School Massacres. Why?

The one question that I've noticed that no one seems to be able to answer is: What causes these people to cross that line between fantasising about vengence against percieved villany, and actually picking up the gun, knife, or baseball bat and doing the deed.

My own opinion, and note its only an opinion because I have no facts to back it up with, is it is a combination of factors, and even these will vary from incident to incident, parental involvement or lack of same, mood altering drugs, perscribed or other; victimization by bullies amongst their peer group, a desensitisation to violence, or rather a perception that violence is the ONLY answer rather than an answer of last resort. Most telling I think is a perception that no one cares about them, or maybe a better phrase is loves them. So if no one loves them, well then they'll damned well make 'em fear us. The classic "love us, or hate us, just don't ignore us" syndrome...if it is a syndrome.

Opinions?

Seagull; I'm not sure that we will ever be able to point to a single defining factor. I believe that all those things you mentioned fit. I also believe that there is more then likely a feeling of hopelessness that the perperators may not even realize they feel. I'm not sure any of us will ever totally understand this behavior just as most of us will never understand why anybody would ever harm their own child. Behaviors such as these at least to me are incomprehensible.

This older thread just became all the more relevent with the events that occured this morning.

What are the causes of these horrible events. Evil? The events themselves certainly are.

I hear of events like this and the thought that occurs to me, "there but for the grace of God go I." As I said earlier in this thread, I was a victim of bullying, sometimes rather vicious bullying. Why do some snap, and others, like me, not.

As with the rest of you: My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and thier families.

seagull

What made this kid post this thread: www.belowtopsecret.com...'

Why did more people not respond or take him serious? Ignoring these kids do not help it only makes them worse. If people would just tell them NO!!! This is not normal maybe we could stop some of these.

Thanks for pointing out that thread. Had I known it was there, I'd have replied. I replied to him and hopefully he, he sounds like a boy, will respond.

I don't know why, exactly, some people react like this, I have some ideas, but no real proof.

I think, as with suicidal individuals, it's a cry for attention and for help. Finally, the anger/resentment just become to much to handle. I think that in most cases, just a little attention will go a long ways towards preventing the horrors we've witnessed again today.

Yeah these kids are screaming for help on threads such as these. And to put them in the trash bin or just ignored them is not a good idea.

Usually it's that lack of response that triggers it. By god, I'll get the attention I want one way or another. Bingo...cause and effect.

I totally agree. If they get the NO response and people makes since to them. They just might rethink what they were going to do.

People make the difference. What we say, how we react, what we do. Not ignoring them. Not trashing them.

Why did this post get trashed today? Several days after the posting instead of that day?

The ats staff should take kids threats like this serious. Especially since it happen years ago to one of their own members here. When an indian shot up a campus.

I hadn't heard about that occurance.

Even if we are wrong, its still the right thing to do. Maybe, just maybe, we can keep somethingawful from occuring. If something does, bad I mean, and we might have been able to do something to prevent it...

Yeah it comes up now and then. I can't remember which kid it was. The mods know though or most of them. I study his post afterwards. To me he was on the edge.