There has been a lot of disturbing things happening in America, and the search is out for the Scapegoat. That search is what is prompting me to rant. Children are shooting children in schools; who's to blame for this? Guns. Two people go on a crime spree, robbing and killing a clerk; who's to blame for this? The media.
Guns? Media?
How about the individual is to blame. This American society is failing because people don't want to take responcibilty for their actions, or the actions of those that they are responcible for. If your child is getting into crime it is not the availability of guns, messages of violence in the media, or a preceived dark and sinister way they dress, its bad parenting. What we need to see happening is not a mother and father joining a picket line to call for tougher gun laws, but for them to admit some degree of fault in rearing their child. If you can't teach your child basic decent values and morals, there are parenting classes available.
A gun can't talk. A gun doesn't whipser, "use me" to people. A gun is a tool, and like all tools it can be used or abused. And if it is abused, citizens shouldn't have to pay the cost, but the abuser should. Guns can't be at fault because someone used them to commit murder, no more than knives can be at fault, or ball peen hammers. Gun laws can't be at fault either. No matter how tough a gun law is, criminals will still get them. (The issue today is that some of the new laws have a loophole in getting guns at pawn shops. Then make it illegal to pawn guns. The guns are either returned to the owners through the proper exchange, or confiscated by law enforcement.) When a person makes a decision to break the law -- in this case premeditates murder -- what allows them to make that decision are their values. If they are taught not to value human life, then they are a danger to society, and killing will be easy for them to accomplish. If they also know that taking lives is wrong and they choose to ignore that knowledge, then the blame for any crime commited by them can only be placed on themselves, with some of the fault extending towards those persons responcible for their upbringing.
The poor media. Oliver Stone faces being sued because alledgedly his movie "Natural Born Killers" (one of my favorites) inspired two people to adventure into a crime spree. Of course there are more Media Scapegoats out there to join Mr. Stone. Marilyn Manson had the finger pointed at him for actrosities at Columbine High, Ozzy Osbourne was sued because a teen killed himself appareantly after listing to Ozzy's "Suicide Solution" -- a song about alcoholism! And Judias Priest was also sued for a suicide. What kind of sick parent holds faith that a rock album or song is more influental than that parent? "I can't deal with the fact that I have failed as a parent, so I'm going to blame a source external to the family."
And what about the violence? "There's too much violence on tv! There's too much violence in video games!" TV, movies, music videos, and games are to a degree, fiction. Through them we get to "act" out violence without actually having to go through the trouble of acting violent and paying the price for it. When movie and tv producers are forced to compensate for lives lost because of external inspiration, where will it end? There are some pretty violent book out there, the Bible being one of them. And violent nursery rythms. Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother is eaten by a wolf, knowledge that doesn't appear to bother of the little girl one bit, and the wolf is then killed by a woodsman with an axe. Gore galore. Hansel and Gretel is a wonderful tale chock full of child abuse, neglect, and abandonment, with indication of potential cannibalism. Lovely tale. Be sure to read it to your children. It's no worse than a modern day story, say like "A Nightmare on Elmstreet."
Artists can't be blamed because there work is potentialy dangerous. It is impossible to remove all potentially dangerous influences and enviroments. The world is full of them, both natural and man-made. To protect a child from these dangers, only endangers the child because the child is not taught how to deal with them. Children must learn that dangers are present everyday. The must learn how to cope with danger. They must learn what is right and what is wrong. They must learn that life, all life not just human life, is valuable. They must learn to say, "It's MY fault," when they make a mistake.
We all must learn to say "it's MY fault," when we make a mistake, and stop looking towards other people, institutions, agencies, or inanimate objects to take the blame.
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Think of it this way, at least we will be in prison together.
Tom to B'Lanna, upon reaching Earth and and being arrested by Tuvok.
Yeah, if I ever go berserk and waste a bunch of people, I'm gonna make sure I leave my Bible open on my desk with the nice genocidal bits of Joshua and such highlighted with neon yellow.
That should shake things up a bit. *evil smirk*
(Of course, I won't ever go berserk that way. I'm not that type. I internalize my anger and get ulcers, instead.)
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You're just JEALOUS because the little voices talk to ME!
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2 FINALS REMAINING! College is taken care of, summer job; check, now if I could get that girl back to her old self.
