<p>These shootings have really messed me up. I've cried multiple times even though I don't personally know anyone from Virginia Tech.</p>
<p>This is a sad issue the country is facing and for anyone to think of joking about it is atrocious to me.</p>
<p>About this whole race thing....this man was a psycho, it has nothing to do with race so for ONCE can America focus on something other than race? I mean first we stereotype anyone from the Middle East after 9/11, now this. Come on, this has to stop.</p>
<p><em>Thanks God shooter wasn't black otherwise I wouldn't hear the end of it from some people...</em></p>
<p>Why does it matter if any Asians were shot? Why does it matter that the gunman was Korean?</p>
<p>What matters is that, although this kid clearly had QUITE a few mental instabilities to begin with, the reason he did this (as he himself stated in the videos he mailed to NBC) was that people were, essentially mean to him, looked down on him, teased him, whatever. We could all do with a little more kindness in the world. Even if it's just a smile or a hello. It was the same story with the Columbine guys.</p>
<p>I always talk to everyone because I'm a very social, outgoing girl. I especially love talking to the quiet people or the loners. Everyone deserves a chance at friendship or at least a small bit of acceptance. This isn't the REASON that I try to talk to and be kind to everyone, but it sure is a nice perk...if kindness towards one another can reduce violence, then I'm sure going to do my part.</p>
<p>Now, if you've read this far, allow me to say that I'm NOT excusing what this guy did AT ALL. Not him or the Columbine killers or anyone else. All I'm saying is...some of this violence could be prevented if we all just respected each other just a teeeeeny bit and observed some common courtesies. Hold a door for someone. Say please and thank you. Don't put people down just to build yourself up.</p>
<p>Oh well. I believe that it's in the nature of most people to be judgemental and awful towards one another. I guess some things just never change.</p>
<p>My sympathies for the victims, the families and friends of the victims, and the parents of the gunman.</p>
<p>I am just at loss. How can one family raise two vastly different children? A brother, who killed 33 innocent lives at Virginia Tech; a sympathetic sister who graduated from Princeton University and who's brave enough to express her sorrowness.</p>
<p>"I am just at loss. How can one family raise two vastly different children? "</p>
<p>The longer I live, the more I see how much of people's behavior and personality is innate, not due to their family's influence.</p>
<p>As is the case with everyone I know, my sons are completely different though they are siblings raised with the same parents. Their behavior was very different from the time that they were babies, and the extreme differences continue today. </p>
<p>If you knew both sons, you'd think they had different parents or were raised in different environments. One is quiet, thoughtful, by choice does lots of community service work, politically liberal, likes school; the other has an enormous ego, thinks the poor should pull themselves up by their bootstraps, is a libertarian who thinks that formal education is a waste of time, and spends a lot of time hard partying.</p>
<p>I know a man who was from the inner city, first generation college at a conservative Christian school, did extremely well in business, and now in middle age owns a $1 million condominium and is in a state legislature. His brother was a dropout who died of a heroin overdose.</p>
<p>For that matter, I am an Ivy grad with a doctorate, married almost 30 years and am known for various works with kids that I've done professionally and as a volunteer. My brother barely made it through high school, went to jail for a while after being caught breaking and entering, has a very dysfunctional marriage and has had all of his kids taken away by the state. We have the same parents (both college educated) and grew up in the same home. However, even as a child, my brother was weird and had disciplinary problems despite my parents' seeking help for him including mental health counseling.</p>
<p>Out of respect for the many people who are grieving due to the Virginia Tech shootings, I have removed many posts that were ill conceived efforts to lighten the mood after a tragedy. Please have the kindness to confine your efforts to be humorous to threads on subjects that don't involve tragedies.</p>
<p>dcmoose -
[quote]
It's clear you know nothing about Led Zeppelin music, which is considered by critic and fan alike some of the best and most influential music this world has heard. Zeppelin is not angst driven. Angst driven is what crappy bands call their music because it has no artistic merit. </p>
<p>Please talk about something you know about next time.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Oh please - while Zeppelin isn't in the same category as bands arising out of the Seattle grunge movement, there were definitely a no. of LZ songs which were full of "angst" or whatever else you want to call.</p>
<p>And I guess (according to you) angst-filled bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam had/have no artistic merit - as well as influences such as The Pixies and Husker Du.</p>
<p>Really, you need to get off your "high horse."</p>