Multiple students attacked with a knife in Pennsylvania school

[MessiahDecoy123]

There are also links of people not taking medications that cause them to commit violent acts.

I think it's more likely that someone who commits a crime like this wasn't taking their meds. There was a story up here in Canada where a man cut off the head of another man who was sleeping on a bus and ate parts of the man. Turns out the killer was mentally ill and was not taking his medication at the time of the attack.

Once he was put back on it, he became calm and rational.

Actually withdrawal from not taking anti-depressants is a common reason for killing rampages.

 

[regwec]

Feeble argument, anyway. No doubt some gun nuts were hoping for fatalities from this in order to imply that gun control would be unhelpful, but no fatalities occurred. Let's be grateful for that. Let's be grateful that this kid didn't have a gun.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

The lawyer for the kid did an interview describing him as "a good kid with lots of friends" adding that he needed a psych evaluation.

Seems he's hoping for an insanity defense. I guess that's only way this kid gets out of doing a couple decades of hard time since he's being tried as an adult.

 

[NickNitro]

There are pretty much 3 arguments on all of the SHH Community Board. The only things that change are the thread titles.

 

[terry78]

It's like how there are only three plot lines in existence, and writers simply just switch characters around to make them seem original.

 

[DeadPresident]

Because a gun debate in a thread about children stabbed with knives is exactly what we need right now.

That's not what I was implying. What I was implying is people will look to blame almost anything except that there are broad and pervasive social issues contributing to incidents like this.

Cue violent video games/music/media/metal detectors/more vigilant teachers being listed as better solutions rather than admitting society might be an issue.

 

[regwec]

I think you make a fair point, but I think that possible responses could be grouped into the long-term and social, and the immediate and pragmatic. The first should address why children want to kill each other; the second should suggest methods of stopping them. I think a combination of both types of response would be sensible.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

Besides, people club baby seals, they don't stab them. We should ban clubs, bats, maces and anything else that might be used in a blunt-weapon form.

We should also ban stupidly off-topic attempts to justify gun-control and gun-freedom because they have no damned business being in a thread about knives being used.

Lets just ban guns, knives, any sharp objects, any blunt objects, censor all further films so Captain America uses a fun noodle-brand shield and Red Skull uses foam swords in battle. Everyone has nerf guns and at the end of the day they pick up and go home for dinner with their families. The quicker we neuter society the quicker we become a happy, carefree society, like the Smurfs have.

Spoiler

I think you make a fair point, but I think that possible responses could be grouped into the long-term and social, and the immediate and pragmatic. The first should address why children want to kill each other; the second should suggest methods of stopping them. I think a combination of both types of response would be sensible.

To be fair, kids can be little monsters when they want to be. Even the good ones at home can have their own issues when in other settings. I knew a kid who'd act out when at family gatherings, but in his home with just a few people, he was nice and normal and didn't seem to have any problems. But there's a lot of factors for sure.

 

[DeadPresident]

I think you make a fair point, but I think that possible responses could be grouped into the long-term and social, and the immediate and pragmatic. The first should address why children want to kill each other; the second should suggest methods of stopping them. I think a combination of both types of response would be sensible.

I definitely agree with that.

I've just noticed in a lot of international incidents, as well as local incidents where I stay, there is the general response where only the pragmatic solutions are considered and potential social factors are swept under the carpet completely.

It's an old example but I think the Columbine shooting illustrates the public reaction perfectly. Harris and Klebold were mostly demonized and their inspiration was solely seen to be violent video games and "heavy" music. Any mention of society's role is labeled as abhorrent "victim blaming". The only angle anybody wanted to follow is "metal detectors and more stringent gun laws", completely erasing what you mentioned earlier (And what I consider is the most crucial question): "...why children want to kill each other".

The social environment must be there or the motive will never arise. I'm sure you can put 1000 assault rifles in every monastery in the world and the number of gun deaths won't increase, simply because the psychological environment for that kind of violence does not exist there.

That kinda turned into a semi-rant =/ I think I take issue with this topic because a lot of reasons given for why kids go on murderous rampages A) Apply to the general population and B) Completely disregard the child doing the attacking as a lost cause.

 

[Teelie]

I never mentioned guns, instead, I used the same convoluted logic about knives on a thread about knives injuring people, and while we are at it, to extrapolate your logic, let us also ban spoons in order to combat obesity. What's say?

The baby seals thingy was an exaggeration on point with humor, which obviously was lost on you so I won't labor the point further.

Nope, you clearly were alluding to guns and trying to make an absurd statement that guns and knives serve the same purpose when they don't.

