At least 7 people killed in a school shooting in Tuusula some 30 miles north of Helsinki. The shooter is a 18 years old student. This is not America, this is Finland for heavens sake and such things's wouldn't happen here, would they?
The shooter is known to have been hanging on internet sites admiring Hitler and Stalin and posted videos onto YouTube of himself training handling of and shooting with a handgun.
I really don't know how to interprete my feelings about things like this and the obvious connection to Internet lighting the fire of sick minds.
Pete Townshend wrote an essay named "a Different Bomb" in the beginning of this millennium where he exposed his ambivalence regarding the Internet and the usage of the same. I then thought his perception to be very dark and grim but a day like this I am prepared to believe him.
Please light a candle for the pupils, teachers and parents tonight.
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3 comments:
Wherever it happens it's equally horrbile :(
Hans, I'm just popping in to thank you for your last comment on my story. I've more or less 'blogged off' for a week or two to deal with all the marking and final exams that have to do with my work. Still, I read your post and was moved by your words.
We heard the news here too, of course, and were all as shocked that this should happen in Finland. I am currently working with a PhD student who is writing a thesis on the broader implications of online communities which focus on such topics as extreme right wing activity and gun violence. It is worrying to learn that many, many people are involved in these Internet forums and groups which both isolate their members from the real world, but can also stimulate them to violent acts. I thin Pete was very perceptive when he said this could lead to problems.
A sad day for Finland indeed, and especially for the bereaved families.
My heart goes out to them.
Hi Val,
It seems that blogging activity, at least in my surroundigs, has decreased lately exept for my wife who has recently started a new blog here. :)
Very interesting to hear about your PhD student, this is something I have been thinking about for a long time now, I hava had access to internet since 1995 and I have sen these things evolve, all kind oh hate-sites, people bullying other to death on the web, &c, &c...
But I also have seen good things eveolve, like these wonderful blogs, web-shops, auctin sites, sites dedicated to different kind of hobbies, web-letters, you name it!
There is a plethora of choises but there are also these "bad guys" meeting on the net.
Breaking news today is that this Finnish shooter seems to have planned this together with an American guy on Myspace.
The other news is that his mother has been a radical member of the Green Party in Finland a fraction that follows the ideology of a certain Pentti Linkola who is nown to be very radical,
http://www.penttilinkola.com/pentti_linkola/ecofascism/
So there may have been a seed planted already at home and this makes me very sad and angry at modern parenthood.
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