On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:32:35 -0500, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at vtSPAM.edu"> wrote:

>Stephen wrote:
>> On Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:51:11 -0500, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at vtSPAM.edu"> wrote:
>> 
>> [Snip for brevity]
>> 
>> To reply to your last point (mine) first. I think that you are right, gun laws
>> won't help. It is too late for you, (not personally) there are too many guns in
>> circulation and the belief that you need a firearm to defend yourself too
>> ingrained. To quote a long dead poet who died in a fight. Why, this is Hell nor
>> am I out of it.
>
>I disagree with the observations, but not the quote.
>
I don't know if that is an observation I thought that it was a belief. But
please correct me if you see things differently. You live there whilst I am only
an onlooker. And I don't like the conclusions that I have come to and would like
to be wrong

>The problem that I saw, first hand in the USA high school system, is
>that there is often no hope. I don't work in a school, so I can't
>observe how it's changed over time. But I did ask some others people for
>their memories of school. There have always been cliques, but it seems
>that kids have been getting more and more insular and stopped talking to
>people not in their group. Whether the 5 year olds playing team sports,
>or parents arranging strict play dates is to blame for this is another
>discussion.
>
I don't have children myself so no personal experience but the trend in the UK
seems to be going the same way.

>So kids grow up with much less of a safety net, and very few people to
>talk to when things go wrong. Take a common occurrence, a fight within
>one of these small groups of kids. One kid singled out, where do they go
>and who can they turn to?
>
>IMO, the problem isn't the guns or these kids either killing themselves
>or killing others before they kill them self. It's that these situations
>occur in the first place.
>
Some people say that modern society is changing too fast for us to adapt to it
safely. I think that this has a kernel of truth. The demise of the nuclear
family plays a part.

>> As for depression and drugs; it would probably be better (IMO) if drugs were
>> used as a last resort if at all. But then you would have to put more effort into
>> helping people which would not be as profitable to the established money makers.
>
>You haven't seen what counselors charge by the hour, have you? The drugs
>are common because they are the cheap answer, cheap enough to be
>available to the people who really should be getting counseling but
>can't afford it.

No I've got no idea at all. But surely it is cheaper for society to pay for it
than pay for the outcome. (Yes I am a socialist). Having said that I also
question the beneficial effect of counselling. In fact I think that in a lot of
cases it makes things worse. I makes people dwell on things too much. I also
think that "closure" is over rated as well. What is wrong with being sad and
letting time cure your ails rather than forcing an end to your problems.

>Or worse, is convinced that anyone who gets counseling is already too
>far gone to be helped.
>
>> "Drugs" are both fashionable and a dirty word. The easy way out until you have
>> to pay the final price and it looks like judgement day is getting closer.
>> If it is of any interest to anyone other than myself. I have turned down two job
>> opportunities to work across the pond because I don't want to put myself through
>> the hassle of living the life I see over there. Now this is not to say that I
>> haven't met many fine people from the land of the free, I have. Some of them
>> here on this newsgroup, a lot at work, some as visitors to my country etc. but
>> it seems like a society that is best experienced from a distance. 
>> 
>> Regards
>> 	Stephen
>
>Eh, it's quite fun here on a day to day basis. Lots of us don't even own
>guns, we have pets we care about, and we don't eat babies. Often.

I know, I know. Most of my working life has been working for multi national
companies. Unfortunately a lot of them were oil companies (read rednecks). I
have met and liked lots of Americans as people. As far as eating babies goes
have you tried them with sweet and sour sauce? 

>Besides that, I think there is still some hope. The violence is a
>symptom, not the problem that needs to be solved.

Good keep on trucking :)

Regards
	Stephen

Post a reply to this message