Guns: Kill things.

Knives: More uses than I can list. Most of them not involved in killing things.

Also, completely not the place for you to make half-assed attempts to defend guns.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

His lawyer also stated that he wasn't a weirdo and he didn't smoke weed.

Because stoners are known for brutal knife attacks?

 

[Teelie]

His lawyer also stated that he wasn't a weirdo and he didn't smoke weed.

Because stoners are known for brutal knife attacks?

Because, drugs. Drugs of any kind are a scapegoat to place blame for anything and everything when there isn't a handy alternative (movies, games, books, music, etc) to use.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I'm curious about his motive.

Usually people don't stab twenty people unless they feel persecuted in some way.

 

[NickNitro]

I'm curious about his motive.

Usually people don't stab twenty people unless they feel persecuted in some way.

Why can't we chalk up some events to "some people are just born ****ing insane" why do we always have to find a motive or issue to tackle because of something horrible happening?

 

[Teelie]

Either he felt or was bullied or he had a mental illness that went undiagnosed. Or something in him snapped from pressure or stress.

I think everyone has violent urges now and again but most of us don't act on them or vent them in a safer way that doesn't involve assaulting other people.

Why can't we chalk up some events to "some people are just born ****ing insane" why do we always have to find a motive or issue to tackle because of something horrible happening?

To understand what causes someone to do something gives us insight into seeing how to prevent it or notice the signs in others.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Why can't we chalk up some events to "some people are just born ****ing insane" why do we always have to find a motive or issue to tackle because of something horrible happening?

Cause mental illness isn't always the cause for violence.

Normal people do evil things too.

 

[terry78]

But then are they normal?

*mind blown*

 

[Teelie]

You can be normal and still have a psychotic episode. A breakdown that temporarily causes you to give into impulses you normally don't. It's not like once you have an outbreak of something you're scarred for life with it.

Or to put it another way: People who are otherwise normal can react very unexpectedly and differently under stress.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

But then are they normal?

*mind blown*

Yes.

Most people accept that "kids are cruel" so why would it be so shocking that a normal kid did something cruel?

 

[Feenix]

I'm curious about his motive.

Usually people don't stab twenty people unless they feel persecuted in some way.

I would like to know why he chose to use a knife. It seems odd, this kid clearly wanted to inflict damage and to lots of people. If he was really serious about a massacre, he would have used a gun.

Unless he wanted people to live but to be permanently scarred and fearful...?

Yes.

Most people accept that "kids are cruel" so why would it be so shocking that a normal kid did something cruel?

The stats don't back up kids being cruel, though. In one of my youth crime classes at school, we researched the whole "bad kid" idea and how prevalent it is in today's society. The fact is, kids are no more "bad" today than they were 50 years ago.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

You can be normal and still have a psychotic episode. A breakdown that temporarily causes you to give into impulses you normally don't. It's not like once you have an outbreak of something you're scarred for life with it.

Or to put it another way: People who are otherwise normal can react very unexpectedly and differently under stress.

Why does it have to be psychosis?

Isn't it normal for people to get angry?

Isn't it normal for someone to want revenge?

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I would like to know why he chose to use a knife. It seems odd, this kid clearly wanted to inflict damage and to lots of people. If he was really serious about a massacre, he would have used a gun.

Unless he wanted people to live but to be permanently scarred and fearful...?

I think he would've used a gun if he had access to one.

The stats don't back up kids being cruel, though. In one of my youth crime classes at school, we researched the whole "bad kid" idea and how prevalent it is in today's society. The fact is, kids are no more "bad" today than they were 50 years ago.

I'm not saying children are more cruel than they were 50 years ago but it's natural for kids to be mean to each other.

Any parent or teacher can attest to that.

 

[Feenix]

Not to the point of killing, though. Adults are mean to each other as well, it's not just kids. But the majority of adults aren't killers.

Something went wrong with this kid. Until more information comes out, we won't know what exactly that was.

As for him having access to a gun, I think if he was really serious about wanting to kill the students, he would have found a deadlier weapon. Based on Google, it seems like PA is not the hardest place to get a gun and you don't need a permit to own one. If anyone lives there or knows the gun laws, please correct me if I'm off base.

 

[DeadPresident]

Why can't we chalk up some events to "some people are just born ****ing insane" why do we always have to find a motive or issue to tackle because of something horrible happening?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diathesis–stress_model

For the most part it takes two factors to tango, generally speaking biology alone cannot account for behaviour manifesting.

 

[NickNitro]

Cause mental illness isn't always the cause for violence.

Neither is a bad social system.