OK, deep thoughts about the Columbine thing,

I would mention this to those idiots speading hate about Columbine, but they probably won't listen. You know, the families that are so consumed with hate that they won't listen to reason, and blame everything under the sun for the shooting. I understand that they are hurt by what happened, but they're looking at it all wrong. They're making more damage and hate than the shooting itself ever will.

Anyways, before I start my story/rant, let me tell you that I'm not f**ked in the head or anything. I have a loving caring family and friends. I even get along with my sister. No sibling rivalry. Now that's abnormal. I wouldn't and have not to this day, hurt a fly. Very passive and not in the least bit aggressive.

I was bugged in elementry school until grade 6 when I changed schools. For what, I'd rather not say, it's a touchy subject. From kindergarten to grade 5, (and even in scouts (beavers, cubs), I was bugged and beat up EVERY FRIKKIN DAY! We're not talking 2 or 3 kids, we're talking 90% of the student body. Basically, the teachers didn't give a sh*t, and even made it worse. One teacher even moved my desk to the front of the class by her desk, and that only made the problem worse. The pricipal didn't care, the teachers didn't care, and the only people who would stand up for me is my sister and my 2 best friends. My parents didn't know what to do, so I changed schools in grade 6.

You name it, it was done to me. For a long time (at least by kids years) I had stuff destroyed, beat up everyday, and lost any sense of humor whatsoever. Now, the point I'm trying to make here is that no matter how good natured you are, you reach a point somewhere that right and wrong doesn't matter. Where all reason gets thrown out the window, and you want it all to end, no matter how it gets done. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't think about killing myself or the everyone at school. I was dangerously close to doing something.

Luckily, I had a loving, caring family and friends backing me up. Things got better when I changed schools, from catholic to public. I got a sense of humor back starting with comedy albums (Weird Al showed me the way). And I'm a better person because of all that happened to me. I may not be as social as I should be (bad experiences can do that to you), but now I understand what a lot of people go through, and will never lift a finger against anyone, since I know what it's like.

Basically, my rant is that under the right conscequences, a school shooting could happen. If it wasn't for caring people around me, and changing schools, something could've happened. Now assume that this happened to someone with a short temper, aggressive behaviour, and a family who doesn't care, and you have a time bomb. Violent games, harsh music, violent movies, etc. won't push someone to shoot up a school. Influences in their real life pushes them to take action.

What these Columbine parents are doing are blaming everything but the kids. Both the victims and the shooters. The kids who kept up the bugging are more to blame than the shooters. I'm not saying that the shooters should've done it, but I, in a way, understand why they did it. It was wrong anyways.

So Doom never pushed the kids to do it. So the kids liked Doom, BFD. If Care Bears and Smurfs were on the site, they'd he blaming that too. The most propostorous thing about this is that they blamed KMFDM. KMFDM's songs are AGAINST violence, racism, and war, and they got blamed for it, just because they're a German band. Heck, they quit making music because of it. Just listen to the song Adios. It explains it all.

I forgot who said it, but there's a saying that goes like this:
"A single person is smart, people are stupid." Now that's scary.

A, GODDAMN FUCKING, -MEN, BRO!!!
I feels ya 150%... except I ain't got patience like you.
When they pushed me to far, I didn't give a fuck how big they was, I'd punch da shit out of one of them mothafuckas! And if dat didn't work, I'd pick something up... and I'm talkin' whateva da fuck I could get my hand on dat would crack they head open!

Then again, I grew up in NY, so I had no choice! If I didn't fight back, da WHOLE neighborhood what have beat my ass, and they would have fucked wit my little brothas and sistas too! And I sure as fuck wasn't havin' dat shit!

But, truthfully, and I know NO ONE IS GONNA BELIEVE DIS...

I DON'T LIKE VIOLENCE, AND HATE FIGHTING!!!!

I have gotten into so many fights in my life I can't count. Like fodders said, small people have NO CHOICE!!!! But, now dat I have grown some and less people try me, I find dat when things get ugly, I just say fuck you, and bounce! Then 1 of 2 things happens:

1)they talk shit still, and I just walk away!
2)they put their hands on me, and I defend myself... BRUTALLY!

The exception being if they fuck wit mah little honey, even if it's just verbally... I WILL BREAK THEIR FUCKING HEAD, BEST BELIEVE DAT! DAT'S MAH LADY, AND I GOT MAD FEELINGS FOR HER, SO AIN'T NO ONE GONNA MAKE HER CRY IN FRONT OF ME! But, other than dat, the only way I will attack, is if they hit me first!

I may talk shit on da forums, but in real life, I'm a little straighter! Why do I do that? Because, well... IT BE FUN AS FUCK!!! Then again, there are several people here dat I'm willing to better are much bigger pacifists than me, who talk more shit than me. [cough**pickle mallet**cough]

Well, dat's mah word and I'm out!

Well put man. The parents know it's thier fault, they just don't wanna admit it. They wanna blame other things so that puts them out of the picture.

Mean Environment + Unsupportive Parents = Bad stuff.

I'm not happy with Doom getting the flack either. Being, in England, I'm not exactly an expert on the American legal system, but is there actually a chance in hell of the lawsuit succeeding? From what their case is, I think I could probably defend that one successfully. I can understand the families' grief, but suing everyone in sight isn't the way forward. Especially when the case gets thrown out of court and the entire world thinks they're stupid for suing ID.

