U.S. High School Shooting near Seattle, Washington

[Littlefingers In The Air]

I'd like to call the kid an idiot with entitlement issues and chalk this tragedy up to that, but I find myself more sympathetic towards him than Elliott Rodgers. Elliot Rodgers was given opportunities to socialize and try out the dating scene. He shunned the help people who cared gave him.

But this story, well, this was a dumb kid who didn't know how to deal with a breakup and it seems there's an element of betrayal from his cousin as well. He was in 9th grade. I could have been driven to something terrible at the age too, as emotionally immature as I was. Luckily, I let life take its course. My thoughts and prayers are witho the family of any victim and of the perpetrator.

[awesome possum]

I'd like to call the kid an idiot with entitlement issues and chalk this tragedy up to that, but I find myself more sympathetic towards him than Elliott Rodgers. Elliot Rodgers was given opportunities to socialize and try out the dating scene. He shunned the help people who cared gave him.

But this story, well, this was ja dumb kid who didn't know how to deal with a breakup and it seems there's an element of betrayal from his cousin as well. He was in 9th grade. I could have been driven to something terrible at the age too, a emotionally immature as I was. Luckily, I let life take its course. My thoughts and prayers are witho the family of any victim and of the perpetrator.

Dude, every single person who was ever 15 has dealt with the roller coaster of emotions that comes with adolescence. Only the assholes kill others because of them. This fucker deserves no sympathy.

[The Fallen]

High School relationships are taken way too seriously, and encouraged far too much. I get that parents don't want their kids sleeping around and being promiscuous, but this level of emotional commitment can be too much for teenagers IMO

I agree with this 100%. Tell these teens the truth. The idiot you adored in high school will be the one you despise five years later. And parents are the biggest enablers.

Now that you mention it, they should have to go through the full-body scanner and take their shoes off in case they have bombs! Now that I think about it, pencils are dangerous too, gotta go. The internet could give dangerous thoughts to the students, their access must be limited... But we can't ensure they won't be influenced outside of school, so as soon as they go through this gauntlet of security, they should not be allowed to leave, for their own security of course.

Don't forget to install the cops at every school, you know, the cops that are in the news every other month for indiscriminately murdering citizens.

Are you outsourcing the Kingdom of The Fallen security manifesto?

But seriously, instead of all these ridiculous security measures I have a solution.

Gun Control! Now there's a movement everyone can get behind.

[Goddess Dictator]

I'd like to call the kid an idiot with entitlement issues and chalk this tragedy up to that, but I find myself more sympathetic towards him than Elliott Rodgers. Elliot Rodgers was given opportunities to socialize and try out the dating scene. He shunned the help people who cared gave him.

But this story, well, this was a dumb kid who didn't know how to deal with a breakup and it seems there's an element of betrayal from his cousin as well. He was in 9th grade. I could have been driven to something terrible at the age too, as emotionally immature as I was. Luckily, I let life take its course. My thoughts and prayers are witho the family of any victim and of the perpetrator.

this so much this. every situation is specific to the individual in the situation. this particular one I sympathize with. it seems like one of his two cousins was part of the reason for the breakup. he was very close with his family they were literally his tribe. so I can see this one sympathetically. the loss of a first love plus the sudden betrayal of someone he looked up to and trusted.... I can't say at his age I'd handle it well I can't say that me at his age in THAT exact situation wouldn't have lost my shit.

this is not columbine this is not any other shooter in any other situation. he wasn't shooting people at random he wasn't out to get the world he just fell the fuck apart. so on THIS one I sympathize.

and don't being gun control into this. this particular situation really has nothing to do with it imo.

[awesome possum]

How can you sympathize with someone who murdered other people because his girlfriend broke up with him? Hell, I can see the point of view of the kids who were bullied mercilessly and decided to shoot out their frustrations more than I can see the point of view of some mentally weak twat who decided that people needed to die because he couldn't handle being dumped.

[MerenthaClone]

How can you sympathize with someone who murdered other people because his girlfriend broke up with him? Hell, I can see the point of view of the kids who were bullied mercilessly and decided to shoot out their frustrations more than I can see the point of view of some mentally weak twat who decided that people needed to die because he couldn't handle being dumped.

Because I can feel more than one emotion at once.

[Shryke]

How can you sympathize with someone who murdered other people because his girlfriend broke up with him? Hell, I can see the point of view of the kids who were bullied mercilessly and decided to shoot out their frustrations more than I can see the point of view of some mentally weak twat who decided that people needed to die because he couldn't handle being dumped.

Yeah, this stinks more of misogynistic violence against the women that betrayed him then anything else.

Like let's be clear here. As sad as it is "guy murders girl and her friends/family and then shoots self over break up" is not an uncommon form of domestic violence.

Those trying to give this guy a pass are out of their fucking minds.

