Jeremy spoke in class today

Feb 27, 2008 - 11:39 AM PST

(the above title is in reference to the "percieved" meaning of the song "Jeremy" and NOT the actual meaning of the song...just so you know"

So what the fuck is going on with all the school shootings this week? There have been more school shootings this week alone than there have been in the last 2 years...although I am not saying school shootings are and should be a common occurrence...they just have been happening at an increasingly alarming rate. Shit...in 2006 alone we have had:

4 School killings (this week)

4 attempted where an incident occurred but no one died

10 PLOTS that were foiled

2 incidents where a kid brought a gun to school but got busted before he could use it

It's like...fuck...what is going on here? I am going to quote a very special and influential person in my life who has some definite opinions on this subject matter...Myself. I wrote briefly on this subject several months ago....

"...what the fuck is it with these pussy ass highschoolers who feel the need to shoot up their school cuz they were bullied? I was bullied all the way up through 6th grade....horrible merciless stuff too....I was spit on, had glue poured in my head, teased horrifically...you name it. When I tried to bring it to the attention of the administration they said I must have instigated it somehow...this was before the days of throw a punch go to jail...even if your 6. You had to deal with that shit. Once I got to 7th grade I no longer got picked on. You know why? Because I started kicking the asses of all the bastards who tried picking on me. I dealt with it. These kids need to man up and deal with there problems and shooting up your school is not the right answer. What the hell do they think they are going to accomplish? They are gonna finally not be picked on anymore? They are gonna have some friends? You can say all you want about feeling desperate and not seeing any way out....but these kids are fucking idiots..."

The main problem I believe this stems from is the simple fact that boys are aggressive...especially during adolescence...and NEED a way to release this aggression. Too often this generation is taught that the only acceptable ways to deal with your frustrations and anger is to "talk about it". Teenagers are prideful and headstrong...you will never get them to "talk about it". More often than not they will bottle up that anger until one of two things happen...they will become Emo and start cutting their wrists, wearing women's pants, and listening to horrible music like "Bright Eyes"....or they will explode into a fit of anger taking people with them. Like I had stated in my earlier blog, I was teased mercilessly...but in my day and age the "rules" weren't as strict as they are now and all the trouble a fight would get you into was a suspension and in a SEVERE case a meeting with the Police liaison officer. Now a days, a fight leads to expulsion, criminal charges, and a lawsuit from the parents. This shit is ridiculous. My dad told me a story about when he was in HS that when two kids had a problem with each other and they felt the only way to resolve there differences was to duke it out...they went to the gym teacher who would hold a boxing match during lunch in the gym. I do not recall if others could come watch, or if it was a private affair...but that struck me as a brilliant idea. Kids will always fight...especially (if not exclusively) boys. You see it as small children when they wrestle. Instead of futilely trying to prevent them from fighting...which won't work...why not encourage it to happen in a controlled environment like a gymnasium where they can be supervised by faculty who will step in if it gets out of control. In another previous blog I responded to insults from baby boomers who blame our generation for the rise in violence and "feelings of self entitlement". I would again like to show you the mirror and remind you that you had a huge part in how and why things turned out this way...and you also have the power to turn things around. Relax the laws, punishments, stigmas...and allow kids to air their differences in the way they NEED to do so. You cannot change nature, and you will only cause more harm.

And I am going to end this with another prolific quote from a man far better than I....Eddie Vetter when speaking about the article he read about a boy who shot himself in front of his classmates which led to the song "Jeremy" (and yes, I do realize the irony in this statement when you point out "Jeremy" was immortalized in a song"....

"…you kill yourself and you make a big old sacrifice and try to get your revenge. That all you're gonna end up with is a paragraph in a newspaper. [...] it does nothing … nothing changes. The world goes on and you're gone. The best revenge is to live on and prove yourself. Be stronger than those people. And then you can come back…" - Eddie Vetter


*Thanks to wikipedia for providing me with dates and descriptions. I will continue to fight for your right to be included as an academic reference.