Official Off Topic Thread

+1

So I've got an audition with Carnival Cruises tomorrow and the school decided 10 minutes ago (I signed up for the audition 3 oor 4 weeks ago I think), to call and tell me that my audition is at 5 and to be there 10 minutes early with an 8X10 glossy photo, cover letter, and resume. This was apparently SO important that it overwhelmed their brains to the point of forgetting to tell me that each of the 3 times I've stopped by the career center since then. Each time, I specifically asked, "Are there any more requirements or papers to fill out or do I just need to show up, look nice, play well, and smile?". Apparently what they heard was more along the lines of "Hey guys, i REALLY like being surprised with last minute obligations. If possible, please show my picture to everyone here and make sure they know full-well not to give me any necessary details....not even under the threat of death. Thanks!"
 
Maybe you guys should check out the gun policies in countries like Switzerland, before judging. Presence of weapons does not equate to likelihood of attack. Frequency of motive and the stimuli that drive it do. Let's make a map shall we? School shootings: United States, United States, United States, Unit... Canada, United States... Finland? Isolated incident or not, our society is a poison. I won't blame videogames or heavy metal (lol, we know how that shit goes) but I will blame the media and the sorry state of social life. Oh yeah, and we're exporting that image worldwide every day.

Tragic.
 
I have a theory that the presence of guns DOES relate directly to the likelihood of a shooting. Here's my hypothesis:

Likelihood of somebody using a gun when no gun is present: 0%

Likelihood of somebody using a gun when a gun IS present: >0%


*for the record I'm not anti-gun, just pointing out a startling fact that may shock some of you*
 
I have a theory that the presence of guns DOES relate directly to the likelihood of a shooting. Here's my hypothesis:

Likelihood of somebody using a gun when no gun is present: 0%

Likelihood of somebody using a gun when a gun IS present: >0%


*for the record I'm not anti-gun, just pointing out a startling fact that may shock some of you*

That is a true statement but, it misses the point entirely. The acts that were carried out by this person were violent. Guns or not, violence does not subside because one means of carrying it out is abolished.

It's also too easy to blame this on the media and more specifically western culture. Everyday I see videos of violence but never have I got the urge to harm anyone.
 
Nope, didn't miss the point. I was responding to this:

"Presence of weapons does not equate to likelihood of attack."

Given that the weapon in question was a gun, I just thought I'd point out a startling statistic. Besides, I was half-joking. Nevertheless, I agree that a retarded fuck is going to be a retarded fuck regardless of what resources he has available. However, the outcome is generally a bit more severe when the resources include firearms. At any rate, I'm not in the mood tonight to get into the debate this sort of thing always leads to
 
Maybe you guys should check out the gun policies in countries like Switzerland, before judging. Presence of weapons does not equate to likelihood of attack. Frequency of motive and the stimuli that drive it do. Let's make a map shall we? School shootings: United States, United States, United States, Unit... Canada, United States... Finland? Isolated incident or not, our society is a poison. I won't blame videogames or heavy metal (lol, we know how that shit goes) but I will blame the media and the sorry state of social life. Oh yeah, and we're exporting that image worldwide every day.

Tragic.

Geeze Ken, While I agree in part with you dont you find some of what you said contradiction ? While it surely is a pshcological issue there is also a large attitude issue present today and its in the music, movies, video games and its also supported by certain aspects of our bleeding hearts club that dominates government. Theres a fine line between fear and respect and not much fear exists in youth today because they can not be disiplined. I suppose some beaurocratic nanny would figure this could have been avioded by "a little time out". I say bullshit !

Its much deeper than my short rambling but this modern civilization has it all wrong and we do it in front of our children.

Theres fewer guns per capa today than 100 years ago, speaking for the US. Its the attitude and lack of fear, and as I said its supported everywhere and honestly towing the line with a firm edge is punished... so then what runs rampant ? People antagonizing people and people retalliating.

Excuse my spelling !

I didnt read this article and I have avoided the "news" like the plague for at least 15 years but one thing I know for sure, the athourities and media will never give the full honest story of events leading up to these incidents.
 
But arent many occurances of lack of parent/child interaction yet another by product of modern society? Two income houses, parents never home, raised in large groups at daycare till old enough, then raised infront of some screen, be it this thing, a video game or a TV set ?

Not that Im saying violence in youth is something new. I saw a program years ago... so Im a bit rough on the details... but it was regarding violence toward school teachers, I believe either in the late 1800's or early 1900's sometime.
 
The fact is that nothing can be done when there's an invidual who wants to do a massacre. This guy didn't do it on act of impulse, but actually thought he was achieving something with this. He published a manifest before the act, in which he told about his view on things. I didn't bother to read it, though.

It was a terrible tragedy, but not a total surprise when you follow the world's news today. The Finnish media didn't do a good a job at all, lots of speculations and invading the private lives of "the innocent." Well, that's the media we all know, anyway.

We have strict gunlaws here in Finland, but no matter how strict they are because everyone can get a gun if they want to.
 
That is a true statement but, it misses the point entirely. The acts that were carried out by this person were violent. Guns or not, violence does not subside because one means of carrying it out is abolished.

It's also too easy to blame this on the media and more specifically western culture. Everyday I see videos of violence but never have I got the urge to harm anyone.
thank you for not being as retarded as most of america.

i should specify that by western culture i'm not talking about tv or videogames or movies. i'm talking about the social culture, the way people live and are typically brought up in society, the expectations of them, how they interact, how they are conditioned to respond. and by the media, i mean the media industry as a whole, particularly those of 'news', and their influence on the above mentioned society.
 
your pointing at one aspect of modern culture and giving another aspect a free pass. Still and all as brutal as these occurences are its a tiny percentage of the vast population that now occupies this planet. In other words brutality is not something new to the human race, but vast awareness and concern of it is.
 
thank you for not being as retarded as most of america.

i should specify that by western culture i'm not talking about tv or videogames or movies. i'm talking about the social culture, the way people live and are typically brought up in society, the expectations of them, how they interact, how they are conditioned to respond. and by the media, i mean the media industry as a whole, particularly those of 'news', and their influence on the above mentioned society.

I don't want to keep beating this issue but, what you are saying pertains (not accurately) to western society and culture. Not that of Finland or any other society outside our own. How does the way we (westerners) are "conditioned" pertain to outside culture? Just because you seem to despise the ideas and values of western society and culture does not make it automatically responsible for peoples actions.

Also the issue of most school shootings happening in America. Canada and Finland have a population of 33,000,000 and 5,300,000 respectively. America has a population of now over 300,000,000. Considerably more than that of Canada and Finland. Lets say that a certain percentage of people in the world are prone to a psychological anomaly that will lead to a violent act. Considering that America contains 7.9 times the population of these two countries combined, is it not fair to say that the law of averages favors violent acts in America?
 
NS: Great point, though i do believe that america is a more violent nation in general. However, i agree that just because someone halfway around the world snaps doesn't mean America is to blame or that the evil western culture blanket of darkness and despair has reached out a little further.