I agree, to a point, Valentine. But as Kass, who is a psychologist, said, it’s hard not to think some of the external stimuli and sense of entitlement the younger generation has doesn’t factor into his overall attitude.

I think it is a big mix of factors, and yes, we have to look at all of them.

Thanks!

I see far to much of this in my work in Victim Impact.

Yes, we have video games which have violent content, is this the fault of the manufacturer or the parent? Yes, we have movies with violent content, is this a parents responsibility or the movie maker?

We also have failing schools.

We also have in many cases, three generations of families in prison.

We also have horrible poverty.

We also have broken families. Lost homes. Lost dreams.

There are far too many dysfunctions, we can’t blame one and not look at all of them.

I would say he definitely wants to be famous and his actions made him feel powerful, possibly even as though he were reliving that moment of control he had when killing. Very sad.

Thanks, Tom!

You have a great point, Lauralynn. Kids are not raised the way they used to be. I know I couldn’t get away with most of the stuff I see kids doing in public.

Thanks!

Kass, I was hoping you would weigh in on this. I am in complete agreement, actually. Most kids probably won’t be damaged in the long term from the violence and overall societal changes. But those with psychopathic tendencies are likely overstimulated and in serious danger.

Your thoughts on the first amendment are really interesting. I am one who thinks it needs to be overhauled for a variety of reasons, but I hadn’t thought of it this way.
Thanks!

First, yes, we have had an increase in these kinds of psychopaths. Full-blown antisocial personality disorder (the official diagnosis for this) is at least 3% in males and 1% in females. This is three times the percentage of 3 decades ago.

Second, yes, this is caused by a combination of genes and very, very faulty home environment.

But the overall societal environment is probably playing a role. Here’s the part that isn’t real popular. Violence on TV, in movies and especially in video games is teaching children that hurting others is normal, okay and a way to get what you want (a tremendous body of research has found this to be true). Some kids, most even, get that there is a difference between fantasy and reality. But some don’t and they then become a major hazard to our entire society.

We need to rethink whether media for entertainment should be considered protected by the 1st amendment. Should corporations have the right to contaminate our kids’ minds in order to make a lot of money? That is not what the founding fathers meant by freedom of speech.

The instant access to information and to a medium that adults cannot effectively supervise (the internet) gives kids a lot of freedom before they have a chance to learn responsibility. It’s to be expected that they cannot handle it, well, responsibly.

The solution, IMO, is not to restrict their freedoms (the worms are out of the can on that one for good), but to teach them responsibility for their actions and their expressed opinions much earlier, and that falls mostly with the parents. But today’s parents prefer to place blame on institutions and the media. So I think it’s also the older generation’s fault for not adapting quickly enough to the challenges of raising kids in an electronic age. Sad but true.

I agree. Scores of children survive abuse and while they certainly have their own demons, they don’t become killers.

YES on the sense of entitlement in this generation. Much as I hate to say it, I think some of the blame lies with technology. Everything is so much easier, right at their fingertips.

Thanks!