Aspies and school shootings. [*fiction*]

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MrMark
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21 Mar 2008, 4:50 pm

Chimchar wrote:
According to my research, 85% of Aspie teens commit suicide. (I cannot verify that it is true.)

I feel pretty confident that's inaccurate. The suicide rate among AS is higher than the general population, but there's a lot of teens here and they're not dropping like flys.


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Chimchar
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21 Mar 2008, 5:17 pm

MrMark wrote:
Chimchar wrote:
According to my research, 85% of Aspie teens commit suicide. (I cannot verify that it is true.)

I feel pretty confident that's inaccurate. The suicide rate among AS is higher than the general population, but there's a lot of teens here and they're not dropping like flys.


I could be wrong.

Stories like these are very marketable. But I'm still afraid to go for it. Maybe I shouldn't tell the reader that the main character has autism. Maybe show them and the readers can figure it out on their own.



MJIthewriter
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21 Mar 2008, 6:38 pm

Zsazsa wrote:
Why would you want to present Asperger's Syndrome in such a negative way? People already fear what they do not understand.


That's my thoughts about it. Just by making your character an aspie, opens the story to be portayed that way to the general audience.



Brandon-J
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22 Mar 2008, 2:46 am

Chimchar wrote:
Instead of a shooting, why not a suicide even though it may be cliche?
According to my research, 85% of Aspie teens commit suicide. (I cannot verify that it is true.)

I'm sorry guys, I thought a book like this would make a bestseller and make million of people read my book and understand both the disorder and bullying. I didn't think that it would lead to fear.

At VT shooting, I felt sympathetic of the killer for some reason.


wow that's a very high percentage, I ain't gone lie I feel like doing so myself. I think about it all the time.



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22 Mar 2008, 4:49 am

Chimchar, is the book fiction or non-fiction?

If it's non-fiction, I think that you should continue to write this book. It would be a valuable asset in showing the abuse that many suffer. Most Aspies I've spoken to considered school hell, spoke of being bullied and teased, and of course, considering suicide.

You shouldn't end the book after the school shooting. You should continue on after the shooting, to interviews with Aspies. Get the stories to shock, the stories to sadden, the stories from Aspies who have lived through such things. Show people the horrors and travesties that occured to these Aspies as children, and the abuses which still happen to this day. Show them how far he was driven. That he took those lives, is inexcusable. That it could have never come to pass... that is worse by far.

I'm sure many members would be happy to provide you with accounts of their own childhoods. Anonymity, and that their stories will benefit others who may be going through what they went through...
It'd be more than enough for me.

If it is fiction, good luck, and I hope it's able to portray a solid story, with deep understanding of the drive behind the character.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, I've got quite a chip on my shoulder about school shootings. It seems obvious to me why school shooters do what they do. I can't help but get angry over the fact that it seems nothing tangible is being done, and that everyone just seems to want to find a scapegoat, like music or movies or games.

Whether school shooters do or don't have ASDs, it doesn't matter. They are still there, be they autistic or not, and they're still becoming the monsters we know them as. If we wanted to make progress, we would. But evidently, no one cares enough to make a difference. No one cares to make safe learning enviroments, to stop the kinds of things that cause the formation of a school shooter. Monsters aren't born; They're made.

I ask you this; Are people being bullied at Columbine? Does that abuse continue? Are they still pushing people into lockers, stealing lunch money, beating others up?
Or do they remember that one fine spring day in April, two teens in black killed thirteen people before turning their guns on themselves?

Does anyone even listen to what was left behind? Do they even try to understand? Do they even pay attention? No, they're too busy pressing crusades against entertainment, or parents. It was the goth culture! It was video games! It was rap! It was violent movies! Where were the parents!?
They don't care that their answers are being handed to them. They cannot see the nose on their face, even as they cut it off to spite themselves.

