Well, Brenda - you have the direct experience and you tried to do some homework; that's the kernel of actual 'science' - though we see that the soft ones like psych and socio - are proof that logic just isn't enough, when dealing with homo saps.
Thanks Ashton. This is a topic that I do my best to be informed about, mainly because I am indeed interested in gaining more understanding about it.
You're as entitled to an opinion towards "some plan" as anyone else here. As suggested though.. you may share with millions of 'innumerate' Muricans - a rather shaky knowledge of how we lie (even to selves) via statistics. Good recent example is given in this thread.
Well, I still don't see that my data was all that flawed, because it was factual, it just only covered one aspect of the issue. But that was the only aspect I was trying to cover. That particular data was collected in a study of all the school shootings across the country over a period of time from Columbine until last year. I don't remember all the info from it, but I remember that particular statistic. I probably have the article somewhere, buried in one of my school shooting files. But the bottom line is I was only stating one statistic, not covering all.
I would be very interested though, in finding a study of the kids that said it and didn't do it, but of course that would be hard, because you would have to exclude all the ones that said it and were caught and or stopped. How would one know whether said child would have carried it out in actuality or not? Someone tried once if I recall correctly, in the 80's, to do a study on children/teens who threatened suicide, vs children/teens who did it, but they ran into the same problem. How to include in the statistics the ones who said it and were stopped. Once again, there was no way to know if they would have carried it through. Even when the kids/teens were asked, they weren't sure themselves.
The kids are just closer to that primal influence. Then too, today they are exposed to more noise/day than could be imagined - a mere 20 years ago; distracted by infinite toys (and the Need to get More of these), baggy-pantsed in perfect conformity aka 'rebellion'; often drugged for brand new Pharmchem-defined dis-eases, ie - WTF did we expect! when we "allowed it to become?" necessary for *Both parents to work, now more often in multiple jobs -- in lieu of parental oversight and actual teaching-by-example, "nurturing of the young"?
I agree here, that dual working parents did indeed provide less parental supervision and more freedom for the children/teens to traverse down the more dangerous paths. Unfortunately, in today's economy, it's become necessary if not required, for both parents to work in order to provide adequately for their families. And many parents are single-parents, also struggling to make ends meet, and with little time to spend chaperoning or supervising their children.
Trying for creation of any more official Authorities - would just play into the Ashcroftizing of further Constitutional rights and principles; another pattern we can see, looking backwards.
Well, something I didn't make clear was it didn't necessarily have to be a law enforcement program. It could be something run by each school district, or even by the state in conjunction with the school district. Maybe the schools could set up programs to help these troubled kids/teens when they are spotted or found out. Maybe they could provide counselors, (not pumped up with drugs, just given someone to talk to), and some support systems to enable the child to feel less helpless in the face of the bullying and other treatment.
Maybe they would even be able to initiate a bully awareness program, something to enlighten the students about how bullying makes people feel and how badly the victims take it at times, and how to spot someone who's feeling bullied or mistreated. Basically, start at the school level where the parents aren't available to watch over the kids, and involve the parents where they are able to be involved, such as parent-child counseling, or awareness programs for the parents as well as the children.
I'm not really just saying another form of lockup would work. Maybe it would, maybe not, but the main thing is to find a system that identifies these "cries for help" from these troubled children and to provide that help which they cry for.
I've seen such school-run systems actually work and make a difference in some schools that elected to take a role in lessening bullying and offering support. It would just be a matter of finding a plan that would work for either all the schools or maybe tailor making plans for each one.
I just don't see what expelling the children and or arresting them does, they will wind up back out on the street with even less parental/teacher supervision, and or out on parole or Juvenile hall with nothing learned.
Maybe I am dreaming, but at least it's a positive sort of dream, rather than to lock these kids and their lives away and throw out the key.
Nightowl >8#
Fair enough.
