tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post115844813145474373..comments2023-11-02T07:25:45.884-05:00Comments on Mormanity - a blog for those interested in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: A Columbine-Like Tragedy Barely Averted Here in Wisconsin: Time for More Parents to Wake UpJeff Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08776493593387402607noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158844425115739272006-09-21T08:13:00.000-05:002006-09-21T08:13:00.000-05:00To point to something as a negative influence is n...To point to something as a negative influence is not to blame it as the cause. That should have been clear. Of course parenting is the key. <BR/><BR/>Pointing to harmful elements in the media - especially pornography - is not some effort to blame outside factors for our personal problems. But these outside factors, the things they teach and the influences they bring, are elements that cannot be neglected. Even the best of parenting can be inadequate when children are exposed to porn or grotesque violence when they are outside of home. Our society would be better without the presence of such garbage.Jeff Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08776493593387402607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158764591280139892006-09-20T10:03:00.000-05:002006-09-20T10:03:00.000-05:00More often then not, I read comments from people w...More often then not, I read comments from people wanting to blame everything out there for failures...Granted a few people here have nailed, but other just seem to want to go along with the flow...<BR/><BR/>PARENTING...this is where the blame should stay, not TV, not Videogames, not schools, not bullies, etc...<BR/><BR/>How can i make such a bold statement? Because I came from the depths of it all. I grew up outside of D.C., lots of crime, lots of drugs, lots of sex and violence. Not to mention I was into hardcore music , punks, skinheads, weirdos, all that jazz. I even played videogames my entire life. I was even a nerd for awhile. <BR/><BR/>Yeah I went through severe depression as a teen, got picked on a lot - but somehow managed to survive it all, never got into a fight in my life (well none that I ever threw a punch..I may have got beat up a few times)...<BR/><BR/>But without a doubt in my mind, the only reason I grew up, got adjusted, and made it through all that crap was because I had good parents. They didn't do anything special, but they did give me a place to go...to their house. it was a home, i felt safe there, i got love there, and i was secure. no matter what ever happened to me outside in the horrible world there was always a warmth waiting for me.<BR/><BR/>Today's parents (and i'm generalizing) seem to be teaching children nothing, but negative concepts. 'it's all about me' these days. 'no personal responsiblity', 'age of entitlement'. Ask yourself why there's so much bankruptcy these days...I can look around the town i live in (here in Utah) and pick out at least 10 homes where people are so stretched beyond their means, 1 missed pay check and they'll loose it all.<BR/><BR/>The church leaders have already told us, time and time again what the root of the problem is - they even wrote a proclamation about it. How come people keep looking for other reasons? It starts in the home! it starts with the disappearence of the mother and land slides from there. I don't know how one can argue against the prophet when it comes to this. I almost tried with my wife, and realized there wasn't anything I could say that would defend a position against the mother staying at home, and since then our home life has been blessed.<BR/><BR/>You want to blame other things, go ahead, but when you boil it down, spit out the fat and finally serve it up on a plate, it's the family. It all starts in the home and goes from there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158725030226758772006-09-19T23:03:00.000-05:002006-09-19T23:03:00.000-05:00No WAY!! I can't believe I found this site!! Brot...No WAY!! I can't believe I found this site!! Brother Lindsay, you would never believe what your "lightplanet" site helped me with many years ago! I'm a huge fan! Thanks for your work!!Jonnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08554578036390355804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158684626436979442006-09-19T11:50:00.000-05:002006-09-19T11:50:00.000-05:00For the record, I am a huge videogame fan. Videoga...For the record, I am a huge videogame fan. Videogames are an art form, just like movies or music.<BR/><BR/>Still, some of these games are pure garbage. Grand Theft Auto has no artistic merit, from what I can tell, and I guarantee you that it wouldn't sell without the violent/smutty aspects.<BR/><BR/>Banning videogames is not the answer. I honestly think that videogames need to adopt the same rating system as movies. If it's for adults, it should be rated R. Family friendly games can be G and PG. It bugs me that any 12 year old can go into a game store and buy smut like Grand Theft Auto, and nobody says anything. And if they do, they'll just have their parents buy it for them.<BR/><BR/>Right now, videogames DO have a ratings system. Smutty games are rated M for Mature, in-between games are rated T for Teen, etc. <BR/><BR/>The problem is that the majority of parents don't know anything about it. Saying a game is rated "M" or "T" means absolutely nothing to them. They just hear that Grand Theft Auto is the "hot" new gift idea this holiday season, and willingly buy it.<BR/><BR/>If they just adopted the MPAA rating system, which is almost universally understood, parents can look at Grand Theft Auto and think "oh wait, that's rated R. I don't want my kid playing that." Or the employee at Wal-Mart who doesn't know anything about videogames can say "uh-oh. This is rated R, I better not sell it to this ten year old".