Full Story
It's sickening that school shootings are becoming an all too familiar occurence. Thank goodness for the bravery of this teacher and any others involved who took action.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Teacher tackles gunman suspected in school shooting
- Thread starter mscriv
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Full Story
It's sickening that school shootings are becoming an all too familiar occurence. Thank goodness for the bravery of this teacher and any others involved who took action.
Dr. David Benke rose to the occasion and probably saved many lives.
Agreed. I hope they put the shooter behind bars for the rest of his life.
What's the idea behind shooting people in schools. Happened in Europe last year too. Is it something to do with hating kids, or hating education systems or what?
"All too familiar"? I think that's overreaching a bit. Pool drownings are all too familiar, school shootings are an aberration.
Two words: Soft target.
I guess what I'm saying is that they are increasing in frequency to the point that when one happens now, people's response is to not be quite as schocked as they used to be because part of your thinking is "Oh dear, another one...". Sure if you want to apply statistics to reported causes of death school shootings would be statistically insignificant, but that doesn't mean they are any less tragic or horrifying.
I apologize if my word choice distracted you from feeling compassion for the victims or outrage at the perpetrators of such an "aberration".
Schools are gun-free zones. If you were to go postal, wouldn't you want to do it in an area where no one could fire back?
I'm sorry I fail to see anything "mature" about your contributions to this thread. I post a news story about a school shooting to share the information and comment on both the tragic nature of such an event and the heroism displayed by those who subdued the perpetrator. You read the story and choose to post so that you can take issue with my description of the frequency with which such events occur. Ridiculous. The phrase "all to familiar" is an expression that can be used to describe a common feeling shared by many or an experience that is well known because it has happened before. Like most expressions it is not strictly defined with one meaning only, but has a variety of applications that could be considered correct in their usage.
Seriously, you are free to say whatever you want, but I find it quite "unbecoming" that in reading about this event you chose to comment as you did. In my opinion one school shooting is too many. As the OP of this thread I encourage you to positively contribute as everyone's opinion is welcome, but if you just want to criticize people's word choice, grammar, syntax, etc. then please refrain from doing so as it's not constructive to the thread.
If anything they've significantly decreased in frequency since Columbine, which was basically the culmination of a series of around a dozen shootings over about 3 years in the US the mid-90's. Since then we get maybe one every 2-3 years worldwide.
I'll kindly ask that when you quote someone you don't manipulate the quote to take what they have said out of context. I didn't make a statement about the overall frequency of school shootings. I stated that school shootings have occurred on a frequent enough basis that they produce a different reaction or emotional response in people. Because of the number that have occurred in the last twenty years people have an increased awareness and a familiar feeling of shock and disgust at hearing another one has occurred.
Seriously people, can we put this petty side commentary that really has nothing to do with the thread to rest.
Honestly, if you don't like the commentary you're receiving, I suggest you put it onto a blog and not allow comments. This is a public forum, after all. Not everyone will agree with you, and they will express their opinion on the topic in whatever manner and to whatever position they please, consistent with forum rules.
Sorry, I guess that my feeling is not that they're becoming too familiar, but that they've been familiar most of my life since I've been old enough to pay attention. And every time one happens, everyone panics for about a week, and then they're completely forgotten again in favor of the latest celebrity breakup. Until the next one happens and everyone acts like they could never have guessed that there would ever be another.
This has always been a real hot-button topic for me, and I find it just as difficult to stay out of the discussion as to keep my emotions in check.
It's all good splitpea. It sounds to me like we are saying the same thing. My initial statement that they are "all too familiar" was intended to imply exactly what you expressed in the part I bolded above.
JNB stop attacking a straw man and reread my post. My exact words were,
You're the one that started this little side debate by failing to understand my intended use of an expression and criticizing me for it in an attempt to correct something that wasn't wrong in the first place. I offered explanation and then you responded by calling me immature and unbecoming. Now you are putting words in my mouth and arguing against a point I never made.
I once saw a fellow poster here on MR say the following to a member who was acting a lot like you are now.
Sure sounds like a good idea to me.
Edit: How about we all get back to the original topic now.
Not just Colorado, but Littleton. I wonder if there's something about the middle / high school culture there.. That guy would have been either a senior or just out of high school at the time of the Columbine shootings.
Welcome back.
Perhaps we only get an event like this, or an attempted shooting at a high school or university every 1-2 years, but I certainly don't remember this many when I was growing up. I heard about 2 of them, but maybe I didn't hear about them as often because school shootings weren't as discussed until after Columbine?
I don't know if the frequency of shootings has increased, or if the publc is just more aware today than 15-20 years ago, but I certainly do understand what mscriv meant (no offence, JNB), whether there really has been an increased number of school shootings or not.