Finnish School Shooting

[Guest American Woman]

Did the teen who went on a shooting rampage at a Finnish high school, killing eight, reveal his plans on YouTube?

This is the second incident that I recall reading about where a killer has said things online that could have/should have been picked up on. Is it that one can say anything on the internet knowing that there will be no repercussions? I think it's high time people started taking things said on the internet seriously.

Link

[marcinmoka]

Granted, but with 70,000+ uploads per day, plus the Herculean task of tracking the user if her represents a valid threat would make any investigator shudder.

[Guest American Woman]

Granted, but with 70,000+ uploads per day, plus the Herculean task of tracking the user if her represents a valid threat would make any investigator shudder.

Surely someone who watched that must have known who it was. I just think if everyone did what they could, and reported what could/should be perceived as threats, maybe we could prevent a tragedy or two. This is just so sad and pointless.

[guyser]

This is just so sad and pointless.

And thankfully very rare.

[marcinmoka]

Surely someone who watched that must have known who it was.

And how many people who knew this disturbed individual watched it? I am curious as to the numbers.

Hell, I've surely seen hundreds of YouTube videos, though am yet to encounter a single acquaintance. Furthermore, based on the amount of irrelevant stupidity being shown in all this 'user generated content', I tend to take take it all with a grain of salt. But I guess that is part of the appeal.

In a world of 6 billion +, it is possible to be seen yet remain anonymous.

[Guest American Woman]

And how many people who knew this disturbed individual watched it? I am curious as to the numbers.

Hell, I've surely seen hundreds of YouTube videos, though am yet to encounter a single acquaintance. Furthermore, based on the amount of irrelevant stupidity being shown in all this 'user generated content', I tend to take take it all with a grain of salt. But I guess that is part of the appeal.

In a world of 6 billion +, it is possible to be seen yet remain anonymous.

As for the numbers, all it would take is one.

Since the article I cited has this to say....

Investigators believe Auvinen revealed plans for the attack in postings on YouTube in which he urged revolution and grinned after taking target practice with a handgun.

One posting called for a popular uprising against "the enslaving, corrupted and totalitarian regimes."

"I am prepared to fight and die for my cause. I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection," the posting said.

Finnish media said he posted similar messages in chat rooms just hours before the shooting spree.

....evidently someone was aware of what he said online or it wouldn't be in the news.

I'm saying perhaps it's time to take responsibility as to what one reads online. We take what kids say in notes seriously. We take what kids write on walls in schools seriously. We take what's said in airports seriously. Perhaps it's time to treat what's said online with the same seriousness. If we all take responsibility when we see something questionable, something threatening, same as we would outside of the net, then maybe we can catch some of these people who are a danger to society before they act.

[geoffrey]

I'm saying perhaps it's time to take responsibility as to what one reads online. We take what kids say in notes seriously. We take what kids write on walls in schools seriously. We take what's said in airports seriously. Perhaps it's time to treat what's said online with the same seriousness. If we all take responsibility when we see something questionable, something threatening, same as we would outside of the net, then maybe we can catch some of these people who are a danger to society before they act.

How do kids ever get to this point though? Where the hell are the parents?

Some of these social network sites (I'm not talking Facebook... I'm talking the freaky vampire ones and stuff) need to be investigated more throughly. The Dawson college killer was one of these vampire types. As were the two murders in Medicine Hat that killed the girls parents and brother because she wasn't allowed to date her 24 year old boyfriend (she was 12).

Seriously. If your kids are social degenerates, it's time to start doing something. How do people let it get so bad?

[Drea]

I agree Geoffrey -- where indeed are the parents in these instances?

Are parents letting little Johnny film himself with his guns? Where does little Johnny get a gun in the first place?

I mean if your kid is sitting in his room in his basement, don't you go down there and check on what he's up to once in a while?

Parents need to be aware of what their teens are doing. Sadly, many parents are just letting their kids do whatever they want with no consequence whatsoever.

But sometimes, the parents hands are tied...My sister had a foster kid a few years ago and social services told her that she is never to go into the child's room. Ever. Because the kid needs her "privacy". Turned out the degenerate had a gun and a bag of crack. Social services wasn't going to do anything about it because my sister went into the kid's room without permission.

As long as a kid lives under my roof, their room is open for inspection at any time. You'll get privacy when you move out on your own!

[geoffrey]

As long as a kid lives under my roof, their room is open for inspection at any time. You'll get privacy when you move out on your own!

Good attitude. As far as I can tell, all of these school shooters lived at home. I know my parents would probably start asking questions if I starting bring home quantities of weapons and hiding in my room for days.

I think alot of parents are too affraid to confront their kids.

But who am I to tell people how to raise their kids.

[Guest American Woman]

How do kids ever get to this point though? Where the hell are the parents?

Some of these social network sites (I'm not talking Facebook... I'm talking the freaky vampire ones and stuff) need to be investigated more throughly. The Dawson college killer was one of these vampire types. As were the two murders in Medicine Hat that killed the girls parents and brother because she wasn't allowed to date her 24 year old boyfriend (she was 12).

Seriously. If your kids are social degenerates, it's time to start doing something. How do people let it get so bad?

I don't know how kids get to this point. It is scary. Where are the parents? And where are the parents of kids who are bullies?

I agree that some of the internet social network sites whould be investigated more thoroughly. The all too frequent occurance of online bullying would be another reason to investigate since so many of the school shootings seem to be at least in part a response to bullying.

Right now it appears as if people can say anything online and get away with it. For some reason it's not taken seriously; it's not seen as a real threat, and I think that's a big mistake.

Edited November 10, 2007 by American Woman

[Drea]

I think alot of parents are too affraid to confront their kids.

That comes from not being a parent in the beginning. Bending to little Johnny's every little whine. Parents -- when you say no to your two year old, MEAN it. When you promise a punishment (ie; if you do this, I will do such and such) FOLLOW THROUGH. Be consistent. Be strong. Be a parent.

But who am I to tell people how to raise their kids.

You were a kid once! With parents.

[xul]

I think it's high time people started taking things said on the internet seriously.

Link

It would be but it is very difficult to practice. Internet is a great place of speaking freely and was flooded with various information, so people can hardly discern which of them are truth or lie. Just as an Arabian King complained British government's neglect of his information of terrorists attack. But if he sent 1,000 of such information and only one is thruth, people would hardly condemn British government not taking it seriously.

I don't think bully is the main cause of school shooting. Perhaps modern education system unduly emphasized more press on teens by asking them more competitive. The losers sometimes feel they would be abandoned by the community that they will face in future. Psycho assistance sometimes made circumstance worse. If a teen was asked for Psycho assistance, he would feel he is more special or more frustrate than others. Usually, friends and parents may help them more to get ride of the feeling of frustration. But in my impression, most school shooters are lonely, they usually had no friends in school and their parents usually did not care them more than asking them to get good scores in examinations.

I think educating the parents would be more efficient than educating these students, and teachers would encourage other students to do more for helping their loser schoolmates.