Oh, and that sig.file.
Wheelersburg Correctional Facility
#05301999-1382
[This message was edited by bryce on May 21, 1999.]
On a similar note, the CEO of a Japanese bank who resigned during the crisis over there in Asia is now bussing tables at a local restaurant. He's had tons of offers to work elsewhere in businesses all over the place. He won't except them because of how he felt he failed in his duties as a bank CEO.
Now THAT is taking responsbility...
Who in the U.S. would do such a thing?
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"We are all a product of the environment we live in.... the rest, good or bad, may be free will." Charles C. Bohnam
[This message was edited by Jeff Raven on May 21, 1999.]
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15 days and counting........
*HUGE EFFING BIGASS GRIN*
"Never underestimate the light side .......... ...... of duct tape."
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Clones are People Two
"The Force is like duct tape: it has a dark side and a light side, and it holds the universe together"
([[[[[[*]}�������������������������
Let's suppose I'm responsible for your behavior? Where does my responsibility end? What actions must I take to prevent ill-advised actions on your part? Most importantly, how am I to know what you're thinking?
Fortunately, while I don't have these answers about you, I do have them for myself.
My responsibility begins and ends with my ability to control events. I own guns and have full control (therefore, responsibility) over where I point them and what I choose to put holes in. If I do not exercise this control, I am being irresponsible, but will still be held responsible for my actions.
The same thing holds true for speech, driving, and a variety of other activities where what I do or say can have a profound effect upon someone else's safety. (And if you don't think speech can be dangerous, you've never worked with someone on high-voltage circuitry.)
I agree with Cargile. The problems America is facing do not stem from guns, laws, or lack thereof, but from an inability to face the fact that actions have consequences and therefore, you are responsible for the consequences of your actions. The attitude of "I'm a victim" has been reinforced by lawsuits where people who did patently stupid things were awarded fabulous sums because they weren't warned by the producers of the equipment involved.
--Baloo
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I prefer the company of those who aim low and overshoot the mark
to those who aim at heaven and shoot their fellow man in the head.
www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/
[This message was edited by Baloo on May 23, 1999.]
If I were one of the people who teased and gave a hard time to the perpetrators of Littleton I would be partially responsible for what they did.
If one of my friends or family massacres a number of people I am responsible for it because I did not notice the signs of danger that must have been there.
I pay taxes that go to compensate wrongs my anscestors did to native peoples. I am responsible despite not being born when the events occured.
Humanity is made of more than individulas, it is made of groups and societies. Everyone is connected, and that is our greatest strength. But our innability to see just how closely we are connected to the past, to the future, and to each other is our greatest flaw.
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Religions, which condemn the pleasures of sense, drive men to seek the pleasures of power. Throughout history power has been the vice of the ascetic.
-Russell
Well I must disagree with you Baloo.
If I were one of the people who teased and gave a hard time to the perpetrators of Littleton I would be partially responsible for what they did.
So I can't, for example, take the mic out of CC's beard, in case he goes nuts and kills people? Daft
If one of my friends or family massacres a number of people I am responsible for it because I did not notice the signs of danger that must have been there.
Friends, maybe. Family, definetly. Although it is not always the case, I bet the family just weren't paying attention.
I pay taxes that go to compensate wrongs my anscestors did to native peoples. I am responsible despite not being born when the events occured.
Ooh, no. We have to take responsibilty for stuff that we didn't do, and that happenned before we were born? Makes no sense. We can apologise for what our ancestors did, but individually taken responsibilty for it?
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'You want the moon on a stick, don't you?'
-Richard Herring
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The public is wonderfully tolerant - it forgives everything except Genius.
