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Animesh
连接： Jul 13, 2004
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[Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 16, 2007 - 09:22 PM
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In the recent years, there has been an unusual increase in criminal activities and shootouts on school campuses across the US. To my understanding, there are many facets to this issue, and I would like to hear from other TIG members, especially those who are studying in a US school or aspire to do so, about their impressions and outlook on this issue.
We can perhaps consider what happened at VirginiaTech this morning as our starting point. For those who are unaware of the happening, please check out:
"Shooting rampage claims 32 victims and gunman"
URL: http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=182548
I look forward to your responses!
Do you think there is an urgent need to beef-up the security across US universities?
Yes
(0 votes for 0%)
No
(5 votes for 100%)
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Rohini Singh
连接： Feb 12, 2004
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 18, 2007 - 12:45 AM
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we've hung around campus late nights or at odd hours...thats what all of us do when we're going to school...so I can imagine the fear people must have felt in their hearts. crazy people are not country specific so you are as safe here as in any other school in any other country. no society is perfect, including america with its 'gun culture' among other things that contribute to a tragedy such as this.
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Nickybol
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 23, 2007 - 04:53 PM
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America needs to change its gun culture. Owning a gun needs to be illegal.
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Animesh
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 23, 2007 - 05:15 PM
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Very true. The gun culture needs to be changed. I do not understand why things have not changed even after countinued incidents like virginia tech.
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Nickybol
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 24, 2007 - 03:17 AM
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The gun lobby is very powerful in the US. There is one organization, I cannot recall its name, a pro-gun organisation, that is very powerful.
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Becky
连接： May 9, 2006
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 26, 2007 - 07:59 PM
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I'm probably in the minority here with this viewpoint but I don't really think that the "gun culture" is the main reason for violence. I grew up in a household where guns were always around but I could never dream of harming anyone, nor do I actually even want to own a gun. Stricter gun laws may help but won't completely alleviate the situation.
Personally, I think the bigger issue is not a 'gun culture' but a culture of extreme individualism. Unlike other countrires or cultures where a more social or communal identity is encouraged, in the US our government and social institutions often promote the exact opposite. Our individual rights, although valued and cherished, sometimes get taken to the extreme and create an atmosphere of selfishness. For many Americans, the rights of an individual are more important than the well-being of the whole. I'm not judging this philosophy, I'm just highlighting its existence. The problem arises when a culture of , what I'll call ,extreme individulism is created. When this happens, life, other your own, becomes invaluable. Respect and concern for others is minimally present because the good of the individual reigns. WIthout respect for others, life becomes something that can be taken away without feeling remorse.
Furthermore, violence also tends to be an outgrowth of severe and untreated mental health disorders. People with healthy psyches are not the ones going out killing others. There is always some mental disorder or unresolved trauma behind violence. Until better mental health services are offered and taken to be mainstream, there will continue to be violence, in my opinion.
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Animesh
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 27, 2007 - 12:58 AM
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Thoughtful indeed, Rschack. How do you think the threat of 'extreme individualism' could be dealt with in a peaceful manner? I see this (extreme individualism) as a significant problem that is severly hampering the course of growth and development around this planet. On second thoughts, do you think issues like poverty, which is even existant in a country like US, are a result of extreme individualism? I think it is very important to deal with such issues, otherwise it will be difficult to prevent such (virginiatech-like) incidents.
This post was edited on: 2007-04-27 at 01:42 PM by: Animesh
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Prudence
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 27, 2007 - 08:24 AM
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Well gun control is a big issue in the US.
Education anywhere can be unsafe.
For example here in South Africa,teachers are beaten brutally by students.
And in most cases when a teacher tries to discipline a pupil,they take that as abuse.
And they eventually lose their cool both teachers & pupils alike.
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Becky
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 28, 2007 - 12:53 PM
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Animesh--I'm not entirely sure how best to address what I called "extreme individualism." I believe that there would need to be major systemic changes so that our entire system encourages people to be less focused solely on themselves and more for the common good. Everything from education to government would need to undergo some reforms, in my opinion. I work as a social worker in a school for children in Kindergarten to third grades. As part of my job, I try to teach children to think about the feelings of others, try to act in a manner that will make others feel good, and basically to just develop a feeling of connectedness to other people. I'm not sure it does any good, but at least its something 
On a larger scale, as our population becomes more mobile and with less time on their hands, I feel that a sense of community is often lacking in many parts of the US. It is very easy for people, even ones with an education and relative wealth, to be socially isolated. With isolation, I think, comes the chance to develop this extreme individualism. This would be something else to try to address.
