Littleton

Enrique Diaz-Alvarez enrique at anise.ee.cornell.edu
Sat Apr 24 12:28:26 PDT 1999


Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> Gar Lipow quoted:
>
> >Freaks. Outcasts. Weirdos. These words are now casually thrown around by
> >Columbine High School students in reference to the two boys who opened
> >fire, killing 12 of their classmates and one of their teachers. One girl
> >dismissed all the taunting and name calling they endured as "just stupid
> >teenage stuff."
>
> How intense are these pressures to conform in countries other than the
> U.S.?

Pretty freaking intense, at least in Spain. The only major difference I saw with US high school kids was that passing all of your classes was a major concern for most kids, so you had that much less energy to bug your parents about a motorcycle and chase girls. Other than that, same thing.

Really, guys, all this national soul searching is ridiculous. Some problems have very simple solutions. This is one of them. Ban guns, tell the gun nuts to go fuck themselves.


>From The Economist:
-- Young people everywhere, like many of their elders, have violent fantasies. Teaching teenagers to curb their angry impulses is a challenge for every parent on the planet. If America is in moral decline, then so is most of the rest of the world, which just as avidly consumes violent films and rock videos. Mentally disturbed people anywhere can sometimes pose a threat to others. And all schools, not just those in America, remain vulnerable to someone looking for innocent victims. But, of all rich countries, only America makes it possible for teenage misfits, those nursing a grudge, the insane or anyone else determined to cause mayhem to get their hands so easily on such a terrifying array of weapons. --

Right on the money.

Enrique



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