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"'I'm afraid there's nowhere for you to sit,' I said coldly; 'the verandah is full of goats.'" --Saki "The Guests"
ALright--here's my bit. I'm majoring in anthropology, specifically, I wanted to study Native American Cultures. So, happily I signed up for NAS (native american studies) 150, expecting it would be about culture and such. W R O N G. The class was basically a poli-sci thing. all about the government and all this. SO many times, i sat in that room for 50 minutes, one of 4 or 5 white folks in a room of 20 Native people, and I felt like the readings and discussions were just yelling down at me "you BAD WHITE! you what you've done to our people!!" Now, looking back, i DID learn a lot from this class, but my response to the claim that I am in some part to blame is this: BULL SHIT. period. that's it. i do not consider myself responsible for things that my 'ancestors' may have done. especially considering my family wasn't even over here until about 200 years ago. and yet, we are to believe that because we are white americans, we are the ones responsible. no matter what our involvement is in the issue. this class has really educated me, and i can see the picture much more clearly now. granted, there ARE people out there who are still causing these problems. but i am not one of them. i have never been a racist, or prejudiced against people, thank God. And it really does hurt me when a stigma is attached to me because i'm white, in a native community. i have learned SO much about this going to university out in New Mexico. trust me.
take an example, though. 2000 years ago, during and before Christ's ministry, if a person was mute, deaf, lame, leprous, or had any other physical problem, then it was because they, or even more likely, their parents, had committed some sin that caused them to be born like that. these days we KNOW that's not the case. so if that wasn't true, why is THIS true? and it IS the same thing, if you think about it.
so who then should bear the responsibility of, for example, paying taxes for the benefit of things like the IHS--Indian Health Service? Americans, of course. But not because our grandparents are the ones who hurt them to begin with. rather, because we are a NATION. We share this continent, and if we want to survive, we have to pull together and play this game as a team. THAT is how i view all of this now. i do not feel a responsibility out of guilt, because I am not guilty of these crimes. My responsibility, and that of others, is still a moral one, but of a different note. we must help because help is needed, not because there is some obligation to be met.
*sighs and steps off soapbox*
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Clones are People Two
"The Force is like duct tape: it has a dark side and a light side, and it holds the universe together"
([[[[[[*]}�������������������������
But before any of you start thinking this means I'm going to change my stance and start backing off about the Inquisition and Salem, I'm not.
Part of the responsibility that we DO have is to make sure that stuff like that and like what happened to the Native Americans NEVER HAPPENS HERE AGAIN.
Which means, that, despite our knowing that we're not to blame, the reminder that it DID happen must remain with us, until the barest possibility that it MIGHT happen again fades into the distant past. It hasn't yet.
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You're just JEALOUS because the little voices talk to ME!
First: Unfortunetly if its no ones responsibility to clean up a mess it doesn't get cleaned up.
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Science has "explained" nothing; the more we know the more fantastic the world becomes and the profounder the surrounding darkness.
-Huxley
My maternal ancestors did come over to this continent prior to the Revolutionaryt War, and even fought in it. I know this country's past administrations are guilty of a genocide movement against the natives. The only thing that should be asked of any decendant of anyone who participated in or condoned it should be to acknowledge that it happened. The society of the past is gone and with them their crimes. The best we can do is say, "I'm sorry out ancestors where such shits, it's a real bad rap." "That's okay, your ancestors where pretty stupid anyway," being the responce.
Since I didn't raise my ancestors nor taught them, as I haven't been able to travel back in time, then I am not responcibile for their actions.
How old are you Orion?
We could only be responsible for the actions of our forefathers if we had the power to prevent them, which would require at the very LEAST a functional time-travel device. We have NO control over what our ancestors did, and taking responsibility for that is inane.
If I actually thought you were serious about what you say, I would ask you where you live, and how soon you intend to turn over your house and land to its original inhabitants. If you were a religious person, I would then ask you when you would be making reparations for the Inquisition, the Crusades, Salem, Alexandria, and the annihilation of peoples and cultures on 7 continents.
But I won't, as I know you personally had nothing to do with it. All that any sane person could ask is that people remember these things happened, and take steps to see that it doesn't happen again.
Cleaning up a mess is different. It starts with taking responsibility for your OWN mess, however. Do that, and you'll find that the big messes start to disappear fairly quickly.
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You're just JEALOUS because the little voices talk to ME!
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Blackadder: I'm King *drops dead*
Even if you do think this is a ridiculous idea, many people do follow these beliefs. For example there is still a great deal of animosity between China and Japan over Japan's acts in WWII. The same is true with a number of people still distruting Germany.
Other areas such as Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Cuba, have conflicts because people beleive that nations which in the past were responsible for crimes are still guilty of them.
