Innocent bystander Derrion Albert killed

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Metal detectors are nothing new in DISD and FWISD schools, unfortunately

Thankfully, I went to high school near Austin, and it wasn't nearly this bad. I want to know what the hell happened, though, to make our youth lose their damn minds. I'm not that old (25), but I still feel like I'm worlds away from the kids nowadays. My biggest worry was who I would take to the Spring Dance in the gym. I'm worried for my 13 year old sister now. I don't want her being caught in some bullshit because two dumbasses don't know how to handle their disputes in a more civil manner.

We never had metal detectors where I'm from, but then again, I'm from a really small town in MN right on the border of Fargo, ND. I dunno why kids are getting so bad now. It seems like the violence with kids increased a lot in the late 80s and early 90s though. You also have to look at the increased availabilty of guns, drugs, etc.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

We never had metal detectors where I'm from, but then again, I'm from a really small town in MN right on the border of Fargo, ND. I dunno why kids are getting so bad now. It seems like the violence with kids increased a lot in the late 80s and early 90s though. You also have to look at the increased availabilty of guns, drugs, etc.

We never had metal detectors either (my HS city was around 100K near Austin, TX), but it was still a shock. I lived in Harford County, Maryland (very affluent) before moving here, and it was like night and day.

The "gun and drugs" culture was nothing new in my day (thanks to Pac, Snoop, Nirvana, etc songs being out), but our parents made sure we knew the difference between art and reality. I was familiar with the culture, but knew that it shouldn't appear in my daily life. I'm truly interested in learning what made the lines blur recently.

[DrPhil]

Kids aren't "so bad now."

We just hear more about the negative because of the Internet and other media outlets.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Kids aren't "so bad now."

We just hear more about the negative because of the Internet and other media outlets.

The internet was up-and-coming when I was coming up, but I still don't recall hearing things being as bad as they are nowadays.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

The internet was up-and-coming when I was coming up, but I still don't recall hearing things being as bad as they are nowadays.

I recall hearing it when you were coming up. I'm 7 years older than you.**

You wouldn't have heard it unless you were a news watching kid or scoured the up and coming Internet for news stories (or you saw it firsthand, as many people did). Since your childhood, crime and violence are much more popular to report for mainstream media outlets. Here we are discussing this on a "fun" social networking site. This fuels the fear of crime and fear of "omg, times are changing!!!" that you hear from people--even young people who don't know what the hell things were like 10-20 years ago, anyway.

** I also recall hearing about it when I was a kid and there was no Internet or mainstream/super cool/hip and popular media outlets to report it. We'd hear via word of mouth; and the local and evening news and news papers always got a kick out of reporting things that they knew would shock people's sensibilities. Yes, I was a news watching/newspaper reading kid because my parents made us do that.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Yes, I was a news watching/newspaper reading kid because my parents made us do that.

Same here

I recall hearing it when you were coming up. I'm 7 years older than you.**

You wouldn't have heard it unless you were a news watching kid or scoured the up and coming Internet for news stories. Since your childhood, crime and violence are much more popular to report for mainstream media outlets. Here we are discussing this on a "fun" social networking site. This fuels the fear of crime and fear of "omg, times are changing!!!" that you hear from people--even young people who don't know what the hell things were like 10-20 years ago, anyway.

** I also recall hearing about it when I was a kid and there was no Internet or mainstream/super cool/hip and popular media outlets to report it. We'd hear via word of mouth; and the local and evening news and news papers always got a kick out of reporting things that they knew would shock people's sensibilities.

I'm not naive enough to think that violence was non-existent during my upbringing. "Community policing" was widespread when I was growing up, though. There were several instances where fights were going to jump off, but parents and residents stepped in before things got out of control. Those kids were properly dealt with after the fact, too.

I agree that the internet and "NOW NOW NOW" media has contributed to our knowing about these incidents sooner, but (outside of LA/Chi gang issues) I don't remember hearing of this many truly disturbing events.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

I'm not naive enough to think that violence was non-existent during my upbringing. "Community policing" was widespread when I was growing up, though. There were several instances where fights were going to jump off, but parents and residents stepped in before things got out of control. Those kids were properly dealt with after the fact, too.

I agree that the internet and "NOW NOW NOW" media has contributed to our knowing about these incidents sooner, but (outside of LA/Chi gang issues) I don't remember hearing of this many truly disturbing events.

Right...this is all about the community efforts for your particular community and the fact that you don't "recall" hearing "this many" truly disturbing events in the news.

Not the same thing as kids today being off the wall and things being hugely different than they were when you were young.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

The internet was up-and-coming when I was coming up, but I still don't recall hearing things being as bad as they are nowadays.

I agree. If it isn't getting bad or much hasn't changed, then why all the school shootings?

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

I agree. If it isn't getting bad or much hasn't changed, then why all the school shootings?

Why all of what school shootings ("school shootings" and mass killings like Columbine aren't the same criminological dynamic)? The ones that always happened or just the ones that made national news? Speaking of, have there been any school shootings in the national news in the past month?

There were school shootings when I was in middle school and high school. Students were holding principals up at gunpoint. The media and the majority of the American public just didn't care until it was white people bringing guns to school. Then it was more than "those bad minorities in those poor neighborhoods with their crackhead parents." That's all.

[There were also pregnancy pacts when I was in middle school and high school. That's why I am humored by the media attention given to those girls who did that pregnancy pact this year. Oh, the outrage...this didn't happen when WE were kids...and let's blame Jamie Lynn Spears.]

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Why all of what school shootings ("school shootings" and mass killings like Columbine aren't the same criminological dynamic)? The ones that always happened or just the ones that made national news? Speaking of, have there been any school shootings in the national news in the past month?

There were school shootings when I was in middle school and high school. Students were holding principals up at gunpoint. The media and the majority of the American public just didn't care until it was white people bringing guns to school. Then it was more than "those bad minorities in those poor neighborhoods with their crackhead parents." That's all.

[There were also pregnancy pacts when I was in middle school and high school. That's why I am humored by the media attention given to those girls who did that pregnancy pact this year. Oh, the outrage...this didn't happen when WE were kids...and let's blame Jamie Lynn Spears.]

DrPhil I agree, and I've never looked at it like that. However, don't you think there are good reasons to dwell on school shootings even though they are rare? I dunno, I just think they're an unprecedented kind of adolescent violence.