So I'm at my internship this morning when I happened to glance at one of our TVs, which said BREAKING NEWS: Shooting at Chardon High School. Oddly, I was thinking the best out of a bad situation. Thinking maybe someone just shot a gun and didnt hit anyone. Then I see "three injured." Next thought is "okay good, a couple of injuries, no one is dead." I got ahold of my mom, who is a teacher at Lake Catholic, just to make sure she was in the loop and that she was okay.
I drive home, rush to turn on my TV, I see "four injured, one dead." Okay, this is turning out to be worse than I thought. I followed the story as closely as possible. Found out that the boy that was killed is one of my friends' cousins, which is just awful.
Honestly, I just wanted to get to VASJ and see my kids. I just wanted to see them and know they were okay. Those kids mean the world to me, and to think this coulda happened to them...it just sucked even thinking about it....thinking that this could happen anywhere...to anyone. At VASJ, I learned that another victim is a good friend of one of my kids. Everyone's connected to someone, guys....this kind of thing affects more people than you think.
It's a sad reality of what society is becoming. Killing people is now the way to solve your problems. Communication is 75% done via the internet. Parenting is completely different. Things are just not the way they used to be.
I must say that I was raised in a semi strict household. Mom and Dad stuck their noses in my business. We ate dinner as a family every night. We never had guns in the house. I was in by dark. We talked about stuff. I had rules, and was punished accordingly if the rules were broken. Back then, I hated it. Now, I am thankful for it. John and I were always allowed to listen to whatever music we wanted. At some point, him and I were both into very heavy metal and violent video games. Luckily, we were taught the difference between reality and fantasy. We were taught the correct way to view things. We were taught level headedness (that's not a word, too bad). Never once did either of us resort to violence to bring our points across. I was bullied in grade school, and some of high school. I never brought a gun or pulled a knife on anyone, nor would the thought cross my mind. I fought back with my words like a big girl.
Even today, dealing with my depression and whatnot- people piss me off all the time. I get bitchy and crabby often, but never would I think to physically harm anyone for making me mad or what have you. I still listen to a lot of heavy music, but that doesnt ever influence me to harm people.
So, Campo, who is there to blame??
As you read my next few viewpoints, keep in mind that I dont condone what this kid did. Ultimately, it is his fault. He knows what he did was so incredibly wrong, he turned himself in, and he better pay his dues in prison.
Now let's put this into perspective. The kid...TJ Lane...He had no one. He was a loner. Dad's in trouble with the law over and over again. Who knows where mom is? He goes to an "at risk-students" school. He's bullied. He's probably lost in his own world. He had no role models, no one to care for him or look after him. Does this really come as a surprise to anyone honestly? TJ is to blame, but consider his circumstances....Parents are to blame in situations like this.
This TJ kid, he threw all these major hints at people via facebook and twitter. He wrote a very scary poem and posted it on FB...the last words he wrote in this poem were "die, all of you." The pictures he put up were pictures of him pointing guns...People saw these things...many people, and no one said a damn thing. If ONE person would have spoken up, this may not have happened. The ones who kept their mouths shut should take some blame.
Now, you all know that I like guns. I like to shoot. I believe in the right to bare arms. I do not believe that guns should be abolished. Guns dont kill people, PEOPLE kill people. I don't blame this issue on the lack of gun control. I see no sense in it. I've never really heard of anyone who has gone through courses and lessons and more courses that has used a gun to harm someone for no reason. I look forward to getting my CCW possibly this summer and I cant wait to get my pistol, but I hope to god that I never have to use it. Who knows in this world anymore though, right?? Guns and gun control are NOT to be blamed.
We can blame the music he listened to and his gothic lifestyle...because that makes sense. Just because someone dresses differently and/or listens to heavy shit does not automatically make them a soon-to-be killer. Goth is a style, music is music. I know that music nowadays has become and condones violence and whatnot in a lot of cases (which is why I stick with 60s and 70s music usually), but music isnt to be blamed for how someone reacts to situations. Dont blame music, dont blame style. Dont judge a book by its cover.
Lets be honest, kids nowadays are soft. Bullying has become this HUGE thing now. Bullying has been going on forever. But for some reason, kids in this society fight back with violence. They dont know how to talk to people, they dont have family to turn to when they feel threatened. What does a cat do when you threaten it? it hisses at you and usually attacks you. Humans have become the same way. So why even bother bullying someone? Does it make you feel better as a person? Is your life that boring that you need to take the extra time to make someone feel like shit for a dumb reason? It's senseless to fight fire with fire, but that's sometimes all people know how to do, especially a kid like TJ. You never know who you are actually pushing. You dont know what anyone is capable of. You might just push them too hard one day, and then this shit happens. Bullies should be blamed.
See, I really just dont know what its like to get raised in a shitty environment. I dont know what its like to have no one, to be no one. I dont know what its like to not have a family to come home to every day. I dont know what its like to have no friends. I dont know what its like to go to an at risk school. These kids that DO know what that's like...I feel bad for them. I wish more kids had parents like mine. I wish we all lived in a society like the 50s and 60s generations did. I feel that there's just less and less caring in our society. Kids can do whatever they want whenever they want...no one cares...blah blah blah. Thats not how it should be, it just isnt.
I guess, like my aunt said, times have really changed. It's utterly terrifying. I'm just thankful for how I was raised, and I will continue that with my future children.
I hope everyone takes this situation and learns from it. It's a tragedy, it's terrible, it's heartbreaking. LEARN. Do not repeat mistakes. Hold your kids a little closer, get closer with your parents, treat others well, smile at people even if you dont know them. Just little things that take next to no effort could make all the difference.
I like a phrase that one of my buddies used today: ELE- Everyone love everyone.
My heart goes out to everyone effected by today's events. We will pull through as a city, as a state, as a nation. Wear red tomorrow to let people know that we have Chardon's back.