<BR/><BR/>Of course, this won't solve all of the problems in the world. Even if we take videogames out of the hands of these Columbine kids, they'll still have movies, music, and the internet to fuel their dark fantasies. And if we take all of that away, what's that going to accomplish? They're still clearly deranged, and they're STILL getting bullied, and now they have no escape. Without parents to turn to, it's still only a matter of time before they snap.<BR/><BR/>So the bottom line is, regulating media content isn't going to help without better parenting. But that's just common sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158675591515316122006-09-19T09:19:00.000-05:002006-09-19T09:19:00.000-05:00Re: the cameraI was bullied ceaselessly in grade s...Re: the camera<BR/><BR/>I was bullied ceaselessly in grade school, due to being a nerd and having ~95% of my classmates from the previous year stay in my class. By early 2nd grade the pecking order was set and didn't change until I finished 6th grade and left the school. <BR/><BR/>I don't know that a camera would help. The school administrators were well aware that bullying was a severe problem (the bullies didn't always bother to wait until adults were out of earshot) but the impression I always got was that my "cause was just but they could do nothing." <BR/><BR/>My conclusion is that there are "socially acceptable" ways to misbehave (ie you seldom if ever get taken to task for it) and bullying is one of them. Think about what's goes on at temple square. However, retaliating against bullying is highly unacceptable, as is making waves by avoiding the situation (We were allowed to go home for lunch, and I narrowly avoided getting suspended once when I couldn't stand to go back to school that day). <BR/><BR/>Until that changes bullying is here to stay, cameras and laws notwithstanding.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158670951061319342006-09-19T08:02:00.000-05:002006-09-19T08:02:00.000-05:00For those of you who were bullied---would you wear...For those of you who were bullied---would you wear a tiny video camera on your shirt to prove the bullying? <BR/><BR/>Maybe technology would help you now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158610190554813352006-09-18T15:09:00.000-05:002006-09-18T15:09:00.000-05:00indeed there was a "Columbine like", shooting ramp...indeed there was a "Columbine like", shooting rampage 5 days ago in Montreal, QC by a young goth fan.<BR/>http://www.canada.com/topics/news/features/dawsonshooting/story.html?id=d9f2d57e-4f6e-42cb-9c60-79441b5cb7b1&k=24621Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158589141912472482006-09-18T09:19:00.000-05:002006-09-18T09:19:00.000-05:00The following words of Pres. Boyd K. Packer seem t...The following words of Pres. Boyd K. Packer seem to be apropos:<BR/><BR/>"In many places it is literally not safe physically for youngsters to go to school. And in many schools—and it is almost becoming generally true—it is spiritually unsafe to attend public schools. Look back over the history of education to the turn of the century and the beginning of the educational philosophies; pragmatism and humanism were the early ones, and they branched out into a number of other philosophies which have led us now into a circumstance where our schools are producing the problems that we face." (David O. McKay Symposium, BYU 9 Oct 1996)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158556695695962192006-09-18T00:18:00.000-05:002006-09-18T00:18:00.000-05:00I was watching a segment on the news the other day...I was watching a segment on the news the other day about these girls that tricked this boy into beleiving that they liked him. Then they were really cruel to him. He then hung himself. I'm pretty sure they made an episode of the show "Without a trace" based on the incident. I think that if some kids saw this story and learned what actually happens to people who they are bullying it might help. I think that "bully education" right along with "sex education" may actually help. Even if only a little.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17109430531198187222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158534380243962762006-09-17T18:06:00.000-05:002006-09-17T18:06:00.000-05:00In my career as a school administrator bullying wa...In my career as a school administrator bullying was the most difficult problem to deal with. It was very difficult to prove the damage it did. Parents of bullys were very good at defending their children. Around their parents the bully's would be very meek and submissive. They learned that was the way to stay out of trouble. <BR/><BR/>I just read a report by 3 BYU professors describing how mean and dangerous certain groups of girls have become. The report showed how a goup of high school girls drove a boy to suicide.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158504257103328632006-09-17T09:44:00.000-05:002006-09-17T09:44:00.000-05:00I will agree wholeheartedly with Ian on this, almo...I will agree wholeheartedly with Ian on this, almost every word. Kids who Bully make it very hard for others to socially adapt and can create socialpaths. Most of those who are bullied (from what I have seen) become succesful at what they do, but wind up with problems interacting with others. They have lifelong inferiority complexes that can lead to constant depression.<BR/><BR/>In high school, where you HAVE to go, such kids do not feel they can escape. Many of them don't understand that time is on their side if they can just wait it out (Although there are a few cases where physical danger exists). Often times the RPG and Video games aren't the culprit - they become the escape. Sadly, sometimes the escape becomes inspiration for some truely horrible fantasies. <BR/><BR/>The problem is, I think, that today's video games are more than Pacman and Mario Brothers, but Grand Theft Auto and other First Person Shooters that blur the line between imagination and reality. Consiquences become a quick disappearance of the dead bodies and pressing Restart.