Goose, nice write-up. I've been harping on the influences of TV and video games since the 80's, before school shootings were a problem. I could see the changes that these influences were having on the portion of society that were using them. I remember one time walking through the living room, Mom would be sitting there watching TV and saying how "that shouldn't be allowed on TV". I turned to see what she was talking about. About a year later nearly the same thing happened. Only this time, when I turned to look, I noticed that what she was griping about was actually worse than what it was the previous year -- and she no longer said a word about the things that she WAS griping about the year earlier. As I walked away, couldn't help but wonder what had changed in that time; why something that was so bad last year was suddenly accepted. The short answer was, it wasn't "accepted" initially; it was "tolerated". She refused to simply change the channel or turn it off, and she also didn't gripe any more than she previously did, but only at the worst-of-the-worst. It was then that I started paying attention to the world around me and noticing that same change in nearly every aspect of life.
Then there's another point that would help explain the shootings, and that is how years ago, we were taught that it's wrong to kill; that there's only TWO reasons why we should ever kill. One is to eat, the other is in war, and we should always pray there is no war. How many parents teach that today? How many schools? How many churches? (some still will, but some are afraid to mention such things!)
Used to be when you bought something, there were few, if any, warning labels on them. Yes, more people got hurt from careless mistakes, but they learned from their mistakes. Now, there's warning placards up everywhere. Buying a new power tool? The owner's manual has literally PAGES of warning and safety placards in it! ...But how much of that is common sense? How much of that is taught to young people these days?
And finally, the progression of mankind. Think back to the earliest days of America. Yes, there were some awful bad folks back then as well, and life was more about survival than anything else. A few decades ago it was more about getting ahead than survival. Now, it's about making the most of your time; chasing away the boredom and chasing after what thrills you, whether that be death-defying thrills or whatever sick & twisted thoughts that can be cultured when there is more time in the day than things to do to survive. An idle mind truly is the Devil's playground.
Obviously there's still much more than this, but I believe these are the primary things. Most of all, it's just the progressive cycle of human life given its current conditions. The more we allow, the more we accept. The more we experience, the more we want to push the limits. It's an endless cycle. And no, it has nothing to do with left or right -- the problem is universal. TV, internet and video games have only sped up the natural process.
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