Quote:
Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket
I'm talking about the history of guns in schools. It was/is a huge problem. It's about the safety of the kids and teachers. Boxing gloves, whips, airplanes have nothing to do with what I'm saying. I find those examples absurd. A gun was used to kill people in a school in Virginia as recently as this year. I think the school acted correctly in this case. Yes, kids are not in a bubble, part of not being so is realizing the world they're in. A thirteen year old is old enough to know about Columbine or the wacko in Virginia.
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Yes, he may be well aware of such episodes. I don't think that matters in the slightest.
It doesn't mean that a drawing of a gun has anything to do with the act of taking an actual gun in hand, loading it, pointing it at a fellow human being, and attempting to end their existence. You may find my examples absurd - I find the correlation between drawing something and the act of doing something absurd. If all a child draws is guns, then yes, there is some concern there. But one drawing, with no prior history, no threats, no nothing - that is ridiculous.
What if he likes guns - is it not ok to like guns, ever? What if he actually drew his BB gun? I learned about Uzi guns when I was studying Israeli history - what if I decided to draw one? What if he drew a knife? What kinds of knives are ok to draw? A Bowie knife in American History class during discussions of the Alamo? A butcher knife, because he watches Top Chef? A table knife? Would that be too pointy, too threatening? What if he has studied dadaism and wanted to draw random objects?
In other words - this is all thoughtcrime bullsh.t and it's one of the worst symptoms of a society in fear. The suppression of thought....of art.....of self-expression....of actually recognizing the fact that a gun exists.....this is pretty damn messed up in my book.
Soon after Columbine hit, my high school friends had their play CENSORED by the staff. It's a musical titled "Working" which was written many years before. In the play a young office worker has a monologue about how he hates his coworkers and talks about killing them - not in any real sense, just out of frustration. Everyone has said at some point or another "I just want to strangle them!" or "I swear, if he does that just one more time, I'll kill him." Even so, the staff CENSORED the play (I just hate that word, one of the ugliest used in a free country) and my friend was left making strangling gestures without his lines.
Pretending things don't exist is not going to fix anything. Sorry Brad - this is a hot button issue with me.