Wikipedia wrote:
In May 2002, the Secret Service published a report that examined 37 U.S. school shootings. They had the following findings:

-Incidents of targeted violence at school rarely were sudden, impulsive acts.
-Prior to most incidents, other people knew about the attacker’s idea and/or plan to attack.
-Most attackers did not threaten their targets directly prior to advancing the attack.
-There is no accurate or useful "profile" of students who engaged in targeted school violence.
-Most attackers engaged in some behavior prior to the incident that caused others concern or indicated a need for help.
-Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures. Moreover, many had considered or attempted suicide.
-Many attackers felt bullied, persecuted or injured by others prior to the attack.
-Most attackers had access to and had used weapons prior to the attack.
-In many cases, other students were involved in some capacity.
-Despite prompt law enforcement responses, most shooting incidents were stopped by means other than law enforcement -intervention.


This speaks volumes. What is being done to prevent these things? NOTHING. The schools claim to be doing something, but they simply put in place flawed, ineffective programs. This only causes more harm, as it shows the school is powerless. These people are alone. They become twisted and warped. They become school shooters because that is what they are forced into being, like toothpaste in a tube. If they weren't treated the way they were, if people cared enough to do something about the injustices, maybe some people dead, would today be alive. No one cared enough to help them before they killed; And so they kill.

Here are the words of a school shooter. Here are the words of a monster, molded into a sick, twisted, person. Warped beyond the understanding of many.

Seung-Hui Cho wrote:
I didn't have to do this. I could have left. I could have fled. But no, I will no longer run. It's not for me. For my children, for my brothers and sisters that you f---, I did it for them. When the time came, I did it. I had to. Do you know what it feels to be spit on your face and to have trash shoved down your throat? Do you know what it feels like to dig your own grave? Do you know what it feels like to have your throat slashed from ear to ear? Do you know what it feels like to be torched alive? Do you know what it feels like to be humiliated and be impaled upon a cross? And left to bleed to death for your own amusement? You have never felt a single ounce of pain your whole life. Did you want to inject as much misery in our lives as you can just because you can? You had everything you wanted. Your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats. Your golden necklaces weren't enough, you snobs. Your trust fund wasn't enough. Your vodka and cognac weren't enough. All your debaucheries weren't enough.

Those weren't enough to fill your hedonistic needs. You had everything. You have vandalized my heart, raped my soul and torched my conscience. You thought it was one pathetic boy's life you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and defenseless people. You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today. But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off.


This is a death knell of a madman. These are the last words of the creature who committed the Virginia Tech shootings. A weak, defenceless person, who became a ravening beast. A pathetic boy, who became a monster of nightmares. One tragedy to create many, many more.

The tragedy continues, as the words of these man-made monsters continue to go unheard. As scapegoats are made, as politicians wheedle and wheel, and as misunderstanding pervades and perverts what happened, and why.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.


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demoluca
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22 Mar 2008, 9:02 am

...maybe he could have thought he had aspergers but there was actually much more wrong?


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Bozewani
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22 Mar 2008, 9:24 am

Why portray the Asperger's person to that negative extreme? Most people I know (including aspies), would not kill anyone.

However, if you do decide to portray the AS person that way, how about counteracting that with the school environment?



Wadena
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22 Mar 2008, 9:56 am

How about a futuristic novel where Aspies have become the majority?

The school is full of Aspies and NTs are bullied and an NT finally explodes and goes on a killing spree......showing the evil that lurks just below the surface of the NT.


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Chimchar
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22 Mar 2008, 10:40 am

Wadena wrote:
How about a futuristic novel where Aspies have become the majority?

The school is full of Aspies and NTs are bullied and an NT finally explodes and goes on a killing spree......showing the evil that lurks just below the surface of the NT.


That's fun!

Yes, it's fiction. I'm not going to tell the reader has Aspergers but show them. I'm going to let the reader's figure it out.



