Dawson College Shooting

[teentitan]

On Wednesday 13 Sept a 25 year old walked into a downtown Montreal college cafeteria of over 10,000 students (Dawson College) and began shooting without saying a word. He killed one girl, wounded 19 and currently there are 6 in critical condition.
He was a frequent visitor to a vampire website and posted pics of himself with knives, guns and rifles. He also played an online video game about the Columbine killings.

What I would like to ask everyone, mainly the younger posters of this board, in your opinion what is needed in society to stop these inane acts of violence against school/college students:
1. Stricter control of violent video games
2. Stricter control/monitoring of web sites that do not monitor or report the activities of their posters of violent pics and comments
3. Stricter punishment/sentencing for possession of firearms/weapons resulting in bodily harm used committing a crime.

I understand technology is so prelevant today compared to when I was a graduating high school student or a young man in my early twenties and I am curious what is influencing the youth of today.

 

[Wicked]

On Wednesday 13 Sept a 25 year old walked into a downtown Montreal college cafeteria of over 10,000 students (Dawson College) and began shooting without saying a word. He killed one girl, wounded 19 and currently there are 6 in critical condition.
He was a frequent visitor to a vampire website and posted pics of himself with knives, guns and rifles. He also played an online video game about the Columbine killings.

What I would like to ask everyone, mainly the younger posters of this board, in your opinion what is needed in society to stop these inane acts of violence against school/college students:
1. Stricter control of violent video games
2. Stricter control/monitoring of web sites that do not monitor or report the activities of their posters of violent pics and comments
3. Stricter punishment/sentencing for possession of firearms/weapons resulting in bodily harm used committing a crime.

I understand technology is so prelevant today compared to when I was a graduating high school student or a young man in my early twenties and I am curious what is influencing the youth of today.

Not really the point here but the website was not a vampire website. Its a site called Vampirefreaks and its kind of like myspace. Basically you upload photos and things just the same.
Im just pointing that out because the website should be in no way to blame for this but Im sure it will be anyway. My fiance is on that site and like I said, its just another Myspace.

 

[teentitan]

Not really the point here but the website was not a vampire website. Its a site called Vampirefreaks and its kind of like myspace. Basically you upload photos and things just the same.
Im just pointing that out because the website should be in no way to blame for this but Im sure it will be anyway. My fiance is on that site and like I said, its just another Myspace.

I posted this thread for a discussion not to finger point at websites or specific games etc. The media is good at that I just wanted to start a discussion on what are some common sense solutions to an ever growing problem.
The media and older generation seem to yammer on about the peripherals of a hot topic I'm asking you guys directly for your opinion.

 

[nerd4hire]

Well, let's go through your suggestions one by one. I'll offer up some of the arguements I've heard against them .

1. Stricter control of violent video games

There already are age restrictions, so I'm guessing what's suggested here is just plain disallowing certain kinds of content. The problem with censorship is knowing where to draw the line, and deciding who's going to draw it. There are studies suggesting where the line might be, and other studies claiming there isn't even a clear connection between violent behaviour and violent media.

2. Stricter control/monitoring of web sites that do not monitor or report the activities of their posters of violent pics and comments.

Well now you're entering the whole area of Big Brother. Then there's the question of would it even work, or would it just create another set of problems?

3. Stricter punishment/sentencing for possession of firearms/weapons resulting in bodily harm used committing a crime.

The problem with gun control is also proving it works, and if it does, how much of it do you need. For example there was that billion dollar boondogle which was the Canadian gun registration program. It was supposed to keep Canadians safer from gun attacks, yet here's a guy in Montreal spraying bullets through a college, and that's hardly an isolated incident since the gun registration program began.

I don't know what the solution is, but there are some of the arguements I've seen put forward against the suggested quick-fixes.

 

[Wicked]

On Wednesday 13 Sept a 25 year old walked into a downtown Montreal college cafeteria of over 10,000 students (Dawson College) and began shooting without saying a word. He killed one girl, wounded 19 and currently there are 6 in critical condition.
He was a frequent visitor to a vampire website and posted pics of himself with knives, guns and rifles. He also played an online video game about the Columbine killings.

