Malcolm Gladwell writes in the New Yorker that "school shootings are a modern phenomenon...."
School shootings mostly involve young white men. And, not surprisingly, given the ready availability of firearms in the United States, the phenomenon is overwhelmingly American. But, beyond those facts, the great puzzle is how little school shooters fit any kind of pattern. ...Gladwell,NewYorker
Gladwell goes on to study the cases of Barry Loukaitis back in 1996 followed by a depressing list bringing us up to Sandy Hook. And then 140 school shootings since Sandy Hook. It would be logical to assume that we're talking about disturbed kids holding the weapons. But, on the whole, that isn't true.
In the day of Eric Harris, we could try to console ourselves with the thought that there was nothing we could do, that no law or intervention or restrictions on guns could make a difference in the face of someone so evil. But the riot has now engulfed the boys who were once content to play with chemistry sets in the basement. The problem is not that there is an endless supply of deeply disturbed young men who are willing to contemplate horrific acts. It’s worse. It’s that young men no longer need to be deeply disturbed to contemplate horrific acts. ...Gladwell,NewYorker
I think kids -- all kids -- tend to be pieces of who we are. And god knows America is a violent, angry, merciless nation. We don't have to be -- don't have any real cause to be. As whole sections of the world know, America can be good, kindly. But we are also highly organized, equipped, and we kill. Maybe that has something to do with it...