Your assumption is that we are all completly seperate individuals. I disagree, we are all shaped by the environment in which we live, and we all reflect it in our actions. When that environment, or society, is flawed the members are as well.
I personally think that when a group commits a crime the group is still responsible for it, even if it has different members, and different beliefs. If the KKK became a Star Trek fan-club that does charity work, I would still never consider joining it because of its past.
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Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers.
-McLaughlin
>Other areas such as Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Cuba, have conflicts because people beleive that nations which in the past were responsible for crimes are still guilty of them.
Yes, that's true.. and just LOOK at the status of those places! NONE of those areas are something to look up to! They're not even safe for their own citizens! Doesn't that SUGGEST to you that believing in that sort of idea leads only to continual hatred, and nearly impossible-to-stop bloodshed?
>Your assumption is that we are all completly seperate individuals. I disagree, we are all shaped by the environment in which we live, and we all reflect it in our actions. When that environment, or society, is flawed the members are as well.
True, we are all affected to some extent by society and our surroundings and even our upbringing. But those DO NOT DEFINE US. We, as intelligent, sentient beings with the capacity for choice, still can make those choices.
Example: It's widely recognized that people who were abused as children tend to become abusive themselves. BUT, TEND is not ALWAYS. NOT ALL abused children MUST grow up to be abusers. They still make the CHOICE. (My gf can argue vehemently on this subject, as she WAS an abused child, and therefore knows more about what it is like than anyone.)
CHOICE is more important than surroundings.
CHOICE is more important than heritage.
CHOICE is more important than upbringing.
You are defined by your choices and your OWN actions. NO ONE else's.
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You're just JEALOUS because the little voices talk to ME!
We are responsible only for what we have power and authority over. I regret that some of my ancestors opressed other of my ancestors.
Big, fat, hairy deal. They're all dead now. What I do while I'm alive is what counts. If my great-grandfather robbed a bank during the civil war, would I owe reparations to the descendants of the people who had money in that bank? No. If I robbed the bank, I would be responsible.
In fact I am responsible for a great deal of crime prevention. It's called "controlling yourself". I can't tell you how many robberies I have not committed because I decided that what I had in my pocket was all I had a right to. I don't know how many homes have not been burglarized because I decided I didn't need to take other people's stuff.
Most importantly, you wouldn't believe the number of bodies I would've had to hide if I had killed everyone who made me angry (and in a few cases, it was a near thing).
Simon. You can't effectively control anyone but yourself. If everyone promoted the ideal of self- control with the same sort of zeal the anti-smoking crowd reserves for controlling smokers, we'd be in a lot nicer world, precisely because people would admit when they dislike what you are doing, but agree that it is wrong to try to enslave you in an effort to keep you from irritating them when their own safety is not concerned.
--Baloo
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I prefer the company of those who aim low and overshoot the mark
to those who aim at heaven and shoot their fellow man in the head.
www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/
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'His limbs flail about as if independent from his body!'
-Chandler Bing on Michael Flatley.
But (to get back on topic) I am taking responsibility for my habit.
Big breakthrough today: The other smokers returned from burning butts and I could smell the smoke on them. I haven't been able to perceive that aroma (without putting my face directly in an ashtray) for more than 20 years.
--Baloo
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I prefer the company of those who aim low and overshoot the mark
to those who aim at heaven and shoot their fellow man in the head.
www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/
If you wouldn't want your mom to sift through all your possessions (including that pile of "adult reading material" you think you've cleverly hidden) then why should you be trusted to keep an eye on me? Realistically, that's the only way you can be certain I don't do something you might want to prevent.
That's most of my argument against "We're all responsible". In other words, who made me your warden, or you mine? And who keeps you from overstepping the bounds of what is right? No-one is better positioned to know what you are up to than you yourself. Police your own behavior.
Blaming yourself for other people's exercise of free will is dysfunctional. So is blaming others for your exercise of free will. Whenever you hear someone say "Look what you made me do!" get out NOW! That's the battle cry of the abuser. Only come back when you've gotten reinforcements. Likewise beware "It's all my fault!" when voiced by the victim. It's the battle cry of the abused.
I choose to be neither victim nor victimizer. What is your choice?
--Baloo
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I prefer the company of those who aim low and overshoot the mark
to those who aim at heaven and shoot their fellow man in the head.
www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/
[This message was edited by Cargile on May 27, 1999.]