<BR/><BR/>With that I think there should be a two pronged solution to the violence in schools. A huge crackdown on bullies and tighter controls on violent video games. <BR/><BR/>A third, but less direct, solution is finding out where these kids are getting the bombs and guns. It is interesting that they are stocking up on these and no one takes notice until the last minute. If simple teenagers can easily get such things without any raised eyebrows, imagine what sophisticated terrorists would be able to aquire. This isn't a question of gun control, but of awareness. Some of the aquisitions were already marked as illegal. And the parents didn't know about this? Frankly, I would charge the parents with reckless endangerment or negligence of a minor.Jettboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158474364444028772006-09-17T01:26:00.000-05:002006-09-17T01:26:00.000-05:00It would be nice to blame video games, TV or music...It would be nice to blame video games, TV or music for the problems that these children had. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. I agree that they clearly contribute to the problem. I agree that we should do what we can to keep this crap out of our homes. <BR/><BR/>I think Proud daughter of Eve brings up a major factor involved in all of the school shootings like Columbine. Bullying. I was bullied endlessly. I had horrible acne, glasses and I was very shy. A perfect target. I recall having nightmares about going into school with a gun and shooting the bullies. I would dream of punching them and stuff. They weren't nightmares because I was hurting them, but they were nightmares because my bullets and punches were completely ineffective.<BR/><BR/>If I didn't have the church in my life and loving parents, I don't know what I was capable of in High School and Mid-School. <BR/><BR/>For kids who are picked on, everything often feels hopeless. If you tell the teacher, the kids just get angry and pick on you more for telling someone. Besides that, there is very little that a teacher or a parent can do anyway. It always amazes me that they keep trying to blame video games etc., but rarely say anything about the factor that has a higher effect on their lives, bullies. Why aren't we focusing more on this in Schools? Why aren't bullies held accountable for what they are doing to their fellow students?<BR/><BR/>On top of that, parents and teachers drive into you that high school is super important and that you HAVE TO GO, or your life will SUCK! This attitude is simply not true. Kids don't realize that there is life after high school.<BR/><BR/>Nearly all the kids who did the shootings were highly intellegent. Perhaps they should have been pulled out of school, helped to get their GED and put in college. The superficial environment that is High School is not for everyone. If my son ever gets to a point where he hates high school. I will let him quit. He can either get his GED or we can home school him. I won't force High School on him.<BR/><BR/>Ultimately, we can't blame anyone or anything for what these kids have done except for those kids. We can look at the many factors that contributed to the situation though, be it games, bullies or parents.<BR/><BR/>Sorry for the rant, but it's something that I feel strongly about.<BR/><BR/>P.S. I also think that some RPGs can be really good for kids. They can often help build imagination. But just as with anything else, moderation is important.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17109430531198187222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158469053728611342006-09-16T23:57:00.000-05:002006-09-16T23:57:00.000-05:00Yeah, role playing games are not the culprit. Suic...Yeah, role playing games are <I>not</I> the culprit. Suicide rates among RPG players are statistically less than the average teen. Plus, they engender creativity, social skills, and imagination. <BR/>Video games, on the other hand, can be blamed for any and all social ills as far as I'm concerned. There is no more supreme waste of time and money than the filth spewed forth by nintendo, sony, et al.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158460397969788032006-09-16T21:33:00.000-05:002006-09-16T21:33:00.000-05:00I just don't understand what makes these kids go o...I just don't understand what makes these kids go over the edge like that. Perhaps they were already more negative than others when whatever they experienced (I don't know for sure but it's been hinted that they were picked on and such) happened. I mean, I was tormented in school. Tormented to the point of changing bus stops and later schools it was so bad... but never once did I consider shooting anyone, let alone shooting indiscriminately at the other kids in school. <BR/><BR/>BTW, please don't paint all RPGs with the same brush. That's like blaming something on boardgames; each game is different, sometimes vastly. My husband and I enjoy a great many of these games and there's nothing disturbing in them. The disturbing games are the action games like "Quake" or "Grand Theft Auto." (Neither of which nor their clones will EVER be in our house and woe unto the child who breaks this rule.)<BR/><BR/>As for tabletop RPGs, they don't deserve blanket condemnation either. Basically they are interactive stories with rules that are designed to help everyone create and interact with an imaginary world and characters. A parent should learn about the RPG their child is playing in as they should learn about all their hobbies and get to know the group their child plays with in the same way they should get to know all their other children's friends.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1158458557440811722006-09-16T21:02:00.000-05:002006-09-16T21:02:00.000-05:00Even worse than these influences is the deadness o...Even worse than these influences is the deadness of so many American & LDS homes - no books, no music, no conversation - just church, work, school. No wonder so many kids go nuts. I was fortunate enough to grow up during the 60's and 70's when country and church were alive, when these cultures were vibrant. Today its moron TV, rightwing political bullsh*t (even from the pulpit), mainstreamed stupidity, hopelessness. No life of the mind, no life of the heart. If I were young, I'd go crazy too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com