Driving home yesterday, I heard on the news broadcast on the radio about a young man (final year at school) who had gone to school dressed in strange clothing, and wearing a mask, supposedly like those worn by a band called Slipknot, and carrying one or more samurai swords. On arrival at the school he struck a fellow pupil, 16 yrs old in the neck / throat, killing him! He then attacked two of the gardeners, and wounded another pupil, before, I suppose, he was overpowered and disarmed. According to statements released he had said "The devil told me to do it!".
Initially I panicked as they said the school is on the West Rand - that's where I live and my boys go to school. They did later state the name of the school, and it's not where my boys go to.
Needless to say, the newspapers are full of this story, with all and sundry, now experts having something to say about the causes. And this morning on the radio driving to work, more of the same.
Satanism, drugs and drug abuse, and rock music are the three major elements being discussed, however, I did hear one reporter on TV last night asking an "expert" if she thought that maybe movies, TV and playstation / pc games could have contributed.
My theory?
I think there are multiple reasons why this event took place. I do not believe that rock music had anything to do with it at all, not even if he does listen to "Slipknot", whomever they might be.
In an sms sent to the radio station I listen to i said, initial blame is probably with his parents, for letting him buy the Samurai sword(s). Then with the relevant authorities that allow the importation and uncontrolled sale of these "weapons".
I think that it's probably a condition relevant to today's lifestyle. Kids are not taught self respect, are not shown any respect by their parents and therefore do not have a sense of respect for their fellow man / animal / personal belongings. I know I generalise, but this should be read in the context of the above incident.
Schools did away with disciple, so there is no clear understanding for respect for your elders / teachers, and this could lead to a perception that as the teachers / headmasters are toothless wonders, so then possible are the police, etc. it's a contribution to the total breakdown of, and lack of respect for, authority.
It's most likely that this kid was on drugs, probably involved in some sick "satanic" sect, and might even be the product of some serious abuse.
Whichever way you cut it, there is a family who have lost a son, and another who are losing (have lost) another.
At home last night GMan was telling me they had an incident at his school as well. Seems like a boy stabbed another in the top cheek (just below the eye) with a pen. Nothing too serious in comparison, but what really annoyed me was the fact that the perpetrator in this case is a boy who has been expelled for other schools 3 - 4 times already! What the hell is he doing in this school? And what the hell is he doing in any environment where he has access to other scholars? For my moneys worth, he should not be allowed into any institution for learing. Send him to work in the mines, or send him to jail!
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-08-18-krugersdorp-school-rocked-by-satanic-killing
Salagatle!
5 comments:
That whole thing about rock music being partly to blame is a CROCK OF SHITE!!!! I listen to a damn site more hard rock than some of the schoolkids these days but you don't see me going out and buying a sword to hack my friends.
Yes, the words to some of the music are hard, but that's the artist expressing his/her/their anger at the establishment, but it's not physically violent and people shouldn't use it in that way either. then again, maturity probably plays a part in that too...
There was some fuckwit darkie from the education department on eTV news this morning, and he mentioned the music bit, but at least he also mentioned that there are a bunch of other factors that also have to be taken into consideration when trying to determine the cause of this senseless attack.
My list of other things to consider would include: drugs, alcohol, peer pressure, study pressure, sexuality pressure, mental attitude, home life conditions, sexual abuse, gang membership, satanism (as mentioned on the news), religion in general, jealousy, etc etc etc....
Maybe someone should just ask the dumb fucker why he did it...that would be a start...
I agree with both of you. The kid tested negative for any drugs, but from a statement issued by his parents to Beeld, it is evident the kid was a wimp with low self esteem and that is what it was all about.
A little wimp who needed to make himself feel better about being a fuck up.
Both parents now want to pin the blame on satanism and all sorts of outside influences when in actual fact THEY need to do some introspection. If the kid showed a facination with satanic shit, why the hell didn't they nip it in the bud. It is afterall ONLY about criminal and anti social behavior, which as parents, if they gave a shit, they should have noticed when it first started manifesting itself in the kids behaviour.
when teenagers hear voices to kill or harm it is usually a sign of a serious mental illness; schizophrenia. Its a mental imbalance of chemicals in the brain. It has nothing to do with music, games but drugs can definetely aggravate the situation.
It seems that this void of discipline in my books is created due to the fact that corporal punishment is no more. What do you have to fear? If I think back to my school days it would have been chaos did they not have linseed oiled canes. We would have taken them and everybody else apart.... Just my take
I agree with all of you. The kid has a sense of being "lost" and it probably all started with not enough (or the wrong kind of) attention from his parents.
Half the problem in today's kids are as a result of something (personal opinion here, folks) the parents did, or didn't do, and the kid doesn't have a means to address (or doesn't recognise) the problem as it manifests itself. And the parents either miss it, or think it's all part of growing up.
In the end, the kid does something fucked up like buying a sword and doing someone else's innocent kid in and only then does everyone see that there's a problem and run around blaming this, that, and the next thing, instead of themselves.
If I had walked into my parents house with a sword (as a kid) I would have had the thing bent over my bare arse by my father and would then have had to destroy it myself. Obviously there were no such strict controls in this kids house (again, coming back to the parents lack of something).
To all the parents out there (no-one in particular)...there's nothing wrong with giving the kids a good hiding now and then (within reason). It gets them thinking before they do things in the future, and hopefully before they reach an age where the things they do will get them thrown in jail for a very long time, or worse like ending up dead. That would be your ultimate failure in your responsibilities to your kids...could you live with that, like the Krugersdorp kid's parents have to?
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