Can we stop piling on the "rednecks"? I'm a redneck and some of my best friends are too. But they're (I won't include myself out of humility) are the nicest blokes youll ever meet. Do anything for you at the drop of a hat, regardless of who you are, how you vote, or what color you are.
I'm chiding a bit of course, but here in the States, there is a general stereotyping of "gun toting rednecks" that equates to racists, road sign shooting, beer drinking, truck driving ne'er do wells. While there is always some truth in generalizations, it is no more accurate a description of one who is void of compassion, social concerns, or equality due simply to their cultural heritage.
I'm with srust. Attempting to associate a political perspective to the origin of these violent loons is a complete farce. Thought I had tripped and landed in a Lewis Carroll scene when I read it.
I think we all agree, finally, that there is a general social problem caused by numerous factors. All I want to know now is how do we start weeding out these whacks before they do harm?
Terry, Retro, AJK - what's the criminal justice model in Oz for offenders who might use a gun in the commission of a crime? Drug crimes? Death Penalty? How have you all dissuaded the violent from acting out so frequently?
Also noticed some undertones of immigration "stigmas" starting to surface inn Oz. A reference was made to only the "Muslims" are using guns in crime here now. Is that genuinely becoming a problem? Is there a rise in street crime causing a renewed anxiety with citizens? I equate that to what occurred here in the states from the late '70s, through the mid '90s. The drug trade, cocaine then crack, became heavily associated with the Colombians, then Jamaicans, then American Blacks. A new, open enterprising economy.
It was during this period in our street crime growth that we passed so many new Federal laws on firearms. This was mostly to reduce the types of weapons, but moreover, much of thee new laws had more to do with punishment of the offender. Some argue, from then, the murder rates in most of our capital cities has declined heavily. But this gave rise to the new breed of villan. The societal mass murderer.
Without offending anyone, AJK has a valid point. Some level of morality, spirituality, call it what you prefer, (certainly it MUST come from the parents first) is required for people to associate with others in sensible means. We aren't born with manners, or respect, these are taught. They are observed. Proper parenting to begin a persons life must be occur. It's not a guarantee on the outcome, but it guarantees the best possible chances for a proper outcome.
Whether your Dogma ate your Karma, or Darwin's proposal rings true to you, humans remain animals. And animals will always resort to base instinct in bad situations. We choose to ignore this about ourselves. I'd like to think that we have overcome these "instincts" due to greater effort on our "spiritual/moral/principled" upbringing. But what we see moreover in Western societies is the degradation of this element in more young peoples lives.
I attribute this (next long winded) element to a significant root cause of the rise of the evil doers.
What scares me the most about these "shooters" is that by and large, they are young people. How tragic that someone so young would choose such a drastic method or action. Think about that with great pause. Really, can you ever remember in your lifetime, when you might have ever conceived an idea to perpetrate such a violent action? The most heinous thing I ever contemplated while squirreled away in my treehouse as a moody little brat, was throwing tomatoes at the neighbors house to retaliate against their son who clothes-lined me on my bike. I had a gun or two and knew damn well how to use them. But it NEVER entered my mind. Where does the lunacy, the despair, the wanton disregard come from?
It's not income inequality, racial inequality, poverty, or any other label. It's closer to what "AJK" was intending (minus the Religious overtones in respect to agnostics). It must be as this is the only explanation how civilized societies could breed such evil doers.
Okay, I confess, a lot of this very anecdotal evidence. But this is something on which I spend a great deal of time considering. I'm a father of 4, plus some surrogate kids. I've coached kids in sport for much of my life. I'm very involved in kids community activities. I see evidence of "this" frequently (again, it's anecdotal) and it just makes me wonder, "If you must have a license to have a dog, drive a car, freshwater fish, carry a gun; then why the EFF don't you require a license to have or raise kid!!!!
So, srust, Jeff, Duke, I'll register ALL my guns if you help me campaign for Parent Licensing! Sorry, couldn't help myself in that one....
Anyway, to all of you, I bid you peace and safety and apologies for the long winded ness. I just can't tolerate this issue in my country and need to participate in finding a real remedy. It just tears me up to see this nonsense end so many young peoples lives all too damn frequently.
For any of those of you who are apathetic about fixing this problem, whether you are pro- or anti- gun: I dare you to attend a single crime scene or gravesite of a young person who was the innocent victim of a heinous crime. Take notice of the heavy cloud of edges pair that encompasses an entire community of people. Think there's no more "us" in our society? You're dead wrong.
The isolationist behaviour is borne of frustration and apathy, not a lack of compassion. That's where AJK and I are oriented I think.