I am not sure if extreme individualism can account for poverty or not. I think in some cases it can certainly contribute to making the situation worse. The simple act of charity requires people to thinki of others. Its very easy to just throw away something that someone else could use and I know people who would do that, rather than give it away. These people are not mean, they just think more in terms of "me", meaning "if I dont need it then no one else needs it." This same idea reaches to giving monetarily to charities or to volunteering.
Overall, I think I don't really have any answers...just some thoughts that aren't even too assembled into anything coherent.
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That guy
连接： Sep 17, 2006
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 28, 2007 - 02:35 PM
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I think its not individualism. Its the isolation. In America, it is possible to go all day without talking to a real person. We get up in the morning, commute to work, spend all day at a computer with maybe an empty conversation by the water cooler, and then commute back home. Some people work from home and don't even get the water cooler conversation. Even when we are done for the day and officially not working, we have cell phones and pagers and PDAs and email accounts that allow work to intrude at any time. School is no different.
Even if we have nothing to do, we have time wasting devices. Buy World of Warcraft if you wish to see what I mean. There's always some communication, some distraction with which we can fill our mind to shut out just how empty our lives are. Other popular options include extremely loud music, television, and the old standbys like drugs and alcohol. TIG doesn't really fit because the pace is too slow, but some people use brainless endless debate on IRC channels or internet forums as another method of self-destructive self-medication that never quite fills the gap left by a real social life.
When people fall into this cycle, it grinds up their sanity and spits out Kleibolds and Chos.
The craziness is turning into an epidemic.
http://zmagsite.zmag.org/May2006/levine0506.html
Its not just the U.S. that's turning into Crazystan. Even strange things have happened in Japan:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060210/ai_n16065033
And I suspect that if I did more research I would find it everywhere technology has gone.
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Rohini Singh
连接： Feb 12, 2004
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 29, 2007 - 02:22 AM
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“Society prepares the crime, and the criminal commits it”.
You’ve hit the nail on the head, wvanbokk. A relative was telling me how socially active they were 30 yrs ago when they didn’t even have a phone at home. It’s ironic how technology has been steadily contributing to social isolation. The depression rate in America is quite alarming. Modern conveniences and gadgets are apparently not solving the problem.
Rschack – “extreme individualism” is not culture specific. Rather it is “home” specific. People with healthy minds are generally those who get ample love and care from their family. No mental health facility can better that. Gun control in America will definitely prevent mass murder if nothing else.
Animesh – poverty is an economic issue wherein the term “extreme individualism” takes on a different meaning altogether. Infact it is looked upon favorably by neoclassical economists because it is said to be a key factor in wealth creation.
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Becky
连接： May 9, 2006
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 29, 2007 - 09:14 AM
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In response to the statement about healthy minds...
It seems to me a bit pessismistic to say that anyone who doesn't have a "loving" home is beyond help! In that light, half the world would be mass-murders if not more. Every family has its issues and no one is raised in a perfect situation. There is never a good reason to give up hope that someone who had a "bad" start can grow into a wonderful person. If that were true, we might as well just imprison children starting around the age of 5 if they live where there is emotional or physical abuse, with a substance abusing relative, with a parent who has been in jail!
The second problem I have with that statement is that it continues to foster the fallacy that mental health issues are completely preventable. Sometimes this is true, as in cases of trauma suffered from abuse or witnessing violence. However, most mental health disorders are based on chemical imbalances or organic issues. There is no difference between taking medication for depression and taking medication for diabetes, cancer, migraines, etc. They are all diseases which can be assisted. Also, mental health services don't need to be provided in a facility and in fact most mental health facilities have been closed in the last two decades--which is contributing to the growing rates of homelessness, at least in the US.
And yes, I agree that individualism is at the core of capitalism. In fact, capitalism can not function without. it Ask the 10% of the world's population that owns most ot the wealth. How many of them got there by by thinking of others? I'm sure as the multi-million dollar structures are erected in places where there uses to be forests or as factories crank out gallons of pollution a minute, or as profits rise on the back of impoverished workers, the billionaires are worried about the effects.
Stricter gun control will help but it won't prevent violence. It is not the only answer but could be part of the solution. Besides, its the criminals who don't abide by the gun laws anyway. Gun smugglers, black-market deals, thefts...its a major problem that will take serious international effors.
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Animesh
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 29, 2007 - 03:50 PM
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True, Rschack. I agree with you on the fact that not having a 'loving' home doesn't always make a killer.
