I think with youth - which seems to be the problem - a lot of the "big picture" stuff misses them. It's always about them. I don't consider myself a "moral Titanic," doomed from the start, but I know I am more selfish and less patient than my parents were. There is a pop culture image of what your life is supposed to be that's perpetuated. There is a sense that you are supposed to be somebody, not nobody, and that fame is a greater virtue than honesty or empathy. My girlfriend taught for a year at a middle school near where I grew up. The girls there dressed nicer than her, and she was mistaken for a student more than once. This was a 24 year old woman among girls half her age. Middle schoolers look better than we did in high school, and high schoolers are beyond where we were in college. That image matters. Grow up fast and be an *******, because that's a signal of your importance. And Lord forbid you not be important.
Not everyone can be important though. Whatever it is: bad parents, bad other influences, chemical imbalance, or otherwise just an anomaly in a
complex system. Some of these people flying off the handle is certainly a foreseeable outcome, even if it's not predictable on an individual level. Killing yourself doesn't make you important. But here's a way to really get some attention. It's nothing new, except for the attention of a hyperactive media god. This stuff
did happen in the past, it's just that now, it gives you celebrity. You have a reason to take it to a public place. My parents told me stories about serial killers and people who lost it over unrequited love decades ago. One that sticks out in my mind is a high schooler who ambushed a family of 6 in their home when their daughter dumped him. This was in the 60s. The only difference is that now he'd do it in their church or school, because it'll put you on the news faster.
Why guns? They seem to create the most hype. A shooter in a school with rows of cowards thronging on the edge of the police line is far more exciting than a guy running over people around a city. But if there weren't guns, it'd be something. Bombs, cars, knives. We can't ban it all. Guns are just a polarizing topic, moreso than fertilizer or cutlery, so they can only add to the sensationalism.
There will always be bad eggs and instances where people snap, and there's nothing we can do about it. It's a fundamental part of life. Where this can be a problem is when the two issues above - the desire to be "someone" and the fact that there will always be crazies - is when you combine it with a victimist country. We don't fight robbers. When shooting starts, we lock the door and hide under our desks. We aren't even responsible for the contracts we voluntarily sign. We are instructed to comply at every turn. This attitude creates a target-rich environment for these people. And honestly, while pop culture may shift, the fact that some people are going to snap won't. The only way to prepare for these instances is to put the victims on equal footing with the attackers. This means assuring that your population is defense-enabled, at all times. But the same people who give the attackers this stage are the same ones who want to prevent that. In a sick way, one could almost surmise a moneymaking conspiracy on the part of liberal media outlets. I won't go there, but it's food for thought.
Anyway, just my ramblings...
