US would have driven a corresponding increase in mass shootings (and deaths).
Mental health issues and meds aren't the problem. If they were, the massive increase in population plus the massive increase in the amount of meds that are given each year to people would have driven a corresponding increase in mass shooting (and deaths).
Violence on TV, in movies, and in video games isn't the problem. If any of those (or combinations of those) were, we'd see a HUGE increase in mass shootings because the number of video games with direct, shoot-em-up violence, the number of movies directly about violence, and the amount and types of violence now allowed on TV has gone up in amounts that would be unbelievable to someone living in 1980.
People are the problem. And you can't fix people BEFORE they do something. You can deal with them during, and you can deal with them after. But you can't actually "fix" people when they haven't done anything yet.
"If they don't have weapons, they can't shoot people." "If we decide they are a danger, we can force them to be on meds." "If we make laws to restrict everyone from anything, the world will be all fine."
Every parent eventually figures out that they can't coat the world in cotton batting to protect their children. (Well, I suppose some don't.) When something horrible like this happens, people revert back, and many reactions are all emotional. (Unsurprisingly.)