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"Should have changed that stupid lock. Should have thrown away the key. No no, not I, I will survive, right down here on my knees."
--
They Might Be Giants
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"It seems strange that I, Kudos, a doubter, should be given this luxurious window seat whilst you.... AGEING with age, rot away in that disgrace of an aisle seat. Ha, Hah!
Where is your God now old woman?!"
"Jesus, I'm sorry I asked...!"
- THE BIG BUS
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It's good to stir the coals once in a while, if only to see if there's any fire left.
www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/
If someone continues to do these things, then they can be imprisoned to the full extent of the law. I don't agree with capital punishment because people should be made to suffer for their crimes, not let off.
I do agree with your point though that to take responsibility will deter others, but the situation also has to be controlled with weapons becoming less freely available because that way, someone can take responsibility for their actions, it'll set an example and with the difficulty in obtaining weapons, it'll also cut down on other similar incidents. If controlling a situation and taking responsibility could be done together, it would be perfect, but I doubt it could be done.
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Blackadder: I'm King *drops dead*
[This message was edited by Orion Syndicate on May 27, 1999.]
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Clones are People Two
"The Force is like duct tape: it has a dark side and a light side, and it holds the universe together"
([[[[[[*]}�������������������������
First: I must for once agree with you, choice is always more important than heritage, upbringing, and surroundings. But it is those things that force people to make choices.
I have never been tempted to bring a gun to school and kill my classmates, and if I were to be tempted I am fairly sure I could resist it. I can not be blammed for being tempted to do something, I can only be be blammed if I chose to act on that temptation. What creates temptation are the factors you list as well as some others, such as genetics.
The people who are responsible for these surrondings are partially responsible for creating the crime. But never to the extent of the actual perpetrator.
Let's take your child abuse analogy for example. The abuser is responsible and should be punished. But the temptation to abuse his child would not be there if his father hadn't abused him. The father is thus responsible for the abuse of his grandchild, despite not having actually done it himself.
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Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers.
-McLaughlin
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Clones are People Two
"The Force is like duct tape: it has a dark side and a light side, and it holds the universe together"
([[[[[[*]}�������������������������
And as far as Mr. Manson goes, I see no need to praise or despise him. I will say this, he's a very smart man, and it shows in his interviews.
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"Should have changed that stupid lock. Should have thrown away the key. No no, not I, I will survive, right down here on my knees."
--
They Might Be Giants
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http://frankg.dgne.com/
"You're a real colonel, right?" - Taco Bell Chihuahua to Colonel Sanders, facing an army of battle droids
Even without saying that if he does not do bad things himself then I must say his music and especially his concerts cause evil things to take place. They are his music and his concerts so hehas control over them. He is therefore responsible for what takes place because of them. It simply comes down to his fans, but ESPECIALLY HIM being responsible for their actions. The leader is responsible for what the troops do.
And while Simon may not be able to express his beliefs right yet, I believe that WWJD is not written on his chest. I believe that it is written on his heart!
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"Everything I needed to learn in life I learned from Optimus Prime."
Rule #1 : Always try to help a friend redeem himself from a past mistake.
"The devil went down
To Newport town
He brought his red surfboard
To race against the Lord.
It was totally rockin'!
It was totally rockin'!"
I'd really like to see what evidence you have of "evil things" being caused by his concerts. Riots? Better ban Democratic conventions, then.
I don't want to go out of the way defending the man, because I don't have that much interest invested in the whole thing. What I will defend is the right to express anger through art.
And what's this about me not being able to express my beliefs? That's what I've been doing the whole time.
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"Should have changed that stupid lock. Should have thrown away the key. No no, not I, I will survive, right down here on my knees."
--
They Might Be Giants
That being said at his concert people do all sorts of illegal drugs ,as usual. His really big fans who will actually tell you they worship Satan and some even him, do all sorts of bad stuff. I met a guy wants at summer camp at OSU and he had been to a concert.
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"Everything I needed to learn in life I learned from Optimus Prime."
Rule #1 : Always try to help a friend redeem himself from a past mistake.
Although I find the idea of worshipping Satan strange (I can understand almost any sort of religion and aethism, but to worship Satan just strikes me as trying to be cool to an extent), I think that a lot of his anger can be traced back to his name.