[The Fallen]

How can you sympathize with someone who murdered other people because his girlfriend broke up with him? Hell, I can see the point of view of the kids who were bullied mercilessly and decided to shoot out their frustrations more than I can see the point of view of some mentally weak twat who decided that people needed to die because he couldn't handle being dumped.

I agree. We've all been dumped or never given a chance. Most of us don't decide to kill the person. She's just a stupid girl (or boy). Why not beat up the cousin? Maybe he was too much of a coward.

I also sympathize more with someone who's bullied. Although I don't condone killing anyone.

[awesome possum]

Because I can feel more than one emotion at once.

Okay, good for you. You're a normal human being. I too can feel more than one emotion at once, and sympathy is one of them, but for the victims of this shitheel and not the shitheel himself.

The most devastating breakup of my 35 years happened when I was 14. I moped and cried and pouted and yes, I even raged. Inwardly. I didn't go murder people.

[BigFatCoward]

The most devastating breakup of my 35 years happened when I was 14. I moped and cried and pouted and yes, I even raged. Inwardly. I didn't go murder people.

i almost did worse, i wrote poetry.

[Galactus]

*sigh* Again?

[TerraPrime]

[mod hat]

Please keep comments on guns germaine to the actual events here and don't let it digress into the generalized topic of gun control in the U.S.

Thanks.

[/mod hat]

[Shryke]

i almost did worse, i wrote poetry.

You are a goddamn monster.

[awesome possum]

i almost did worse, i wrote poetry.

shudder

My madness stopped at a mixtape of love songs that I painstakingly recorded over the radio over the course of two weeks. I mailed it to her, convinced she would fall back into my arms, only to receive it back a week later. In the purple ink I knew all too well was written, with terrible finality, "RETURN TO SENDER."

[BigFatCoward]

shudder

My madness stopped at a mixtape of love songs that I painstakingly recorded over the radio over the course of two weeks. I mailed it to her, convinced she would fall back into my arms, only to receive it back a week later. In the purple ink I knew all too well was written, with terrible finality, "RETURN TO SENDER."

ooh, mixtapes are for when you are really low. i always felt i was giving a shit gift due to my terrible handwriting making it look like a drunken spider had walked across the little card after going through a puddle of ink.

[Andriy Czarchenko]

and don't being gun control into this. this particular situation really has nothing to do with it imo.

Actually it does but as said this probably isn´t the thread for it.

[Goddess Dictator]

look I don't want a flame war and I'm not up for an argument right now. see my other thread about the sheer amount of chaos I'm dealing with right now.

short version: sympathy is NOT endorsement. normally I'm right with you raging and angry and worried about the victims and wondering what could have been done to prevent it. I'm in no way saying HEY GREAT JOB KID.

what he did is atrocious. but currently I don't know jack about his victims but I've read a ton about him. I'm a very empathetic person in general. there's really no one whose point of view I can't understand unless they're like a sociopath or a narcissist.

what I meant was it seems obvious this kid was hurting and I hate to see ANYONE hurting especially when that hurting then hurts others. and I think something about this particular kid scared me bc looking back I could have been him if I hadn't had some support and help. by sympathy I meant I can see how he got to that point not that I think it was right or forgivable.

as to the gun thing yes it's relevant I simply meant i personally cannot deal with discussing it right now. and that is what I should have said. but I was really exhausted and out of it when I wrote my previous comment and I should have waited until I was more coherent to post.

gun control is a very veryyyyy tricky subject for me bc I'm fairly anti gun and my mom and fiancé are members of the NRA. I already have to talk about this subject wayyyy too much for my stress levels to handle.

so again let me recap; the kid that did this did something terrible and awful. period. I just get the sense and I could be wrong that he simply had a meltdown and couldn't handle what he was going through and I feel bad about that for him and for all his victims bc that sucks and has caused so much damage.

and I don't want to talk about guns bc OMG do I already do too much of that.

[Ramsay Gimp]

How can you sympathize with someone who murdered other people because his girlfriend broke up with him? Hell, I can see the point of view of the kids who were bullied mercilessly and decided to shoot out their frustrations more than I can see the point of view of some mentally weak twat who decided that people needed to die because he couldn't handle being dumped.

I agree that his actions should shatter any sympathy for him

But, having a close relative snatch your girlfriend would drive a huge portion of people to violence. The cousin angle goes a long way to explaining why he reacted so violently.

[Goddess Dictator]

But, having a close relative snatch your girlfriend would drive a huge portion of people to violence. The cousin angle goes a long way to explaining why he reacted so violently.

I think that's what I was trying to say.

[Gears of the Beast]

Yeah, this stinks more of misogynistic violence against the women that betrayed him then anything else.

What exactly qualifies it as "misogynistic violence"..? you know he shot as many guys as he did girls right? And from his Twitter he seems just as angry at his cousin who 'betrayed' him too.