Stop blaming Stephen King, horror movies, and heavy metal for crazy behavior!!!

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fushingfeef

Finally Uber!
Aug 14, 2009
10,194
21,965
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
So there's news of a would-be school shooter being thwarted in Minnesota...
Police: Minnesota teen planned school massacre - CNN.com

Thank goodness someone alerted police and a tragedy was averted. But one passage in this article really stuck in my craw:

"In a photo, he can be seen picking an electric guitar with a skull on its shoulder strap; his preferred bands -- more than 190 of them in total -- are predominantly heavy metal.
His taste in movies is dominated by blood, gore, combat and fisticuffs. His favorite authors are Stephen King and the master of literary darkness, Edgar Allen Poe."


Ugh, really? Why is any of this stuff relevant to the news story? Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, and metal music are extremely popular forms of entertainment...just about every teen will have something "dark" if you look for it. By putting this part into the article, they are obviously implying that "dark" art and entertainment leads to violent or crazy behavior. Shame on the media for perpetuating this witch-hunt mentality!
 

blunthead

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2006
80,755
195,461
Atlanta GA
So there's news of a would-be school shooter being thwarted in Minnesota...
Police: Minnesota teen planned school massacre - CNN.com

Thank goodness someone alerted police and a tragedy was averted. But one passage in this article really stuck in my craw:

"In a photo, he can be seen picking an electric guitar with a skull on its shoulder strap; his preferred bands -- more than 190 of them in total -- are predominantly heavy metal.
His taste in movies is dominated by blood, gore, combat and fisticuffs. His favorite authors are Stephen King and the master of literary darkness, Edgar Allen Poe."


Ugh, really? Why is any of this stuff relevant to the news story? Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, and metal music are extremely popular forms of entertainment...just about every teen will have something "dark" if you look for it. By putting this part into the article, they are obviously implying that "dark" art and entertainment leads to violent or crazy behavior. Shame on the media for perpetuating this witch-hunt mentality!
Another example of a shallow level of logic. How easy it is for humans to assume that such evidence proves the influence of such habits, when the truth is of a deeper logic. Could it be that the individual in question suffers from psychological problems to begin with, and that some such like heavy metal, Stephen King, etc?
 

blunthead

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2006
80,755
195,461
Atlanta GA
The media always like to gin up a story. Many of King’s stories involve good overcoming evil... But they never tell you that when they print these things.

(I bet Steve feels solidarity with George W Bush when he reads about those sort of things. ;))
(I doubt the underlined.) I dislike any and all assumptions, especially which negatively effect human thought, because propagandists use that weakness in us for their own advantage, not anybody else's. People assume way too much. They assume they know all about sK when in fact they know absolutely nothing since they haven't read a word he's written, nor listened to a word he's said.
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
6,946
25,119
65
dublin ireland
So there's news of a would-be school shooter being thwarted in Minnesota...
Police: Minnesota teen planned school massacre - CNN.com

Thank goodness someone alerted police and a tragedy was averted. But one passage in this article really stuck in my craw:

"In a photo, he can be seen picking an electric guitar with a skull on its shoulder strap; his preferred bands -- more than 190 of them in total -- are predominantly heavy metal.
His taste in movies is dominated by blood, gore, combat and fisticuffs. His favorite authors are Stephen King and the master of literary darkness, Edgar Allen Poe."


Ugh, really? Why is any of this stuff relevant to the news story? Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, and metal music are extremely popular forms of entertainment...just about every teen will have something "dark" if you look for it. By putting this part into the article, they are obviously implying that "dark" art and entertainment leads to violent or crazy behavior. Shame on the media for perpetuating this witch-hunt mentality!
I think it's a sad commentary on modern society that there has to be blame. I really think it's more than time that responsibility nedds to be taken by the person who is responsible.
 

Walter Oobleck

keeps coming back...or going, and going, and going
Mar 6, 2013
11,749
34,805
How much did his dark behavior contribute toward someone dropping a dime on him? Is he an artist? Perhaps he is living the tortured artist syndrome that the Big Talking Heads have deconstructed? I'm happy that tragedy was averted. What was his dark behavior? I don't think his culture is entirely irrelevant. We consider a soldier's past experience when addressing post-traumatic stress. I think fisticuffs is a hokey word and the use of that word makes the article suspect. We consider past behavior to consider present or future behavior. I think there can be more to the story. I suspect he also drank milk and this contributed to his delinquency. Why didn't they cover that? Mr. Fung.
 

jt0565

Well-Known Member
Feb 26, 2007
108
445
58
Denver
I live in Colorado and attended Columbine high school long before the deranged idiots Klebold and Harris shot that place up. I live about 2 miles away from the theatre that James Holmes lost his mind in and my nephew was there that night. He escaped unscathed, thank the gods. Proximity makes these things seem much more real and frightening but I will be the first to say there has to be something fundamentally wrong with you to begin with if even thinking of doing these things crosses your minds.

I'm not a psychologist or anything like that but I feel all of this touchy feely crap we are forcing on our kids these days has perhaps had a different impact than intended. You can't keep score at soccer games. Everyone gets a ribbon on field day. Everyone wins and no one loses.
Then one day you are introduced into the real world where you will get eaten alive if you believe that fairy tale. Some adjust and handle it just fine. Others might grab a gun and climb a clock tower. Or I could be as far off base as the folks that want to report on what kind of music the kid was listening to and what he was reading.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
...Bob, you and I are in complete agreement here...blaming music and literature, TV, movies, video games or whatever whipping boy du-jour is the same as blaming the rats for inviting the fleas on board to carry the Black Death...The Fourth Estate enjoys wallowing in their idiocy...they can't accept that there are people that are just nuttier than a shi*house mouse!...
 

Sunlight Gardener

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2013
375
1,273
I agree that the "You're the most special person in the Universe and don't let anyone tell you different" parenting style is not the healthiest thing in the world. There is a difference between teaching kids a healthy amount of self esteem and teaching them that they are important enough to get what they want, when they want, even at the expense of other people.