This whole columbine issue isn't as complicated as alot of people would like to make it. I was picked on in school from 6th grade to 9th, I had alot of bad things happen to me... There was a time in middle school that I can recall being afaid of Monday mornings because it symbolized another week of hell. But I was able to cope with it because I had loving parents that I could turn to. I confided in my mom all the fears that I had.. and to make a long story short, I didn't go nuts and kill everyone.

I feel that if those two gunmen in Columbine had had simliar support, it wouldn't a' happened. Just my $0.02

~E

People don't need a "valid" reason to go postal, it's "valid" in their head, no matter how insane it may seem to "normal people". The case of Brenda Spencer who went on a spree at school because she "didn't like Mondays", illustrates it perfectly:
Two decades ago, US schools ceased to be a sanctuary for both pupils and staff when 16-year-old Brenda Spencer shot at classmates and teachers from her bedroom window.

Spencer is still in jail for the two killings and nine woundings she committed in San Diego, with the rifle her father had given her as a gift. She infamously told arresting officers: "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day."

This gave birth to the Boomtown Rats great hit record:

The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody's gonna go to school today
She's going to make them stay at home
And Daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown

{Refrain}
Tell me why - I don't like Mondays
Tell me why - I don't like Mondays
Tell me why - I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down

The Telex machine is kept so clean
And it types to a waiting world
And Mother feels so shocked
Father's world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to their own little girl
Sweet 16 ain't that peachy keen
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat
They can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need, oh-h-h

{Refrain}
Down, down, shoot it all down

And all the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles
And the captain tackles
With the problems and the how's and why's
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die, die, oh-h-h

And the silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
Oh, and nobody's gonna go to school today
She's going to make them stay at home
And Daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown

{Refrain, with 7 tell me why's}

esco said:

The key to reducing violent outbursts - whether with guns, fists or knives - is to ensure that all children are made to feel valuable, according to Dr Peter Stringham, adolescent violence prevention counsellor at the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in East Boston.

He told BBC News Online: "Violence is often a problem for people who have some kind of emptiness.

"Teenagers do not have strong egos, so they fill that space with something. There are healthy things to fill it with like academic achievement, sport or altruism.

"There are extremely negative things to fill it with like cults, inappropriate sex, inappropriate behaviour like sex or drugs.

"Problems do occur when we transmit the message to young people that they only have a place in the universe if they are smart, if they are good athletes, if they look a certain way or have a certain sexuality. Young people who do not conform to that ideal will be more likely to experience problems.

'Any moron can get a gun'

"The thing that sets America aside from the rest of the world is that any moron can get a gun. That is an aspect of our society which is very sick."

He added that youngsters did not fully understand that their actions would be forever, and said that teenagers romanticised death - particularly suicide - not really understanding that it is forever.

He said: "Kurt Cobain is such a popular figure because he is seen as tragic and heroic. Teenagers want attention sometimes seek to emulate people like that - sometimes with tragic consequences. In reality they can have little idea of the consequences of their actions.

"What is certain is that young people's problems and feelings of disaffection are going to have to be taken seriously. It is no good looking at the problem after an extreme event such as Denver.

"We have, as a society, to make each individual feel that they have worth."

What the fuck are these huge posts doing here, this has all been said before, and Doom won, the end. Carmack doesn't give a shit, he's dealt with this stuff before, and nothing is going to change. Forget about it.

GavinJCD

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to start flaming. This forum has been nice and friendly for the last few days, and I, for one, would like it to stay that way. If you don't have anything nice to say, shut up. If you don't like the post, don't read it. Simple as that. Shut. Up.

i dont think that was particularly inflammatory and i think he should be allowed to post whatever he wants, frankly

elbryan42 said:

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to start flaming. This forum has been nice and friendly for the last few days, and I, for one, would like it to stay that way. If you don't have anything nice to say, shut up. If you don't like the post, don't read it. Simple as that. Shut. Up.

I'm sorry if you don't particulary like what I have to say but it really doesn't matter what you think. The fact is nothing is going to come from this, it will all be forgotten like it was the last time. Actually it's just more of a big joke this time. Oh and maybe this forum has been nice and friendly, but it has also all been USELESS. Not only that but some of the posts in this thread and the others on the same topic have been a bit strange to say the least, all BIG caps and useles remarks that mean absolutely nothing. It's just all a bit silly especially since it's been said before.

well put, man.
I know exectly what you mean, especially since I've had experiences similar to those you describe, and didn't get my sense of humor back until I was out of high school.

In any case, I'm not too worried, because this shit has been dealt with before, and eventually(hopefully before everyone is dead), people will realize how freakin simple this issue can be, and figure out a more responsible way of dealing with it.

GavinJCD said:

I'm sorry if you don't particulary like what I have to say but it really doesn't matter what you think. The fact is nothing is going to come from this, it will all be forgotten like it was the last time. Actually it's just more of a big joke this time. Oh and maybe this forum has been nice and friendly, but it has also all been USELESS. Not only that but some of the posts in this thread and the others on the same topic have been a bit strange to say the least, all BIG caps and useles remarks that mean absolutely nothing. It's just all a bit silly especially since it's been said before.

Yo dis forum use as flip ain't been useless!!
And as for what he thinks not mattering, you is way off base there! A lot of us give a fuck about what he's gots ta say.

Now, on da other hand: as for us caring about what you think, well......

I know what you mean dude, I get that crap all the time, even today I'm singled out from 95%+ of the class...