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Kimio · April 18, 2013, 09:59 AM

Oh don't get me wrong Jimbob, I wholeheartedly agree that there is much more to this issue than just poor parenting and a morally bankrupt social body.

I can speak from experience on this. When my father was young, he used to get into all sorts of trouble (You know, boy trouble) being rowdy in class, not being very attentive, stuff like that. He was 7-8 years old. Teachers coped, he was just being a kid, nothing was considered odd about his behaviour, him playing cops and robbers was not seen as symptoms of him being mentally deficient in any which way or form.

Fast forward to recent years when I was just a wee brat, and at the tender age of 6 my teachers saw fit to say that they thought I had ADD or ADHD because I would not sit still, mouth shut, and attentive to their lectures on the english aplhabet and how to add 2+2.

They immediately suggested I be placed on Ritlen, which caused all sorts of issues. Fortunately, my mother had enough sense to not blindly listen to what my teachers said, and through her own studies found that there were days that I was just fine and behaved as they "expected" me to even when I was off the medication, while others I was the typical 6 yo deliquent with ADHD that they thought I was when on the medication.

The solution for taking care of the burden of parenting nowadays is to push off the responsibilty to either drugging up our children until they're mindless zombies, or letting television or video games do the work for us. Ultimately though, what does that do to these children when they are confronted with problems that occur in every day life?

Such as bullying. Without proper guidance, most children (I emphasis most) don't know how to properly handle the situation, some break down and get depressed, others get angry, sometimes violently so.

They then grow up, and have all these unresolved issues in their past affecting them in their adolescent/adult life, and when that one last straw breaks them, they go on a rampage, seeking release, seeing as getting even or killing themselves as the only resolution.

Each and every one of us, our lives are filled with choices, and while free will plays as much of a role in anything we do (We all know some parents, that did all the right things, that still end up with bad apples), and a child will have one of two options depending on their personality among other things. To handle a situation responsibly or irresponsibly.

However, if they are never shown how to do so, it is less likely that they will go the responsible route when dealing with intense emotions such as anger or sorrow. (I've gone down both paths as a child)

My generation in particular is really messed up, how many times have I heard kids saying they just want to shoot someone that wronged them, that they wish all the pain in the world to descend upon their shoulders etc. Proper parenting is not a fool proof way to ensure a child will not take a wrong turn in life and do evil things, but it certainly does help encourage them not to do so. Again free will.

All of the above factor into what happens and what drives these individuals to do what they do IMO. So let us ask ourselves, do we have a gun problem, or a violent criminal/individual problem in our country/world. I'm more inclined to think the latter.

Mental health being as murky as it is, and seeing as I have no real experience on the topic, I'll leave it at what I mentioned in my previous post and let someone who works in the field expand upon it.

another $20 worth on the topic from me.

April 18, 2013, 09:59 AM	#21
Kimio Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2011 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,171	Oh don't get me wrong Jimbob, I wholeheartedly agree that there is much more to this issue than just poor parenting and a morally bankrupt social body. I can speak from experience on this. When my father was young, he used to get into all sorts of trouble (You know, boy trouble) being rowdy in class, not being very attentive, stuff like that. He was 7-8 years old. Teachers coped, he was just being a kid, nothing was considered odd about his behaviour, him playing cops and robbers was not seen as symptoms of him being mentally deficient in any which way or form. Fast forward to recent years when I was just a wee brat, and at the tender age of 6 my teachers saw fit to say that they thought I had ADD or ADHD because I would not sit still, mouth shut, and attentive to their lectures on the english aplhabet and how to add 2+2. They immediately suggested I be placed on Ritlen, which caused all sorts of issues. Fortunately, my mother had enough sense to not blindly listen to what my teachers said, and through her own studies found that there were days that I was just fine and behaved as they "expected" me to even when I was off the medication, while others I was the typical 6 yo deliquent with ADHD that they thought I was when on the medication. The solution for taking care of the burden of parenting nowadays is to push off the responsibilty to either drugging up our children until they're mindless zombies, or letting television or video games do the work for us. Ultimately though, what does that do to these children when they are confronted with problems that occur in every day life? Such as bullying. Without proper guidance, most children (I emphasis most) don't know how to properly handle the situation, some break down and get depressed, others get angry, sometimes violently so. They then grow up, and have all these unresolved issues in their past affecting them in their adolescent/adult life, and when that one last straw breaks them, they go on a rampage, seeking release, seeing as getting even or killing themselves as the only resolution. Each and every one of us, our lives are filled with choices, and while free will plays as much of a role in anything we do (We all know some parents, that did all the right things, that still end up with bad apples), and a child will have one of two options depending on their personality among other things. To handle a situation responsibly or irresponsibly. However, if they are never shown how to do so, it is less likely that they will go the responsible route when dealing with intense emotions such as anger or sorrow. (I've gone down both paths as a child) My generation in particular is really messed up, how many times have I heard kids saying they just want to shoot someone that wronged them, that they wish all the pain in the world to descend upon their shoulders etc. Proper parenting is not a fool proof way to ensure a child will not take a wrong turn in life and do evil things, but it certainly does help encourage them not to do so. Again free will. All of the above factor into what happens and what drives these individuals to do what they do IMO. So let us ask ourselves, do we have a gun problem, or a violent criminal/individual problem in our country/world. I'm more inclined to think the latter. Mental health being as murky as it is, and seeing as I have no real experience on the topic, I'll leave it at what I mentioned in my previous post and let someone who works in the field expand upon it. another $20 worth on the topic from me.