WTF is happening to our kids?????

[icantbejon]

So this is another one of "those" posts. I was just reading a story about a kid that strangled his own brother just to see what it was like. He was a big fan of some TV show about a serial killer, so he just went ahead and did it. He feels no remorse whatsoever.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/2009120/a..._boy_strangled

This follows right behind the girl that randomly killed their neighbor's child.

That one came shortly after the kids lit their "friend" on fire down in FL.

These cases are all kids 16 yrs old and under. I feel like it's the only thing I read in the news nowadays and it seriously depresses me. I can't help wonder what type of world I've brought one child into and bringing another shortly. It scares me to death that something like this could happen to, or because of, my kids. I never really was a proponent of the "media" argument, but I feel there has to be something to it by now. Our children see violence all day in every facet of their lives. Our video games were Mario and Sonic running around. Now it's every degree of violence you can think of.

When we had kids that wanted to "know" what death was all about they killed dogs and cats. I didn't even understand that as a child. Today's kids kill people for chits and giggles.

Sometimes I don't even know what to think anymore. I want to lock my kids up and protect them from everything.

[Volt]

I teach in both middle and high schools. You are only touching the tip of the iceberg.

[Starscream]

Originally Posted by Volt

I teach in both middle and high schools. You are only touching the tip of the iceberg.

I didn't know that you were a teacher. I teach 9th grade English and see some kids who are very sadistic. I would say that the world is getting worse, but despite all the bad publicity, we are the most educated society in the world today.

Originally Posted by andysutherland

I didn't know that you were a teacher. I teach 9th grade English and see some kids who are very sadistic. I would say that the world is getting worse, but despite all the bad publicity, we are the most educated society in the world today.

No offense but this statement is not a true one. We are not the most educated society by far and America actually ranks fairly low in the world when it comes to intelligence and schooling.

Originally Posted by coastietech

No offense but this statement is not a true one. We are not the most educated society by far and America actually ranks fairly low in the world when it comes to intelligence and schooling.

Joe, the truth of the matter is that we are ranked low in "SCHOOLING" but I doubt you would find any data to prove "INTELLIGENCE" was low in the US of A. We have a society that includes all peoples and our melting pot might not hit high on the metrics that the Europeans use to determine schooling rankings, but the US is in the forefront of virtually all scientific research and that is not due to our schooling but our country values intelligence unlike many others.

I am not trying to say that "RAH RAH USA" we are the best at these matters, but we get a bad name because the people giving the rankings choose how to rank...

[Skywalker]

One of Shawn's points needs to be explored a little more...
Yes. Many of us, as children, played violent role playing (dramatic play) with our friends and siblings, such as cowboys and Indians, or war play. This gave us opportunities to hurt others and be hurt with limitations. That’s what play is for... it allows grown up behavior in a safe environment. I don't see children playing like this anymore. Parents are afraid to let their children play in the neighborhood, so the children play video games and watch TV and movies. They have very little positive social interaction.

When you were playing with your friends and things began to get a little rough, you let them know it and they let up. I obtained plenty of bumps and bruises from my best friends and they received a few in turn. That's how we learned restraint. You don't learn restraint from TV or video games, on the contrary; you learn to destroy without restraint!

Originally Posted by DougBushBC

Joe, the truth of the matter is that we are ranked low in "SCHOOLING" but I doubt you would find any data to prove "INTELLIGENCE" was low in the US of A. We have a society that includes all peoples and our melting pot might not hit high on the metrics that the Europeans use to determine schooling rankings, but the US is in the forefront of virtually all scientific research and that is not due to our schooling but our country values intelligence unlike many others.

I am not trying to say that "RAH RAH USA" we are the best at these matters, but we get a bad name because the people giving the rankings choose how to rank...

I wasn't trying to be anti-American I was simply stating a fact. Typically the data most people go by on this subject is UNICEF. They really don't have any reason to be biased.

We basically agree though. America ranks very low when it comes to schooling. I will agree that America leads the world in almost all areas in the medical field, and quite a few other fields. That has more to do with our capitalistic society and the fact that there is more money to be made here than anywhere else with said innovations.

