Are School shootings in the US an exclusively millennial phenomenon??

[Yuri Bezmenov]

The earliest one I can remember was the  Westside Middle School massacre just outside of Jonesboro Arkansas, that was back in March of 1998. The perps were born in 1984 and 1986, the beginning of the millennial generation.

Before this, there had only been a handful of school shootings in US history. After this? there's been an increasing flood of them. As far as I can tell, all the perps are millennials. Is this a sign that their generation is mentally ill??

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Johnson_and_Andrew_Golden

[Jack]

Some researchers believe the techno era's ease of media has created a copy cat phenomenon. While there are some who are regarded as acting without inspiration, the vast majority of school shootings post columbine, and even several plans which were thwarted, are considered columbine copy cats. They researched the columbine killers videos and manifestos, emulated their plans and even their manner of dress.

[Yuri Bezmenov]

Some researchers believe the techno era's ease of media has created a copy cat phenomenon. While there are some who are regarded as acting without inspiration, the vast majority of school shootings post columbine, and even several plans which were thwarted, are considered columbine copy cats. They researched the columbine killers videos and manifestos, emulated their plans and even their manner of dress.

That's an inadequate explanation. Why wasn't this happening before the late 90's??

[El]

Some researchers believe the techno era's ease of media has created a copy cat phenomenon. While there are some who are regarded as acting without inspiration, the vast majority of school shootings post columbine, and even several plans which were thwarted, are considered columbine copy cats. They researched the columbine killers videos and manifestos, emulated their plans and even their manner of dress.

*nod*

With mass shooting in general there is a huge social contagion component.  It's why the "some asshole" rule was proposed (and why the media is, to my understanding, trying to focus more now on victims than on killers).

[Icequeen]

Some researchers believe the techno era's ease of media has created a copy cat phenomenon. While there are some who are regarded as acting without inspiration, the vast majority of school shootings post columbine, and even several plans which were thwarted, are considered columbine copy cats. They researched the columbine killers videos and manifestos, emulated their plans and even their manner of dress.

Kid has some issues (don't we all  ) and is in what they call a partial program. One on one attention and group therapy is a part of it.

These kids all have various issues, some with anger, some are aspies, some have speech problems, some just can't stand being there and have skipped so much school this is where they landed up, some have had problems with drugs, this list goes on and on.

The beautiful misfits that every school has, and so few pay attention to.

This is one of the subjects covered...and the amount of kids that fantasize about doing it is unreal...I'd say 85%...they have been teased for years, they have been beaten up, screamed at in the past by teachers, they have 4 other siblings and their parents are assholes, they enjoyed going to school as much as a trip to the dentist office every day...a few even elevated the columbine killers to a sick sort of "hero" status. 

...and these are just the recognized misfits that can open their mouths and get a chance to talk about stuff like this.

I hated school, didn't have many friends and can't say I never fantasized about wanting to blow the whole place up, but it was different back then...and you couldn't pull up directions on how to build a pipe bomb on the internet back then.

[Yuri Bezmenov]

...and you couldn't pull up directions on how to build a pipe bomb on the internet back then.

Ever hear of the Anarchist's Cook Book??

[FourAceDeal]

It is a USA only phenomena.   Discuss that.

[Yuri Bezmenov]

It is a USA only phenomena.   Discuss that.

Not exclusively but largely.

I think there's unique sociological factors that have lead to this.

Back in 1933 a kid could walk into a hardware store and buy a fully automatic Thompson Sub-machinegun with a 100 round drum.

Why weren't there mass school shootings back then??

[Yuri Bezmenov]

With mass shooting in general there is a huge social contagion component.

Where is the evidence for this??

There have always been copycat crimes but this has been a full blown epidemic.

Why wasn't there a rash of copycat mass shootings after Charles Whitman shot 49 people in Texas in 1966??

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman

[Jack]

There have always been copycat crimes but this has been a full blown epidemic.

Ed Harris said he wanted to kick start a revolution. Maybe he did.

Not exclusively but largely.

That's correct. There are in fact school shootings, and thwarted plans, in other countries considered to be Columbine copy cats. Though terrorist attacks are the copy cat phenomenon of the EU.

[Jack]

The beautiful misfits that every school has, and so few pay attention to.

While there are other psychological factors often involved, some researchers believe the main underlying factor is a desire for recognition.

This is one of the subjects covered...and the amount of kids that fantasize about doing it is unreal...I'd say 85%...they have been teased for years, they have been beaten up, screamed at in the past by teachers, they have 4 other siblings and their parents are assholes, they enjoyed going to school as much as a trip to the dentist office every day...a few even elevated the columbine killers to a sick sort of "hero" status. 

The hero status is absolutely real, probably even for many who may never plan to do a single thing about it.

[Yuri Bezmenov]

The beautiful misfits that every school has, and so few pay attention to.

While there are other psychological factors often involved, some researchers believe the main underlying factor is a desire for recognition.

That's most likely because they were raised in daycare, not by their mothers. Again, this is largely a millennial issue.

This is one of the subjects covered...and the amount of kids that fantasize about doing it is unreal...I'd say 85%...they have been teased for years, they have been beaten up, screamed at in the past by teachers, they have 4 other siblings and their parents are assholes, they enjoyed going to school as much as a trip to the dentist office every day...a few even elevated the columbine killers to a sick sort of "hero" status. 

The hero status is absolutely real, probably even for many who may never plan to do a single thing about it.

I felt the same way growing up but never felt that I should actually act on it.

[Yuri Bezmenov]

I hated school, didn't have many friends and can't say I never fantasized about wanting to blow the whole place up, but it was different back then...

What specifically was different??

[Icequeen]

...and you couldn't pull up directions on how to build a pipe bomb on the internet back then.

Ever hear of the Anarchist's Cook Book??

It's a good read. 

Nothing burns out stumps as good as homemade napalm.

[Icequeen]

I hated school, didn't have many friends and can't say I never fantasized about wanting to blow the whole place up, but it was different back then...

What specifically was different??

Everything was at a slower pace, you had a chance to defuse/unwind, be bored, be less mad, get over it.

Socialization wasn't forced or expected to the degree it is now either. Now you are expected to be involved, participate, yeah....team spirit.

I could be a sneaky, rotten kid and at 12-13 I turned into a pretty dark teenager...hated everyone and everything for awhile. I lived in a small town without access to much of anything, the internet was still years away. My dad reloaded and had a basement full of gun power, I had ideas, access, but no proper how-to's, who knows if I would have done anything or not...probably not.

I had good parents, and never spent a day in daycare, but I did go though a definite dark phase for awhile and I could be pretty stupid some days.