# School shooters are my heroes **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 9, 2001, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-shooters-are-my-heroes/57350 "2001-03-09T15:07:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Jeremy\_s\_Evil\_Twin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Jeremy\_s\_Evil\_Twin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeremy_s_Evil_Twin)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-shooters-are-my-heroes/57350/221 "2001-03-25T22:32:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spider Woman \* > \*\*Have you ever considered writing for a living? You have a way with words, and seem to be intelligent. I would have e-mailed this to you rather than hijack your thread, but your e-mail is private. [/end hijack] \*\* I wrote quite a few stories up through college, many of them quite disturbing. (Imagine that!) Somewhere along the way, I just lost interest. Occasionally I’ll get my juices refired and write down a story idea that comes into my head, but usually after a chapter or two I get bored of it and give up. Still, becoming a writer ain’t out of the picture, some writers didn’t start writing until their 50’s or 60’s. Dunno if I’ll live that long, though. I think I’ll be getting a hotmail account soon…I hid my email because I’m publicly known by other people on the 'Net and I carefully hide the “J.E.T.” side of my personality from them (for obvious reasons.) > [@](#): > > \*\*About happiness, I usually try to grab it when I find it, like walking outside in the winter when the sun is shining on the snow, or playing with my dogs and cats; sometimes just little things. I don’t know very many intelligent people who are happy all of the time. Do you have pets? They help. \*\* I’ve thought about getting a cat. Cats are nice and low-maintenance. Can’t really afford the food/litter bill at the moment, though. > [@](#): > > \*\*It could be that this period in your life is particularly unhappy, but don’t give up. All of us go through difficult times (some more difficult than others) but hopefully things will improve. \*\* Yes, hard times pass. Then they come back. Things improve, then dis-improve. (What’s the opposite of improve? “Deprove”? “Unprove”?) It’s not so much the bad times that bother me, it’s the whole out-of-control roller coaster ride. I’m tired of it and I want off. Also, to reply to what you said in [this thread:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=64386) > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spider Woman \* > \*\*I’m having difficulty figuring out how much of what you say is tongue-in-cheek and what is real. Eventually some of the problems that are affecting others may affect you, but if you are wrestling your own demons, you may not have the emotional energy to deal with the problems of others. \*\* Sometimes, I’m not sure myself. I say what I feel, but it’s not always clear to me if it’s a firmly held belief or just something said for shock value. I can say for certain, though, that I’m dead serious about my attitude towards Taliban women vs. Buddhist statues. I could give a rats ass what people do to other people in a country half a world away. “Inalienable human rights” is purely an American concept, and not God-given like we tend to assume. (Whoa, there’s a whole 'nother GD thread lurking in that sentence.) However, I’m totally lost at what you mean by “dealing with the problems of others.” Can you clarify? …Back to the topic at hand, I did come to a major realization last night when I was re-reading the part about the copycat shooter and how he’s destined to be in and out of jail all of his life. These days, I fear imprisonment and will do anything necessary to avoid it. But it wasn’t like that “back in the day.” When I was plotting my homicidal revenge in high school, I relished the thought of spending the rest of my life behind bars. I thought of it as something heroic. On the surface, that looks like typical teenage ignorance. But then, it hit me…it was, subconsciously, _fear of the Outside World!_ I had totally forgotten about that, how afraid I was about leaving home and going off to college, because I knew that I was NOT READY for it. I wanted to do anything, anything at all to stay protected and avoid the uncertainties of having to live in the outside world. Wow, maybe that’s an angle we’ve totally overlooked in this thread. J.E.T. J.E.T. ---
**Author:** ![ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-shooters-are-my-heroes/57350/222 "2001-03-25T22:45:32Z")
> [@](#): > > On the surface, that looks like typical teenage ignorance. But then, it hit me…it was, subconsciously, _fear of the Outside World!_ I had totally forgotten about that, how afraid I was about leaving home and going off to college, because I knew that I was NOT READY for it. I wanted to do anything, anything at all to stay protected and avoid the uncertainties of having to live in the outside world.\*\* This makes terrific sense. What occurred to me when I read this is that the person in question has at least an illusion of two choices: 1. The status quo, which as we’ve discussed is unbearable. 2. The outside world, which he fears, and which often isn’t any more bearable. Of course, there really isn’t a choice because you can’t remain in high school forever, and therefore MUST enter the “outside world” in some sense at least. It also occurred to me that there are MANY destructive behaviors/disorders that come from fear of the outside world. Hiding in alcohol or drugs. Anorexics who refuse to let their bodies grow up. Self-imposed isolation. I agree, JET, I think you should be writing. Not that what I think ought to have any impression on you at all. But it occurs to me that even when your point of view is abhorrent, you support it well and convince people that you’re right. Perhaps you should be writing political speeches. 🙂 At the very least, I tend to think that writing might help you work out what you need to get off that rollercoaster to some extent. (My official diagnosis is bipolar disorder. Not that that necessarily means I “know how you feel” but I certainly can commiserate to a certain degree.) Maybe it would provide some kind of catharsis and help you sort out safe options. I only suggest this rather lame sounding “solution” because it’s MY solution and tends to work for me. -L ---
**Author:** ![Jeremy\_s\_Evil\_Twin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Jeremy\_s\_Evil\_Twin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeremy_s_Evil_Twin)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-shooters-are-my-heroes/57350/223 "2001-03-26T04:22:47Z")
Email address added to profile, in case anyone wants to continue this debate in private. J.E.T. ---
**Author:** ![SpyderA48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@SpyderA48](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyderA48)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-shooters-are-my-heroes/57350/224 "2001-03-28T15:08:31Z")
[BUMP] ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-shooters-are-my-heroes/57350/225 "2001-03-28T21:00:59Z")
Thought I’d share the following two news stories: [“Child faces possible legal problems for reporting threats.”](http://www.cnn.com/2001/fyi/teachers.ednews/03/26/school.whistleblower/) Besides the legal threat, the kid that made the initial threat turned around and threatened her when he found out she had told on him. Is it any wonder why kids keep quiet and don’t want to report bullying? [“Schools now taking bullying seriously.”](http://www.time.com/time/education/article/0,8599,103822,00.html) On the second pagfe of the article, psychologist Peter fonagy points out that most bullying happens when there ARE witnesses; the bully is showing off for them, showing that he’s tougher than his victim. It’s like performance theater, though the actions and consequences are real. “The whole drama is supported by the bystander,” says Fonagy. “The theater can’t take place if there is no audience.” Now we should know why JET is so angry at the so-called “innocent” bystander. He has legitimate reason. But this would **NOT** justify any attempt on JET’s part to hurt them. I want to make that crystal clear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-shooters-are-my-heroes/57350.md?page=11)