So a few thoughts. Columbine, and cases like it, are atytpical in the
extreme--most US fatal violence happens in cities.
I may be mistaken, but my impression is that unlike Columbine most gun
violence is handgun violence. Do most Canadians own handguns?
There are also special tensions here. The US is far less egalitarian than
other industrial nations--look at the wealth-spread, not to speak of racial
and ethnic divides. Large numbers of citizens don't think it's appropriate
to call the police, out of lack of trust in state institutions and because
it's considered dishonorable to do so--one settles one's own disputes.
Those in urban areas who see no other way out of their situations often
gravitate to illegal activities, and rigidly-enforced sumptuary laws offer
opportunities for profit that , in the absence of courts (drug dealers
don't sue each other over breach of contract), are defended with guns. And
the footsoldiers of these illicit trades are usually adolescent males too
filled with testosterone to see straight.
Mark
At 05:33 PM 1/9/2003 -0600, you wrote:
>Anny, Most violent crime in America is male on male. I don't know about
>other countries, but generally speaking men kill men. And, interestingly,
>most of the causes of murder are casual trivial remarks that just caused
>the would-be murdered to blow a fuse.
>
>The murderers whom I met in prisons were generally very decent people --
>who just happened to have killed someone (or in some cases several
>people). I didn't really know these men well, though, so don't go taking
>the foregoing statement as anything but a vague social impression.
>
>It's a great movie, though, isn't it? America is a very violent and fearful
>place. I do not like it much.
>
>Gabe
>
>At 10:45 PM 1/9/2003 +0100, Anny Ballardini wrote:
>>I recommend by Micheal Moore: Bowling for Columbine - a film-d'essai (just
>>watched it) in which the director is the interviewer and poses a fundamental
>>question:
>>Why do Americans kill other Americans?
>>and maybe a little further, having read Rebecca Seifferle's last mail, why
>>do Americans kill mainly American women?
>>For those who haven't seen it yet, here is a link of quite a good review.
>>
>>http://www.examiner.com/movies/default.jsp?story=X1018BOWLINGw
|