Sad day in Iowa

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Forksref

I have to admit, all of those were after my high school days. That pretty much proves my point....I think the first shocker for me was Richard Speck in July, 1966. I can't recall anything that horrific prior to that incident....

Enoch Brown school massacre, Franklin County, PA, July 26, 1764
St. Mary's Parochial School shooting, Newburgh, NY, April 9, 1891
Bath School bombing and car bombing, Bath, MI, May 18, 1927. With 45 dead and 58 injured, this is the deadliest school killing in US history.
School of Dental and Oral Surgery shooting, NYC, Dec 12, 1935
Lehigh University shooting, Bethlehem, PA, Jun 4, 1936
South Pasadena Jr Hi School shooting, South Pasadena, CA, May 6, 1940
Ohio State University shooting, Columbus, OH, Nov 13, 1949
University of North Carolina shooting, Chapel Hill, NC, May 15, 1954
Maryland Park Junior High School, Prince George's County, MD, May 4, 1956
Poe Elementary School bombing. Houston, TX, Sept 15, 1959
William Reed Elementary School shooting, Hartford City, IN, Feb 2, 1960
UCLA shoorting, Los Angeles, CA, Jan 17, 1969
Carlsbad Mid-High School shooting, Carlsbad, NM, Nov 3, 1971
Clara Barton Elementary School shooting, Chicago, IL, Jan 17, 1974
Valley High School shooting, Las Vagas, NV, Mar 19, 1982

[Forksref]

You guys are a great source of information. Thanks!

Just a couple of notes.
School shootings you have provided:
1960-69 = 2
1970-79 = 4 I'll add 1 to make it 5 (Kent State)
1980-89 = 3
1990-99 = 26
2000-2009 = 36

It doesn't take a statistician to see that there is quite a difference and there is a trend.

If you know history then you know that:

The Orangeburg, SC in 1968 was 3 students shot dead by police.

The Kent State, OH in 1970 was 4 students shot dead by the Ohio National Guard (listen to the song)

The Jackson State, MS in 1970 was 2 students shot dead by the Highway Patrol.

I guess the authorities were a little crazy too.

[jjrye22]

I don't think it proves anything when you think about the amount of information available and the sources.
I expect the posters looked information up on the internet - where newspapers have been backfilling their old copy.
It's easy to nationally about incidenct after 1990, but to collect the same information aobut the 70s or 50s you need to go to the microfliche (spelling), which are only kept locally.

As for why it is happening.
Heavy Metal Music - no that was the late 80s
Dungeons and Dragons - no that was the early 90s
End of the Millenium - (ok I couldn't remember what was blamed all the time for the late 90s)
Rap Music - no that was early 2000s

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Forksref

I have to admit, all of those were after my high school days. That pretty much proves my point. And the prolific list of the above poster proves that it is much much more prevalent in today's society.

I think the first shocker for me was Richard Speck in July, 1966. I can't recall anything that horrific prior to that incident.

My question still remains, why is this so common today? What is causing people to be so crazy? Drugs, mental illness, unemployment, lack of parenting, violence in the media, frustration, stress, people falling through the cracks?

population increase, stuff doesn't get swept away now. I won't say it's not more common now, but it's not new.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Forksref

You guys are a great source of information. Thanks!

Just a couple of notes.
School shootings you have provided:
1960-69 = 2
1970-79 = 4 I'll add 1 to make it 5 (Kent State)
1980-89 = 3
1990-99 = 26
2000-2009 = 36

It doesn't take a statistician to see that there is quite a difference and there is a trend.

If you know history then you know that:

The Orangeburg, SC in 1968 was 3 students shot dead by police.

The Kent State, OH in 1970 was 4 students shot dead by the Ohio National Guard (listen to the song)

The Jackson State, MS in 1970 was 2 students shot dead by the Highway Patrol.

I guess the authorities were a little crazy too.

Dude, you can't add one (Kent State) only to say it's not relevant in order to prove your point. Strawman.

[Big2Cat]

Originally Posted by Forksref

There was never any Columbine or Va Tech or shooting coaches and principals and teachers and drive by shootings when I grew up.

No, you only had mass suicides at Jonestown, murderous communist dictators like Stalin and Mao, and serial killers like Son of Sam, Zodiac, and the Boston Strangler.

Oh yeah--and hippies and Manson.

[Big2Cat]

Originally Posted by Forksref

I have to admit, all of those were after my high school days. That pretty much proves my point. And the prolific list of the above poster proves that it is much much more prevalent in today's society.

I think the first shocker for me was Richard Speck in July, 1966. I can't recall anything that horrific prior to that incident.

My question still remains, why is this so common today? What is causing people to be so crazy? Drugs, mental illness, unemployment, lack of parenting, violence in the media, frustration, stress, people falling through the cracks?

You really don't remember Charles Whitman in the Tower at Univ. of Texas in Austin? I think that was also 1966. For some reason I thought it was 1968.

Oh yeah, in the sixties you also had a ton of assassinations of political leaders in the U.S., something we really didn't have.