[Starscream]

Originally Posted by coastietech

No offense but this statement is not a true one. We are not the most educated society by far and America actually ranks fairly low in the world when it comes to intelligence and schooling.

I meant the world as a whole, not America. I misworded my previous post. The world is more educated than it ever has been at this moment.

Originally Posted by andysutherland

I meant the world as a whole, not America. I misworded my previous post. The world is more educated than it ever has been at this moment.

I definitely agree with that statement.

[JaKaacH]

I wonder how many of these kids have been or are still using Ritalin.

[ActionAndy]

"This kid, Conner, was a good kid, and Andrew was an A and B student," he said. "This comes as a shock to the community."

I'll never understand these reaction blurbs. A and B student? Ok and? Why is it that no one ever steps up and says y'know what, that kid was a total creep. People always have to pretend to be shocked. People that strangle their family members to death don't exactly make that decision over night.

[icantbejon]

I'm just at a loss. Whenever I read these stories I immediately think about how that would affect my life if it involved my kids in any way.

[RevSmoke]

It starts with this question - where does life come from?

Is life a sacred gift? Or a chance process?

I taught for 4 years before going to the seminary. I deal with kids on a regular basis. And it is amazing how those two questions really do get to the heart of the matter.

[icantbejon]

I wouldn't think so...but it happens so frequently that there has to be something missing. I feel like I would know if my child had homicidal aspirations, but clearly that can't always be the case.

[Subvet642]

I have to wonder what their home life was like. Were their parents involved in their lives? Did they actively discipline them, or throw their hands up in the belief that you can't do that anymore? Some parents that I've seen seem to think that you can put kids on auto-pilot, 'cause they either don't have the time, or they can't be bothered. Why do some parents want to be their kids "friends", when they really need to be adults and in charge? In the absence of real life adult guidance, media influences have a more profound effect. That's my

[68TriShield]

Originally Posted by Subvet642

I have to wonder what their home life was like. Were their parents involved in their lives? Did they actively discipline them, or throw their hands up in the belief that you can't do that anymore? Some parents that I've seen seem to think that you can put kids on auto-pilot, 'cause they either don't have the time, or they can't be bothered. Why do some parents want to be their kids "friends", when they really need to be adults and in charge? In the absence of real life adult guidance, media influences have a more profound effect. That's my

This is it in a nutshell Darren. It's all in how we as parents raise them,or not as is often the case.

[Subvet642]

Originally Posted by 68TriShield

This is it in a nutshell Darren. It's all in how we as parents raise them,or not as is often the case.

I certainly don't mean to disparage all parents; most parents and their kids are really quite good, it's only the bad ones that we ever hear about. Maybe, in today's world of instant communication, we just hear about these things more often.

[ActionAndy]

Regarding the parents, the kid has a lot of indications that he's a psyco/sociopath. Some people literally are born without guilt or conscience. Read the article and look at his quote about the hamburger. He saw killing his brother as an impulse, urge, to whim--and had nothing within him telling him not to puruse it.

Originally Posted by Subvet642

I certainly don't mean to disparage all parents; most parents and their kids are really quite good, it's only the bad ones that we ever hear about. Maybe, in today's world of instant communication, we just hear about these things more often.

I've bolded reason why it seems like it is worse now.

We as a society are not any better or worse than we have ever been as a society.

The fact that it seems like we are is because of the access to the amount of information we have at our fingertips.

The "society is worse now than it was when I was growing up" thinking is a fallacy and has been disproven over and over.

[replicant_argent]

I wouldn't discount the combination of lack of parenting + TV far too mature for him as an audience + extremely violent video games + a kid that might be a little "off" = a bad prescription for a developing human being.
How old was the kid? 17? I bet anyone five bucks this kid has been watching graphic horror movies, watching R rated content on TV, (can you say MMA?) and been playing FPS video games for a few years. I won't delve into what personal and/or mental health issues he or his parents might have.