OT: Shooting in Oregon Mall

[Jimmy_the_Tongue]

Just reported that the guns used today were brought and registered to Nancy Lanza. The dead mother.

 

[elocomotive]

only reason I do that is I dont feel this as a neighbour to your country. I felt this today as a brother to all. I hold this heavy in my heart. I always will. doesnt matter the country for me at all. maybe it did right at the start but the more I have thought today the more I feel for our race. we are a sad sad race

I really can't agree. We have imperfections, we have mentally ill people, and on rare occassions some truly evil people (and even they are predominantly people who had violence/abuse heaped on them). Events like this overshadow a lot of really nice and amazing things that happen everyday and the fact that crime and violence and other problems are down significantly from previous decades. Those things don't make it on TV - the expression isn't "if it's really nice, it leads." Don't let a media obsessed with sensationalism and violence skew your view of everyday realities in your life. Let it in just enough to remind you of important things and things worth fighting for and changing, but not so much that it overwhelms you.

Perspective is important. One sick fuck in Connecticut shouldn't make you hate the entire human race.

 

[Jimmy_the_Tongue]

Fathers... Mothers...hold your children close tonight. Give them an extra tight hug tonight. There are 20 families tonight that won't be able to do that. I know I will.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I really can't agree. We have imperfections, we have mentally ill people, and on rare occassions some truly evil people (and even they are predominantly people who had violence/abuse heaped on them). Events like this overshadow a lot of really nice and amazing things that happen everyday and the fact that crime and violence and other problems are down significantly from previous decades. Those things don't make it on TV - the expression isn't "if it's really nice, it leads." Don't let a media obsessed with sensationalism and violence skew your view of everyday realities in your life. Let it in just enough to remind you of important things and things worth fighting for and changing, but not so much that it overwhelms you.

Perspective is important. One sick fuck in Connecticut shouldn't make you hate the entire human race.

Yesterday i saw that the average us citizen gives 9 times more to charity than the average cdn

/but a problem exists and the sensationalism mantra shouldnt be thrown out there so quickly

PolitiFact Virginia | Rep. Jim Moran says U.S. gun homicide rate 20 times higher than other western nations

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

One thing to bear in mind with group level data comparison as a predictor of individual level outcomes:

Ecological fallacy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

For example: The US also has a much more transient population and a much larger illegal drug trade. Both of these increase the rate of homicide quite a bit.

 

[BOSSMANPC]

Hug your children tonight. You never know when something like this can ever happen to you. Don't ever think it can't happen here because it can happen anywhere.

It's a very sad story and I cried thinking of the victims that lived here. Please join me in giving their your love.

 

[filosofy29]

RIP Newtown victims.

 

[elocomotive]

/but a problem exists and the sensationalism mantra shouldnt be thrown out there so quickly

That's why I said let it in enough to consider it and think about it, but not so much that it skews your world view. That's all. Don't disagree there isn't a problem to address. People like Sly (no offense, Jeff) get all "Society is a piece of shit! Everything is going to shit!" about this stuff. I won't lie - that attitude annoys me and I find it lacking in perspective.

During the Colorado thing, I had to go into another worker's office and turn off the TV after she had watched like 4-5 straight hours of coverage and had cried a number of times that day. It wasn't doing her any good at that point and we constantly internalize things that don't actually affect us b/c of how much we allow the media to invade our lives. You have to turn off the dial sometimes.

 

[elocomotive]

One thing to bear in mind with group level data comparison as a predictor of individual level outcomes:

Ecological fallacy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

For example: The US also has a much more transient population and a much larger illegal drug trade. Both of these increase the rate of homicide quite a bit.

Legalize more drugs, restrict guns. There ya go - two helpers right there.

 

[BOSSMANPC]

One thing to bear in mind with group level data comparison as a predictor of individual level outcomes:

Ecological fallacy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

For example: The US also has a much more transient population and a much larger illegal drug trade. Both of these increase the rate of homicide quite a bit.

This is factual true 46.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Agreed eloco i just got home and i think ive had my fill just reading about things online

No tv news

 

[SLY]

Legalize more drugs, restrict guns. There ya go - two helpers right there.

I just wish everyone was in a better state of mind and all guns and weapons were just erased from existence.

[YOUTUBE]yRhq-yO1KN8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[elocomotive]

Agreed eloco i just got home and i think ive had my fill just reading about things online

No tv news

The only news shows I watch on TV are 60 Minutes, Sunday Morning, and maybe a few panel shows like This Week. TV news is mostly junk.

Don't get overly obsessed people. If you are feeling down, donate to a charity that will help, write your Congressman, or something. Obsessing on the bad won't help.

 

[elocomotive]

I just wish everyone was in a better state of mind and all guns and weapons were just erased from existence.

Me, too. They are here though, so we have to figure out how to manage them better, because what we're doing is not working. It's unacceptable. And solutions exist to solve the problem, but we're not doing anything about it.

 

[SLY]

Me, too. They are here though, so we have to figure out how to manage them better, because what we're doing is not working. It's unacceptable. And solutions exist to solve the problem, but we're not doing anything about it.

Instead of finding common ground and compromising, people are more interested in representing a label and fighting all those that think otherwise. It's a sad time, and I really just can't see it changing.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

The only news shows I watch on TV are 60 Minutes, Sunday Morning, and maybe a few panel shows like This Week. .

Cdn local newscasts are very different than american ones ... Theyre actually tolerable in that they deal with local stories (maybe if the killings were more frequent up here it would be a different story)

I get the boston and seattle network affiliates and watching those newscasts is a surreal experience

Its only when something as horrific as what happened today do canadian newscasts pull out all the stops and go with the big dramatic sweeping fonts and sound effects to headline a "top story"

 

[Darkstone42]

A truly sad state of affairs, and I am sad for those kids and their parents. All of them, not just the kids who died, because this will have a lasting impact on the entire community.

In terms of the gun laws, I really like Japan's method. It doesn't infringe at all on the second amendment, it just stretches out the process and makes it more effective. I also wouldn't mind the illegalization of assault rifles and the like, but I think an equally effective method would be simply making Japan's application method even more difficult for those types of weapons. Perhaps the assessments could go over the course of upwards of six months to a year. That could work wonders.

In any case, it should be harder and take longer to get a gun than it does now.

In terms of the second amendment, it's also important to keep in mind that it was written in a time when "bear arms" meant swords, knives, and muskets.

The time for reform is long past, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it now. It means we should do it faster.

 

[mattola]

Higgy and dash you guys are in my thoughts also I know you have kids

In fact you all are

I'm at montanas cookhouse having a beer in Langley before the hobbit I'm excited but not it's weird

 

[SLY]

Higgy and dash you guys are in my thoughts also I know you have kids

In fact you all are

I'm at montanas cookhouse having a beer in Langley before the hobbit I'm excited but not it's weird

Yea, I haven't stopped thinking about it. It really pisses me off that it is events like this that make me think and feel the way I am right now. Life is precious. Kindness is rare. Why fret over dumb shit ever again? Why ever be stressed? When everything can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye, why not enjoy every second of your existence? Just do good.

 

[Darkstone42]

Yea, I haven't stopped thinking about it. It really pisses me off that it is events like this that make me think and feel the way I am right now. Life is precious. Kindness is rare. Why fret over dumb shit ever again? Why ever be stressed? When everything can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye, why not enjoy every second of your existence? Just do good.

Kindness isn't rare. In fact, quite the opposite. We don't notice it because it's actually that commonplace. Pay very close attention, and you'll notice kindness everywhere you go.