Theduke
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22 Mar 2008, 11:03 am

I THINK THE BOOK IS A BAD IDEA ! !! !! ! I own guns and I got BLAMED for the colubine shootings for the fact that i have AS and that i lived a mile from the school ! For the record i would never hurt anyone! And i also lost a lot of friends and was almost banned from my school because some A$$hole said "Oh ya he's Autistic and he owns guns" F$^*& them I had nothing to do with columbine and never even knew the two shooters!



Chimchar
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22 Mar 2008, 11:48 am

I'm sorry to hear that. But like I said I'm not going to tell anyone. He will have symptoms, but I'll let the readers figure it out.



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22 Mar 2008, 12:18 pm

When come to gun shooting...

Stories sell for gun control debate and it only plant more choice for student if someone feel that it their "way of getting back".

Politicians failed to realize that if they place metal detector in every school facility that we wouldn't have the indoor shooting problem. Taking in account that if the shooter were to decide to shoot outside since the metal detector are blocking their goal of ruthless achievement.

To me building is like a shield, they do it outside then more live will be save since people can easily scattered easily.



Chimchar
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22 Mar 2008, 12:36 pm

Bopkasen wrote:
When come to gun shooting...

Stories sell for gun control debate and it only plant more choice for student if someone feel that it their "way of getting back".

Politicians failed to realize that if they place metal detector in every school facility that we wouldn't have the indoor shooting problem. Taking in account that if the shooter were to decide to shoot outside since the metal detector are blocking their goal of ruthless achievement.

To me building is like a shield, they do it outside then more live will be save since people can easily scattered easily.


Well, some schools have a low budget. And they can't afford metal detectors. Also even with detectors kids would still find a way to go around it



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22 Mar 2008, 3:10 pm

Chimchar wrote:
Bopkasen wrote:
When come to gun shooting...

Stories sell for gun control debate and it only plant more choice for student if someone feel that it their "way of getting back".

Politicians failed to realize that if they place metal detector in every school facility that we wouldn't have the indoor shooting problem. Taking in account that if the shooter were to decide to shoot outside since the metal detector are blocking their goal of ruthless achievement.

To me building is like a shield, they do it outside then more live will be save since people can easily scattered easily.


Well, some schools have a low budget. And they can't afford metal detectors. Also even with detectors kids would still find a way to go around it


There will be security guard working with the metal detector.

Heck to the Homeland Security if they can't protect the US Citizen! If that a lousy excuse then I say it even more lousier to call for gun control when gun can be illegal ship over Mexico border or other states.



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24 Mar 2008, 7:52 pm

I think it is a great idea I am sure many aspies have felt like shooting people because of being bullied IMO it is a very understandable reaction. I currently write to one who is in prison for a CA school shooting seven years ago. Whilst I don't condone his actions I totally understand them as I have been there myself even now I feel I want to shoot people occasionally but in Aus fortunately the availability of weapons isnt there and therefore my urges are never acted on.



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24 Mar 2008, 8:33 pm

Zsazsa wrote:
Why would you want to present Asperger's Syndrome in such a negative way? People already fear what they do not understand.


As much as fear that I might be dampening your creative and talented spirit, I have to agree with this.

Okay, I have said it before, and I just want to clarify - I do not know if I am an Aspie, and I will never find out (I don't want to) and I am here to be as supportive and understanding as possible, for not just my son, but for any potential friends out there, too.

That being said, I do know what it is like to be misunderstood and possibly socially feared because of an "abnormality". And when I am watching a show (I watch a lot of CSI and true crime stuff) and the mass-murderer/pedophile/rapist is someone who has Bipolar Disorder, I just throw my hands in the air and rant. "TYPICAL! JUST TYPICAL! Anyone with a mood issue is a loose cannon, liable to do anything because they are CUH-RAY-ZEH! It's not a mystery to me why the stigma and fear is still as nasty as it is." I do not like it when we are portrayed that way. Even though WE know the truth, we're the only ones who care to know it. Everyone else is in the dark unless we tell them.