OT Mass shooting at Highland Park, IL 4th of July parade

“Instant everything and social media and their platforms overload is what is causing these.
What has changed is how we communicate. Forums, texts, news from google headlines, etc.
THIS is the elephant in the room no one wants to tackle.”

What is americas excuse? I am missing something. The quote above doesn’t explain the shit show in our country. Because all of that is everywhere.

 

@Phatguysrule how does it feel to have the same opinions on guns as this person?

 

Read above. Im pretty sure it is what they are used for and how often the phone and internet is used. As well as the parental aspect, or lack of…

 

I know men who have boyfriends. Don't conflate gay men with rape.
He deserves to rot in prison.
Rape is never acceptable.

 

I don't have the same views on guns as her.

The politics getting in the way of solutions is pretty stupid though...

 

On average, children ages 8-12 in the United States spend 4-6 hours a day watching or using screens, and teens spend up to 9 hours. While screens can entertain, teach, and keep children occupied, too much use may lead to problems.


https://www.statista.com/statistics/397833/hours-of-media-consumption-by-children-by-media-uk/

13 hours a week for the UK.
If anyone is missing this extreme disparity with our youth… I am not sure what to say. And I'm pretty sure this is across the technological board.
To dismiss this and some other aspects of our youths’ cultural behavioral patterns, is simply putting ones head in the sand.
To point the finger at republicans over guns is not addressing the foundation of the problem, disingenuous and generally just a copout for not wanting to address the larger internal issues of our youth.

 

This is some next-level obfuscation. I guess doors didn't really stick so now it's screens? You know one other thing that America is super-exceptional for, that MIGHT be relevant to mass gun death?

 

I do find it interesting that you make a post like this just because you disagree with me. While I advocate for data backed solutions which are less politically charged, and thereby more likely to be acceptable to both sides.

It seems like somebody who really cared about helping in this situation would be all about actually getting something done. But I guess a lot of people just like "Team Politics" and aren't happy unless they are attacking somebody...

 

Yet we can't find any evidence of gun control actually resulting in lowering violent crime or murder rates... And even if we could, could never get rid of guns.

At some point you'd think people would get tired of beating their heads against the wall and start focusing on things that can actually make a difference...

 

Hello,
I do not follow. Care to address the link and info that i posted in more detail to clarify your point of this post? Doors and Screens? Huh?
To answer your question though, Americans are exceptional at deflecting and not taking responsibility. Your post seems to validate this.

 

Definition of trying to make the issue a singular problem and putting ones head in the sand and saying, “we are fine! Its the guns!”…
… When we are clearly not fine at all.

 

Rasta is British I believe

 

Hello,

But lives in the states or lives in England?

If England, then I would think the view of American culture is skewed, just like our views of other cultures is skewed.
If one hasn't lived it, I doubt one has an informed and accurate assessment, making the post even less valid.
I have read you spent many years overseas in Korea? Or was it Vietnam?
Do you think living there expanded your knowledge and understanding of their culture? And do you think you would be qualified to discuss their cultural issues if not having had lived there?

 

Rasta lives here but that has nothing to do with perspective about such things....I've lived for a long stretch in Taiwan (20 years)where they have gun laws banning private ownership and England has only manually chambered sporting guns allowed....an unarmed population is safer. Rasta has lived in both as have I......people who haven't don't understand the comparisons sometimes and people with world knowledge also have valid opinions...I am a Viet nam veteran but I've spent 20 years living in asia, mostly Taiwan and speak the language...yes I know about asian culture and have family in both countries. Of course living there expands your knowledge of their culture.my wife is Taiwanese and now an american citizen...she's been in America as long as I was in Taiwan...we can both speak about politics and cultural differences coming from experience...she knows what America is like just like any other citizen..not getting your point.

 

Hello, not sure if you read my whole post?
We basically said the same thing. I was asking not stating.

 

So in Taiwan, what is the average time youth spends on a phone or on a screen a day? And the purpose of the time spent?

I bet it is much much less than America and included much more entertainment activities vs scholarly studies.

Do you think that this difference of how our youth interact and their behaviors regarding how they use the internet, social media and screens has had any impact on the psyche of our youth?

 

you're kidding right? Taiwan is probably the most computer literate and screen addicted nation in the world.....they are gamers just like kids here but mom and dad don't have guns they can take out and shoot up the school with...big difference....my son went to public school there and public school here. He's a gamer. I personally think games that train young kids to kill and acquire weapons to win do have an impact on society but in a country like ours....a troubled kid can access the real thing...in Taiwan they cannot or it is almost impossible to attain a gun and ammunition....here you can collect them like baseball cards.

 

Hello,

No I am not kidding, that is why I asked?

This report states the time Taiwanese youth spend online social media isn't close to our youth as outlined in a link in an earlier post until Covid hit.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/07/11/2003718487

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3564153

This post shows the history of the cell phone. I find it more than coincidence its mass usage started around the same time as the increase in mass shootings, teen depression and suicides, etc.

https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2012/jan/24/smartphones-timeline

 

I'd just like to point out that UK saw homicide rates increase after their expanded gun control in the 90s... Brazil saw the same thing after their gun control in the 2000s.

The US saw reduced violent crime and murder rates equivalent to Australia after the 90s. This is the same time frame the UK and Australia enacted sweeping gun control, and over this time frame the US doubled the number of guns and increased access to guns, and let the "assault weapons ban" expire, while again, seeing better results than the UK and Brazil, and very similar results to Australia...