You can't blame him for changing it. Brian. The only worse name he could have had was Keith.
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'There's no meat in beer, right?'
-Joey Tribiani
Most Christians don't know this.. and some of the dumber Satanists don't know it either.
Actually, from what I've learned in my travels, there appear to be two branches of "Satanism":
1: The branch that actually worships a devil-being. These tend to be made up of small groups of generally mentally unsophisticated individuals. They are the ones usually responsible for "animal sacrifices," as they believe you can take a life form's "power" when you kill it.
Frequency: rumored to be common, but actually fairly rare.
2: Self-ists. These people worship the individial, themselves, above all else. One could call them the Ultimate Libertarians, or perhaps more accurately the Ultimate Solipsists. Nothing is important except the self and self gratification. These folks call themselves "Satanists" primarily because it annoys the Christians, and not because they actually believe in any devil. It attracts attention to them. They may kill animals too, but in their case it's simply because they feel like it at the time.
Frequency: Moderate.
as it turns out, M.Manson was raised in a conservative Christian environment, which probably has something to do with the way he turned out.
Actually, at virtually ANY concert, you can find somebody doing something naughty. Satanism has nothing to do with it. There were stoned people at the Shania Twain concert in Pittsburgh last month, too.
And as for Manson's fans doing bad stuff.. well, come to think of it, there's a lot of people who considered themselves "fans" of Jesus who have done some pretty despicable things too.
That said, I must admit I don't care for Marilyn Manson at all, and I've listened to maybe three of his songs. The only message I recall was "the 'beautiful people' suck." Which is all too often true.
I love Tori Amos. She says a lot about hypocracy in religion too, but it's couched in nicer songs. She too, is a ver intelligent person who grew up in a Christian environment, and rebelled from it. Her father was a Methodist minister.
HMM.. I wonder if there's a trend here.. maybe upbringing DOES influence people.. just not the way the proponents think...
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"... Then you'll see me do some MAJOR dancing on your face!" -- Cosby
The guy was from someplace I really only knew him cause he was on my floor. Yeah, he did a lotta stuff and he wore a bullet-proof vest there.
I don't know why people would say they are Satanists if they really aren't, but oh well! The problem with some Christians parents (esp. PK [preacher's kids] homes) is that the parents are too strict or are too trusting. It's about equal both ways. Some parents assume positive things about their kids that aren't there. I deal with the latter everyday almost.
The most popular Christian band today, DC Talk used to be a rap group. After not being able to subdue their crowd, which is usually composed of an unusual amount of non-Christians, they decided to change into a heavy metal/R&B band. They basically do everything now. They have become better at getting the drugs and the vulgar signs out of their crowds since they changed formats about 5 yrs. back.
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"Everything I needed to learn in life I learned from Optimus Prime."
Rule #1 : Always try to help a friend redeem himself from a past mistake.
[This message was edited by bryce on May 31, 1999.]
We all are a little!
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"Everything I needed to learn in life I learned from Optimus Prime."
Rule #1 : Always try to help a friend redeem himself from a past mistake.
Huh? Are you implying that people who listen to rap music are somehow more violent?
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"Should have changed that stupid lock. Should have thrown away the key. No no, not I, I will survive, right down here on my knees."
--
They Might Be Giants
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'There's no meat in beer, right?'
-Joey Tribiani
--Baloo
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"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."
-- Plato
www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/
I don't like Marilyn Manson...personally I think his music is revoting, but this is just the opinion of one (attempting to be) humble person. So, people do drugs at his concert...do you think that those same people go home, put on their Sunday best and live a "Leave it to Beaver" lifestyle? No, I don't think so. People that do drugs do them in various places. I don't know if any of you know The Barenaked Ladies or 54-40 (both Canadian bands) but they are NOT like the infamous M.M. and yet I saw people doing drugs at both concerts. Until I see M.M. throwing his audience needles and doobies, I'm not going to start in on him. (As a matter of fact, even if he was dispensing drugs like toilet paper, the blame for it's usage still lies in the individual.)
It's YOUR life...have some guts, and own up for your actions.
