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# Teen opens fire at school in Germany, 10 dead

When I lived in Germany, 1950-'53, the locals were astonished at the shooting abilities of me and my brother, at 12-14 years old .
NRA Marksman at 9! :)
Apparently there's no shooting training until one gets into the Army there.
The shooting galleries used pellet guns, shooting at clay targets. Easy to win the prizes.
 
I remember my teens in high school. If someone had been stupid enough to give me a nuke, I would have used it.
Letting teenage boys anywhere near anything more dangerous than a plastic fork will end in tears.
 
I Ratant said:
Apparently there's no shooting training until one gets into the Army there.
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It's quite possible that someone wo joins the army will not ever have touched a gun before - possibly excluding amusement fair type air rifles.

But it is certainly possible to do so as a hobby.
 
WildCat said:
IMHO these types of shootings are contagious. Some suicidal asshat sees all the publicity similar shooters get and they decide to go out in a blaze of "glory" also. It's not like you can tell the media to not cover such a big story, I have no idea what the answer is.
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One idea I've heard floated around that I rather like is to not report the name of the killer.
 
Dictator Cheney said:
I dont know if it is the glory, doubt it.
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Actually, we have examples all the way to the 3'rd century BC, when Herostratus set fire to the great temple of Artemis in Ephesus (a _major_ cult center, and one of the 7 world wonders) just to achieve post mortem fame. And far from trying to escape law or anything, he very openly claimed credit to make sure it would be remembered it was him. You know, fully knowing that he'll probably face a nasty execution for it.
 
I've noticed that in a lot of these shootings, the shooters leave the reasons they did what they did, most often boiling down to 'no one listens to me or takes what I say seriously'.

Then, ironically, we look to blame anything but the very reasons the shooters themselves lay out. Odd that.
 
WildCat said:
IMHO these types of shootings are contagious. Some suicidal asshat sees all the publicity similar shooters get and they decide to go out in a blaze of "glory" also. It's not like you can tell the media to not cover such a big story, I have no idea what the answer is.
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How about something like this ...

Newreader #1 : And in other news, another sadsack shot up a school today ...

Newreader #2 : Oh, there's original.

Newreader #1 : Well, these people are idiots you know. Now, I have with me Professor Harry Stevenson of the Institute For The Study Of 'Tards. Professor: what makes losers like this do something so deeply lame, when they could just sit quietly in a corner and dribble with the other "special" children?

Professor : In two words: penis size.

Newreader #1 : I see.

Professor : Yes, research has shown that in such cases the creep in question invariably has a ridiculously small penis, limp, minuscule, and worthless for purposes of pleasure or procreation.

Newreader #2 : But isn't there some triggering factor? I mean, in many cases such people grow up to be reasonably well-adjusted alcoholic hobos.

Professor : Indeed. Usually the triggering factor is sexual rejection by some favorite farm animal. A goat, perhaps, or a pig.

Newreader #2 : Rejection?

Professor : A pig is not a fussy animal, but they do have some standards.

Newreader #2 : So when the dickweed in question realizes that he's probably never going to do anything more exciting with his flaccid little nubbin of flesh than wet his bed with it ... ?

Professor : Then he uses a gun as a substitute. Of course, a gun isn't a substitute --- but then, he's a moron.

Newreader #2 : Thank you, professor. And in related news, Rush Limbaugh's latest remarks have sparked controversy ...
 
Sad, that is. Maybe if father had only had 17 guns this would not have happened.

In Iraq yesterday, thirty three died in a car bomb attack where tribal leaders were supposed to meet for some sort of peace conference.

Also sad. Here's the kicker. In Germany, what happened is extremely unusual. In Iraq, what happened is a case of same stuff, different day.

DR
 
Germany has aLutheran tradition. They believe in doing things to perfection and radical change. So,when they do this kind of thing, its really nasty.
We have many historic examples for good and evil..Nazis,Baader meinhof, Goethe, Romantism
 
pervert said:
Germany has aLutheran tradition. They believe in doing things to perfection and radical change. So,when they do this kind of thing, its really nasty.
We have many historic examples for good and evil..Nazis,Baader meinhof, Goethe, Romantism
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It's a fairly Bushian act, don't you think? If you are going to cock up, cock up in a big way. Don't take half measures.

Oh, wait, isn't Bush a German name? Hmmmmmmmm

DR
 
Bikewer said:
In line with Wildcat's statement, I've felt for some time that these well-publicized and traumatic incidents get into the general consciousness. A "meme" if you will.

Disturbed individuals fixate on them....

The same with the very similar "rage killings" and whole-family murder/suicide incidents.
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A former high school classmate of mine admitted that when Columbine took place, she secretly admired and looked up to the killers because she was also bullied at school. She was a little on the sensitive and shy side but about the last person you'd think would say that. Last person to fit the profile, too- African-American, female, intelligent and very attractive.

All troubled kids fixate on a tragedy like that. The media's treatment of the killers doesn't help. Don't psychoanalyze them, don't ponder their motives, don't delve into their personal history- it sends the message to every like-minded teenager that this is how you will be lionized and feared if you shoot up your school.

Don't give kids the attention after they murder and/or commit suicide that you should have given them while they never killed anyone and they were alive.
 
tyr_13 said:
I've noticed that in a lot of these shootings, the shooters leave the reasons they did what they did, most often boiling down to 'no one listens to me or takes what I say seriously'.

Then, ironically, we look to blame anything but the very reasons the shooters themselves lay out. Odd that.
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No one has an automatic right to be listened to or be taken seriously, or a right to harm others because of problems with that.
 
EeneyMinnieMoe said:
A former high school classmate of mine admitted that when Columbine took place, she secretly admired and looked up to the killers because she was also bullied at school. She was a little on the sensitive and shy side but about the last person you'd think would say that. Last person to fit the profile, too- African-American, female, intelligent and very attractive.
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I knew several people like that. The school system can be a godawful place with no protections, and in places like that, the powerless fantasize of bloody revenge.
 
tyr_13 said:
I've noticed that in a lot of these shootings, the shooters leave the reasons they did what they did, most often boiling down to 'no one listens to me or takes what I say seriously'.

Then, ironically, we look to blame anything but the very reasons the shooters themselves lay out. Odd that.
Click to expand...

What was very striking about the Columbine killers is that they seemed to have known how famous they would become, how shocked everyone would be and how everyone would be analyzing them for weeks on end. They even anticipated that everyone would blame it on everything and everyone around, from parents to video games. Very self-aware, very smart.

In a tape, one of them even says that there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent it and no one to blame but himself and the other guy. Take their word for it.

Some things are just inexplicable. Who knows why they happen. Even the people who do them may not have been able to explain it.
 
HansMustermann said:
Actually, we have examples all the way to the 3'rd century BC, when Herostratus set fire to the great temple of Artemis in Ephesus (a _major_ cult center, and one of the 7 world wonders) just to achieve post mortem fame. And far from trying to escape law or anything, he very openly claimed credit to make sure it would be remembered it was him. You know, fully knowing that he'll probably face a nasty execution for it.
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It worked.
 
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