Mass Shooting Essay

We talk an awful lot about mass shootings in our society. Often used as an example in culture’s conversations on racial tension, mental health, gun control, and ‘zero-tolerance’ school policies, they are full of shock value. However, there is a detail I hear mentioned in many of these shooting cases that does not get pressed as a bigger issue. Reports often cite a shooter’s web postings as evidence of their plans, worldview, and mental and emotional states. However, what I never hear the reporter ask, is “What did other internet users say in response to these postings?” Why does no one ask more questions about the mental and emotional states of the individuals on the forums where these violent individuals are speaking. Does anyone notice that …show more content…
The crippling crutch that internet culture can bring about is a lifestyle for many people. In Japan, there are enough men who have become so relationally incapacitated, refusing to leave their rooms, that they have a name, “The Hikikomori.” In a BBC article written about them, authors William Kremer and Claudia Hammond tell the story of a boy who began to stay in his room on his computer as a daily ritual, and eventually the pressures of the outside world built up so much that he refused to leave, relying on the internet as his companion. Yes, stress can cause people to withdrawal regardless of the internet’s presence, but would they be able to prolong their withdraw for as long a time without it? I think not. Clearly, internet culture has grown more quickly than churches, psychologists, counselors, police, and the larger medical community have kept up with. We would be better off emotionally, relationally, and spiritually if the internet did not exist, but since that is impossible, adults, especially those present in church communities and schools, need to wake up to the relational tranquilizer being fed to the young people around them, grab them, look them in the eyes, and ask them what is going on in their