In the article “Fueling a Contagion of Campus Bloodshed” by James Allen Fox, Fox argues that the response of both school administrators and the media can hurt more than help to prevent gun violence. Fox believes that the more we think and fear the more likely we make something happen. The media as described by Fox uses words that can be interpreted as an achievement or challenge to others wishing to do the same exact thing. Fox also explains how the school themselves are also at fault. Fox states that school administrators are putting much more focus on safety rather than education. He talks about how schools spend most of the money designed for education on safety procedures. He explains how these over the top safety measures make …show more content…
Aside from that Fox targets the safety procedures that the school has in place such as the right to carry and profiling students can do more harm than good in the goal of trying to provide a safe environment. I agree with James Allen Fox that the media and school response to shootings can have a negative impact because whenever I hear about these shootings I see the fear in the people around me and the chain reaction that occurs because of it. My experience shows just how much power our fear holds, the more we think and worry over something the more influence we have on the situation. Throughout the course of my life I have heard countless tales about school shootings from both people close to me as well as news stories. For example, in 2002 in Gardena High School while my sister was in high school a shooting occurred, two students were shot by another student during an attempted robbery while thankfully it was not a big scene but more of an isolated incident the shock and fear is all the same. My sister recalled the day of the shooting “They had us on …show more content…
People who intend to cause harm feed off on the panic they cause. Fox argues that the media and the administration have a huge impact in the way people process these events. From the amount of information, they give not only after but during these events lead people into either doing something similar to try and claim their 15 minutes of fame or cause people to panic every second of every day in fear of when it will happen to them and the cycle continues again and again. When people are locked in a room scared and looking at the news to try and make sense of what is happening it can make things worse due to the inaccurate information the media has at times and it adds to the fear you already have of being locked in a room waiting for something to happen. This builds and builds until everyone is panicking and it leads to people getting hurt. I strongly believe that something needs to be done about the way the media and schools handle these events, stop giving attention to the perpetrators and focus on finding the perfect balance between giving people necessary information and endangering their
Fear is a positive influence on people because it motivates them to promote change and helps people unite. People are influenced to unite in times when fear is present. “We pledge to do all we can to help you heal the injured, to rebuild this city and to bring to justice those who did this evil.” (Bill Clinton). Tragic events such as The Oklahoma City Bombing struck fear in many people, these tragic events “are the dark forces that threaten our common peace.”
Students today live their day-to-day lives in constant fear of what seems inevitable. The United States has one of the highests rates of school shootings in the world. Society has become so desensitized to these shootings that they are no longer shocked to hear about another school falling victim to it. Even when students take a stand against gun violence, the only solution offered to them is a proposition to arm teachers. However, bringing more guns into a school will only further deteriorate the situation.
I believe the biggest misconception I had about school shooters is their feelings, or what I assumed is a lack of. What I have learned about the feelings of school shooters is that there is typically a guiding factor or initial issue that festers in someone. Said issue causes this person or group of people to act out. From what I have observed, these students typically have the brightest futures yet remain the most misunderstood of all students. Most of these students who carry out shootings killing themselves in the end, giving them a lifetime worth of attention they were clearly seeking without any repercussions for their actions.
The impact the news has on people’s emotions is very strong and can cause a lot of problems. “He asked the clerk to call a local television station. He wanted cameras there to film his rampage” (Whisenhunt). Michael Brandon Hill wanted people there that can get the information out faster because he knew the effect it would have on the people hearing about it. People commit these acts because it is “a desperate act committed by a deeply troubled individual who wants to die and feel validated in the process” (Whisenhunt).
This article has great viewpoints, use of argumentative reasoning, and shows what truly happens in the hallways of a school shooting. The main person he explains is Eric Harris, who killed over two-thousand students and faculty in a Colorado high school in 1998. He set off bombs all over the school and used a semi-automatic
Not only do they fear for those students, but they fear for themselves afterwards because they start to think that this could happen to them as well, and that it wasn't just an isolated incident. Not to say that they aren't correct in their assumptions because it could very easily happen to them in their communities, but the strength of the emotions that are present in situations like this make it very easy to get a very convincing message across to the public. There
As a concerned citizen and college student, I recommend several policies to create a safer environment at school campuses. As there has been an increase in school shootings within the last ten years, the safety of students on campus has become a major concern. The problem of the increase in the number of school shootings has resulted in an unsafe environment for students affecting overall development. I am writing to seek your assistance on the issue of schools not having proper safety measures to prevent and respond to mass shootings, this issue must come to an end by finding an appropriate resolution. Gun control is a controversial topic that has been placed on the agenda for several years.
Many schools in today’s society suffer from shootings at some point while children are attending school. Shootings in schools are not a new occurrence, and America has dealt with multiple shootings in public schools in which the lives of many children and teachers have been undeservingly taken (Elliott 528). Because of school shootings, this leaves our children in danger with no way to protect themselves. Gun violence in schools is an evident problem, and there are several ways to reduce the number of incidents, such as mental health screening for owners of guns, interconnectedness of communities, and more school funding.
It does not take long for a debate to arise after a school shooting to argue which side is to blame. However, the debate has done nothing but made it worse for the trend of school shootings as it typically results in nothing. With two opposing sides, they barely consider any reasonable solutions since they are more focused on worrying if the gun or the shooter is to blame for the death of hundreds of people. In an article written by the Gallups’ Lida Saad concluded, “According to two recent Gallup polls, from 2011 and 2013, more people believe that mass shootings result from a failure of the mental-health system than from easy access to guns.” Gun advocates are in favor of this reasoning because they believe that the system is failing to identify mental health patients in regards to gun violence.
For example, hearing about the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting made me feel scared and nervous. What happened was a gunman had gone into the elementary school and killed many kids. He shot twenty 6 and 7 year old kids and six staff members.
Informative Speech Going Out with a Bang General Purpose: To inform. Specific purpose: To inform my audience about the causes of school shootings in America. Central Idea: The main causes for school shootings are easy access to guns, mental instability and trauma. INTRODUCTION I. (Attention Getter)
To prevent future mass shootings, we must strengthen our gun laws to make it as hard as possible for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons.” If gun laws are strengthened, campus shootings might decrease and innocent lives will not be
As the video moves on, they use Columbine as an example of childhood violence. Being from Colorado, I remember what an impact this had on my school security. I didn’t notice it much in elementary school, but more so in middle school and especially high school. Getting into my high school was a task, there were many check points and security guards. My school was in a very privileged area so any time they thought there was any sort of threat the cops were there in a second, but rarely anyone was
Guns have no role in our country schools. Schools and colleges are places of education. Students should be free to learn in an environment away from every day violence. The catastrophes that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Columbine High School, and Virginia Tech. confirm the penetrating conclusion guns have in our nation’s schools. Violence on campus has Students, Parent, and University Staff all concerned and looking for preventative measures.
“You’re watching television, you’re watching the news; you’re being pumped full of fear… and it’s just a campaign of fear and consumption. That’s what I think it’s all based on is the whole idea that keep everyone afraid and they’ll consume. And that’s really simple.” (Bowling). Mass murders occur throughout the world and affect every race and gender.