I’ve been writing and speaking on the connection between these Zombie drugs and mass shootings for years.
All anyone has to do is browse thru the YouTubes videos on psychotropic drugs.
But there is another contributor to these: The shooters have another common denominator: a feeling of isolation...lost in the crowd.
Schools have become too large. There’s no feeling of community, of belonging. It needs to go back to smaller, community schools where teachers and others can be aware of individual students and keep problems from slowly building to the explosion point...AND parents can be more involved, not shut out - which is what the consolidation of schools was really about - isolating the parents.
I think social media and the ubiquitous smart phone has a huge alienating effect as well. I think everyone thought that by exposing their daily lives to strangers, friends, and family it would be this really cool connecting thing. Seems like it almost does the opposite, at least what with the conflict and bullying that comes with it among the teenage and younger set.
Also, people now look at screens more than they do to the faces of their family and friends. This used to be limited to TV and home computers. You had look at people when you were away from the TV. Now people are cellborgs walking into traffic or sitting with a date looking at screens.
Freegards
>But there is another contributor to these: The shooters have another common denominator: a feeling of isolation...lost in the crowd.
Schools have become too large. There’s no feeling of community, of belonging. It needs to go back to smaller, community schools where teachers and others can be aware of individual students and keep problems from slowly building to the explosion point...AND parents can be more involved, not shut out - which is what the consolidation of schools was really about - isolating the parents.<
Yes. I remember in the 1940’s when the schools in Portland Oregon were much smaller and multi-storied. Kids walked a few blocks to school back then. There were way less than a dozen teachers. Everyone knew everyone and the teachers knew the parents as well as the kids.
But, what’s the good of nostalgia?
Maybe we oldsters in the middle of our dotage can ignite a little hope.
I smell revolt in the air, and it is very inspiring.
And with smaller schools and more community I believe there will be less need for psychotropic drugs.