I personally have never done drugs, never been drunk and never committed an act of violence. I've been exposed to all the "media" that everyone else has. I watch the news, I've seen Natural Born Killers a couple times, my dad has a gun, I know a few people who seem to be constantly challenging their alcohol limits and my brother does drugs with his friends like there's no tomorrow. Why am I still normal?
Fortunately, I was raised to value all life and was instilled with certain values, in a non-Christian home, I might add. (Although I am now a Christian). Preachers and ministers aren't the only ones who have problems with their kids, and despite the same influences as myself, look how my brother is living...but he's an "adult" now, and he can accept the responsibilities for his actions when (if?) he ever realizes what he's doing. (BTW, just for a reference, my brother hates M.M. and he's a jock. You can't just say it's THAT crowd.)
People, this is your life...it's not the army. When someone says "Jump!" you don't have to ask "How high?", actually, you don't even have to jump at all. We all have to make our own decisions...I could give you a bottle of whiskey, but it's your decision whether to drink it all tonight, or to have a little with some coke on the rocks after a long day.
If you choose to do something, think about it..."look before you leap" so to speak...Ultimately, nobody can make these choices for you, except you. Respect your elders...they've been there already. Help each other out, you never know when you might need someone to fall back on. It makes sense to me...
(And BTW, I agree with Cargile's first post...that's what my opinion has been all along.)
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Maybe common sense isn't so common...
[This message was edited by Dani on June 01, 1999.]
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Maybe common sense isn't so common...
Just a couple of questions:
1/ What IS a jock? (I've heard the term on the Simpsons too. I assume your not refering to the delightful Dandy comic strip the Jocks and the Geordies. Go Jocks!)
2/ What drugs were the people doing at the Canadian bands concerts? I'm willing to bet they are far more harmless that what's used at MM concerts.
3/ Not be be offensive here Dani, but maybe your brother DOES realise what he's doing. There are people who take drugs who know full well what the dangers are. (As someone once said, if you got rid of everyone in TV who took Cocaine, then the BBC would be left with Peter Snow and one of the Blue Peter dogs)
4/ Who mixes Whisky with Coke? Ph-tooy. If you want to use Coke, use Jack Daneils. Otherwise tonic is much nicer in whisky.
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'There's no meat in beer, right?'
-Joey Tribiani
My grandparents mix whiskey and Coke. It's called a "Roman Coke".
Three cheers to Dani who came back to civilization!
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"Everything I needed to learn in life I learned from Optimus Prime."
Rule #1 : Always try to help a friend redeem himself from a past mistake.
-An athletic sort of person, some of which are considered (by sterotype) to have lower than average intelligence.
2/ What drugs were the people doing at the Canadian bands concerts?
-Okay, so it was mostly marijuana, but a drug is a drug, in my mind.
3/ Not to be offensive here Dani, but maybe your brother DOES realise what he's doing. There are people who take drugs who know full well what the dangers are.
-He knows it's harmful, yes...but by talking to him, he's only taking it because of peer pressure. Unlike a lot of his friends he's pretty smart, he just seems to be led rather easily.
4/ Who mixes Whisky with Coke?
-*LOL* My mom does, personally, I prefer rum and coke...*shrugs*
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Maybe common sense isn't so common...
*LOL*------------------
Maybe common sense isn't so common...
And to make tired point about drugs no 27...
"A drug is a drug"
So, you're including alcohol, caffine, asprin, and so on in that list are you?
Saying all drugs are equally bad is a bit shortsighted. There is a would of difference between cannabis and cocaine, for example, as their is between caffine and marijuana.
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'There's no meat in beer, right?'
-Joey Tribiani
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"Everything I needed to learn in life I learned from Optimus Prime."
Rule #1 : Always try to help a friend redeem himself from a past mistake.
He's not the only one. . .
I did those. Now where do I rank. . .
[This message was edited by Cargile on June 02, 1999.]
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Maybe common sense isn't so common...
Christian music rocks.
*grins and steps out*
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Clones are People Two
"The Force is like duct tape: it has a dark side and a light side, and it holds the universe together"
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'There's no meat in beer, right?'
-Joey Tribiani
I'm simply stating that people use some pretty weird chemicals to do some scary stuff to their bodies ON PURPOSE. This is what I'll never understand...
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Maybe common sense isn't so common...