What I would like to ask everyone, mainly the younger posters of this board, in your opinion what is needed in society to stop these inane acts of violence against school/college students:
1. Stricter control of violent video games
2. Stricter control/monitoring of web sites that do not monitor or report the activities of their posters of violent pics and comments
3. Stricter punishment/sentencing for possession of firearms/weapons resulting in bodily harm used committing a crime.

I understand technology is so prelevant today compared to when I was a graduating high school student or a young man in my early twenties and I am curious what is influencing the youth of today.

Well as N4H said, what can be done about video games that hasnt already been done? I dont believe for a second video games are in anyway to blame for things that happen. People that go out and do these things are already screwed up in the head. The games dont make them do this. If they are that way of thinking, they'd do these things eventually anyway.

As for the website thing. Well look at the amount of memeber there are on these sites. Its unlikely they can check out every single member and what he or she has been using their account for. In most cases Id imagine unless someone complains, they wont even know about it.

 

[Schillaci]

10000 students and he only killed one? One of his problems would be that he can't aim for shit.:bandit:

I don't know the answer.

How does one understand a complex 'problem' like this?

He indisciminately shot a bunch of people - Logically I must conclude that he has no respect for life.
He killed himself - Logically I must conclude that he had no respect for his own life.

Was it a website, video game, tv, or poor gun control that caused this? ...
Censor these things and you're preventing a possible tragedy, but you aren't dealing with the problem. Yes, you might block the effect, but it's still there, festering in society.

Does glamorizing violence create the problem, or does it just give it an outlet?

Is the actual problem that we live in a free society that places incredible emphasis on the self? That places value on success or failure? That places value on life itself?

Surely if a person kills themself one must conclude that he deemed his life had no value. By what standards did he measure this?

We live in an individualistic, selfish society that places the problems of self over all others, you can logically argue that fufilling your happiness quota each day is the most important thing in life. Unless someone shoots up your school and your little life party is ended, then you can't argue for shit.

"We must reexamine our own attitudes, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breath the same air, we all cherish our childrens futures, and we are all mortal"

 

[arabella]

as I think Dzhugashvili is expressing, I firmly believe that the problem is more so this individualistic, it's all about me, I should be happy all the time (even if it is at the expense of others) bull crap that society is moving towards.
I believe that we, as a whole, have lost a sense of community. We are not connected. Which is insane to me as we now have a greater ability to connect with more and more people via internet access, and yet we have never been more alone. We use our connections to facilitate our own good most of the time. We talk to talk, not to listen. We have a sense of disillusionment and apathy. I feel stupid suggesting that what we need is compassionate love, but that is my firm belief. If we, as a society, were to get up every day and focus on being compassionate love (to self and others) and modeled this behavior, modeled compassion and selflessness to our children-a change would take place.
i dunno....Teach EMPATHY.

 

[teentitan]

When I was a kid there were no cellphones, video games, ipods, computers etc. We had 'outside' from dawn to dusk. We all met in the field or sidestreet for a pickup game.
Do you feel if parents were to get their kids to put the technology down and go outside to play with others then the chances of creating that 'loner' would diminish? I remember the biggest punishment as a kid for me was being sent to my room while I could see all my friends outside playing.
Now you are all probably thinking how old is this guy?!? I'm 44 so I've seen the evolution of technology from vacuum tubes to silicone chips. That is less then 30 years. 30 years may seem like a long time to some but remember from the steam engine to television it was over 120 years inbetween those two big inventions.
Is our quest for speedy technology the cause of our isolation from people?

 

[killerdwarf]

10000 students and he only killed one? One of his problems would be that he can't aim for shit.:bandit:

I've heard this point being made...😉

He indisciminately shot a bunch of people - Logically I must conclude that he has no respect for life.
He killed himself - Logically I must conclude that he had no respect for his own life.