Wvanbokk - I also think that the problem of isolation in the contemporary era needs to be taken care of. But, don't you think 'isolation' is, in part, an outcome of extreme individualistic tendencies?
Rohini - Social environment does influence the course of an economy and I am not convinced that "the term “extreme individualism” takes on a different meaning altogether". I think it is one of the major barriers in dealing with the issue of poverty the world over these days. Actually, I should have asked my question in the previous post as: "do you think issues like poverty, which is even existant in a country like US, are difficult to overcome due to certain factors, including extreme individualism?" I do not think that the idea of 'wealth creation' through the means of capitalism could succeed in fighting global poverty.
Coming back to the original issue, I think that the increased risk of isolation is indeed a major threat that can result in violent incidents. The fact presented by Drama-Queen makes us realize that violence is not confined to the US schools alone. I honestly had no clue about the situation in South African schools before reading Drama Queen's post. I am a little surprized why media does not want to tell people about such occurances.
I think I have some more questions now:
Any comments on the role of media in depicting incidents like virginia-tech?
Do you think that it influences the outlook of students and parents about going to school?
How does one deal with the security issue in schools?
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Rohini Singh
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 29, 2007 - 04:12 PM
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"It seems to me a bit pessismistic to say that anyone who doesn't have a "loving" home is beyond help! In that light, half the world would be mass-murders if not more. Every family has its issues and no one is raised in a perfect situation. There is never a good reason to give up hope that someone who had a "bad" start can grow into a wonderful person. If that were true, we might as well just imprison children starting around the age of 5 if they live where there is emotional or physical abuse, with a substance abusing relative, with a parent who has been in jail!"
I was not implying that people without a "loving" home are beyond help. People living without family are perfectly normal too. Nor did I anywhere suggest that children subjected to abuse be imprisoned. I believe the debate was - what is the reason of such mental health issues.
"People with healthy minds are generally those who get ample love and care from their family." Let me re-rephrase it for better clarity. It is the internal environment that contributes a great deal to a child's mental growth. Its an observation. Studies have been done on this subject. It is not my personal view alone. You are a teacher, so I mentioned it.
"The second problem I have with that statement is that it continues to foster the fallacy that mental health issues are completely preventable. Sometimes this is true, as in cases of trauma suffered from abuse or witnessing violence. However, most mental health disorders are based on chemical imbalances or organic issues. There is no difference between taking medication for depression and taking medication for diabetes, cancer, migraines, etc. They are all diseases which can be assisted. Also, mental health services don't need to be provided in a facility and in fact most mental health facilities have been closed in the last two decades--which is contributing to the growing rates of homelessness, at least in the US."
Its unreasonable to assume a whole lot based on just one statement of mine. In fact I would say it is you who is being "pessimistic" here by suggesting that we give up "hope" on some issues. I've read of even schizophrenic patients being successfully treated and living normally.
This post was edited on: 2007-04-29 at 04:15 PM by: Rohini
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Rohini Singh
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Re: [Poll] How safe is studying in an American school?
April 29, 2007 - 05:01 PM
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Animesh wrote:
Rohini - Social environment does influence the course of an economy and I am not convinced that "the term “extreme individualism” takes on a different meaning altogether". I think it is one of the major barriers in dealing with the issue of poverty the world over these days. Actually, I should have asked my question in the previous post as: "do you think issues like poverty, which is even existant in a country like US, are difficult to overcome due to certain factors, including extreme individualism?" I do not think that the idea of 'wealth creation' through the means of capitalism could succeed in fighting global poverty.
Coming back to the original issue, I think that the increased risk of isolation is indeed a major threat that can result in violent incidents. The fact presented by Drama-Queen makes us realize that violence is not confined to the US schools alone. I honestly had no clue about the situation in South African schools before reading Drama Queen's post. I am a little surprized why media does not want to tell people about such occurances.
I think I have some more questions now:
Any comments on the role of media in depicting incidents like virginia-tech?
Do you think that it influences the outlook of students and parents about going to school?
How does one deal with the security issue in schools?
Whether individualism (extreme or not) is the cause of global poverty is a very very hotly debated topic. I've seen professors at loggerheads over this issue. Did socialism solve India's problem Animesh? I feel capitalism is not perfect but it is the best that there is. The Indian economy began to emerge only when Manmohan Singh opened the markets way back in 91. Socialism and communism have been proven so badly wrong that its not even woth challenging or discussing anymore. Anyway, I will get back on your questions later when I get a chance to put my thoughts together.
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