Sad day to be a Hokie!

[Memphis]

Our prayers go out to all those in, near, or associated in any way with the massacre at Va. Tech. Having grown up in Virginia and with many relatives still there, including my parents - it saddens me to hear about something like this hitting so close to the heart.

I can only imagine what those parents, students, and faculty are going through. I wish there was something more constructive I could do. The sad thing is that the media was hyping so much on 33 dead being the new "record" that, that will be the mark for someone to shoot for (no pun intended) when they snap.

[REW Reed]

The media has become so exploitational and sensational that I stopped watching a few years ago. If the media was a real person, they would run up to you and shove your freshly run-over dog in front of your face to tell you the news. There is no tact and integrity anymore.

Just my thoughts, but shouldn't more people be talking about hand guns and how this tragedy could of at least been lessened by a moderate amount of control of them?

[webmaster]

Truly a tragedy - our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families.

[RESteve]

I can't believe how someone could do this. My fiancee and I will pray for them as well.

Dr. Phil blamed this whole thing on video games, did you know that?

[BrandonSternfield]

The media is glorifying what happened, but that's to be expected. Most Americans have a sick fascination with it.

If anyone on these forums knows someone, or had a child there, I pray for their welfare, and for news of safety.

Sadly, with all the school shootings, they find out the kid played Doom, or Quake or something, and it must be the games fault.

Or they had a Marilyn Manson cd.

The kids that do this sort of thing, are deeply unstable. I've played violent games for who knows how long, and I haven't killed anyone, nor thought about doing so!

I've never liked Dr. Phil, but now he's added onto my list of ignorant people.

[SEO Nick]

You know, I used to think that it was impossible for people to be influenced by music, movies or games. But I know from experience that music can be a very powerful thing. It has definitely influenced me to do things I normally wouldn't(nothing harmful or illegal)... So I can see how it would affect certain people in a negative way.

Just like music, I find video games to be a very influencing thing as well. I love horror movies, video games with gore and the harshest death metal around... and I am fine... but who's to say that it actually couldn't build up some really strong emotions in some people? Enough to act on them anyway.

There really is no way to tell unless it happens to you :|

[BrandonSternfield]

Well like Dr. Phil said, you have to add in the dash of psychopath, or sociopath, or anything else that ends in -path.

But you know what? They are already that way, the entertainment just pushed them the rest of the way.

My friends still say I'm bound to snap. Before the columbine thing happened, I wore a trench coat to school. I listened to Marilyn Manson etc (didn't do the stupid fashion stuff). I've played violent games since I was able to get them.

I'm also an Eagle Scout, a volunteer at pet shelters, and an A-B college student. Entertainment is as good as the mentality that enjoys it.

[REW Christian]

Dr. Phil blamed this whole thing on video games, did you know that?

Dr. Phil is an Idiot.

Heck I still wear a trenchcoat to work and listen to music far worse then Marilyn Manson. I know this has been said before, but to me the blame lies with the parents, not video games, or music, or magazines, or whatever. Blaming something like games & music is parents way of absolving themselves of any blame/responsibility, by trying to blame media and games they are scapegoating someone or something which invariably makes that person/thing that much more popular.

Let me break this down, I'm a goth, always have been always will be, and I have never thought to myself "maybe i should go kill a bunch of people" Why? Because my parents taught me that is was horrible thing to do. Nobody seems to equate the rise in violent crime by teenagers with the decline in parenting. When i was a kid if I did something wrong, i got smacked, now you can't smack your kids: it's all "time out or take the playstation away." I'm sorry but those are NOT concequences. Parents are not actively involved in their children, they may be active in their children's lives, but how well do they KNOW their children?? Coaching a team is great but if you don't know that your kid is building a bomb in their room, then you aren't spending enough time with your kid.

What happened in Virginia is horrible, and nobody should ever have to go through it. But why was a clinically depressed kid able to buy a 9mm handgun!!?? This simply amazes me! It's a simple answer...want the shootings to stop...get rid of the guns! I feel terrible for the families of those victims, but how many times does this have to happen before something really gets done about it? Why are the measures simply preventative? Metal detectors & security? Kids will find a way around that.....just like they do in the video games. I mean, if you are a kid who is in a fragile enough metal state that you can be easily influenced by music or games, and nobody has noticed it, particularly your parents then something is majorly wrong.Some of you older people, would you have gotten away with this kind of behavior when you were growing up? Of course not, you'd have gotten beat silly. Kids back then actually got punished for the things they did wrong. Now they get sent to their rooms which are like a playground anyway, with internet, their own phone, TV and games. To me that doesn't sound like punishment or negative in any way!

In a perfect world tragedies such as this would never happen

Anyway I'll stop ranting now.

R.I.P. VA Tech Students & Staff ..you are in our thoughts

[SEO Nick]

I think people can blame it on whatever they want, but the fact remains is that you won't ever know unless it happens to you. I hate to say it, but these kind of things will always happen. It won't matter if you take the guns away, what's going to stop them from doing it with blunt objects?

Anyway, Christian, you have never been influenced by music to do something you normally wouldn't? Say, slam dance? Mosh? This is a far cry from shooting up a school but it's still the result of emotions brought on by music/Art(I consider video games to be in this category as well). Who's to say that that couldn't happen on a larger scale? You could be a completely normal person and still have something effect you so much that it makes you do horrible things.

My point is kind of lost here. I need to gather my thoughts and post again. :P

[REW Christian]

Sure I have been influenced by music before, but for some reason, always in a positive way. Sure I have been in mosh pits, but if you go into a mosh with the intent of hurting someone then you have a problem and have clearly violated "mosh protocol" and yes, there is mosh protocol(even though most kids today have no idea what it is). Music is supposed to inspire us and make us feel something. When i listen to music it makes me feel happy, and I know it does the same with you Nick, you are the biggest music junkie here. What I'm trying to say here is that extreme reactions are not the reactions of rational or balanced minds. And that these minds can buy handguns??!! This is also a statement on the concealable nature of handguns and their ability to do huge amounts of damage that could never be equaled by a blunt object. A person can walk into a crowded place with 5 handguns on their person and you might never know it. Someone walks into the same area with a baseball bat you are going to notice it. I agree that these things will always happen, but the preventative measures that society is taking are useless when they could simply eliminate the "weapon of choice". And I also think it is indicative of the disassociated nature of current society to not be taking a more active role in the discovery of a solution for what is quickly becoming a huge problem. Does anyone ever think about why these kids go into schools and shoot the place up? Maybe because their school lives are miserable, filled with taunting, getting pushed around and ostracized. Having done some volunteer work with highschool kids it's amazing to see the dynamic that operates in highschools. Parents don't see their kids either a) being picked on to the point of dynamic reactions or b) tormenting those who are less attractive or popular. This is happening in EVERY school, public or private it doesn't matter. If you ask your child "who in your school do you think will shoot the place up?" Guaranteed they will be able to point out one or two people. Chances are they will be wearing black and have spent the last few years being terrorized and taunted by the popular people. It's really kind of sad that the people who did these shootings were simply products of their environment. Sure they had problems but ask yourself this: "If they were treated with respect by their peers and not taunted and picked on, would they still have shot the place up?" Not likely...think about it.

grrr I'm ranting again