Yup. I concur.

Was it a website, video game, tv, or poor gun control that caused this? ...
Censor these things and you're preventing a possible tragedy, but you aren't dealing with the problem. Yes, you might block the effect, but it's still there, festering in society.

Again with the concurrance.

Is the actual problem that we live in a free society that places incredible emphasis on the self? That places value on success or failure? That places value on life itself?

Surely if a person kills themself one must conclude that he deemed his life had no value. By what standards did he measure this?

We live in an individualistic, selfish society that places the problems of self over all others, you can logically argue that fufilling your happiness quota each day is the most important thing in life. Unless someone shoots up your school and your little life party is ended, then you can't argue for shit.

You are so right on here. The selfishness in society is a cancer we must excise, or die of. I have ideas as to why this has happened, but they are boring and finger-pointing, and entirely beside the point. What matters is that we have to stop with the self-absorption, and then start considering others. No other solution will do.

"We must reexamine our own attitudes, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breath the same air, we all cherish our childrens futures, and we are all mortal"

Well said...and...here...have some rep...BTW, who are you, and what have you done with Dzhugashvili?😉

 

[Wicked]

When I was a kid there were no cellphones, video games, ipods, computers etc. We had 'outside' from dawn to dusk. We all met in the field or sidestreet for a pickup game.
Do you feel if parents were to get their kids to put the technology down and go outside to play with others then the chances of creating that 'loner' would diminish? I remember the biggest punishment as a kid for me was being sent to my room while I could see all my friends outside playing.
Now you are all probably thinking how old is this guy?!? I'm 44 so I've seen the evolution of technology from vacuum tubes to silicone chips. That is less then 30 years. 30 years may seem like a long time to some but remember from the steam engine to television it was over 120 years inbetween those two big inventions.
Is our quest for speedy technology the cause of our isolation from people?

Well Im only 24 but it was the same for me when I was a kid 🙂

teentitan agrees: I agree it would be hard to monitor the websites so I will ask you would you report violent posts if you saw one?

Absolutley I would. However, I cant speak for the rest of the world.

 

[Jill_Valentine]

When I was a kid there were no cellphones, video games, ipods, computers etc. We had 'outside' from dawn to dusk. We all met in the field or sidestreet for a pickup game.
Do you feel if parents were to get their kids to put the technology down and go outside to play with others then the chances of creating that 'loner' would diminish? I remember the biggest punishment as a kid for me was being sent to my room while I could see all my friends outside playing.
Now you are all probably thinking how old is this guy?!? I'm 44 so I've seen the evolution of technology from vacuum tubes to silicone chips. That is less then 30 years. 30 years may seem like a long time to some but remember from the steam engine to television it was over 120 years inbetween those two big inventions.
Is our quest for speedy technology the cause of our isolation from people?

I think it's the other way around. People feel more isolated and powerless generally, so the internet - a speedy, commitment free way to communicate - is attractive. People with social impediments use the internet to get around them. People who suffer from mild impediments like shyness or hot tempers can use the internet as a valuable tool to connect them to people without all the complexities and consequences of face-to-facing. People with Asperger's Syndrome don't have to worry about nonverbal communication in the same way. Because the only part of you people see is what you're willing to present, and you've got a nice, cosy comfort blanket of anonymity, you can bypass all the awkward initial formalities.

Somebody willing to go into a school with a gun is clearly on the high end of that scale. But where somebody with a mild impediment can use the internet to help with their quirks and as a tool to complement their real life, somebody so seriously troubled is beyond the healing powers of the World Wide Web.

As for violent posts... there are few more disturbing things for a regular net user than having a netbuddy threaten violence, towards themselves or others, for two reasons. For one thing, you can never know if they're serious, for another, even if they are you're essentially powerless.

As to why people feel more isolated generally, I think that's got a lot to do with the the increasing gulf between the people and the power, but that's a far bigger conversation. Anyway - I reckon the explosion in communications technologies is a response to our increasing disassociation rather than the other way around.