What Does The Internet Have To Do With The Finnish School Shooting?

from the absolutely-nothing dept

The story of the Finnish school shooting that left 11 people (including the shooter) dead is certainly a tragedy, and you can understand why people immediately respond to such things by looking for something to blame, or some law or process that needs to be changed -- but at some point you have to admit that it's going to be impossible to totally prevent such actions. Yet, for some reason, people always want to place some sort of "blame" for these sorts of things on the internet. Witness comments from Finnish Prime Minister, Matti Vanhanen, where he talks about various changes to look at, such as with gun laws, but also says:
"The internet and YouTube forums... are not another planet. This is part of our world and we adults have the responsibility to check what is happening, and create borders and safety there."
But, the thing is, those channels are being monitored, and they were watched in this case. In fact, as nearly every press report on the shooting mentions, police visited the shooter a day before the shooting, due to a YouTube video he posted where he was heard pointing a gun at the camera and saying "you will die next." So it's difficult to see how the internet is even remotely worth calling out here. The internet was used to alert authorities, it's just that there wasn't any evidence of a crime or intention to commit a crime at that point. So why bring it up at all?
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Filed Under: blame game, finland, internet, school shooting, videos


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  1. identicon
    Proud Finn, 24 Sep 2008 @ 8:14pm

    Has everything to do

    Finns are #1 in international school scores. Well behind anything in #26th placed America, including our beloved flower, Columbine. (Yes, I was there.)

    You should consider reading "IQ and the Wealth of Nations", Mike. It's a great read, especially when you see various correlations between IQs and such. Seems the further South you go, lower the IQ.

    Seriously good read. Sometimes, I wonder.

    I wonder if people below say 32-degrees north latitude want to vote in someone who would be a drinking partner at the bar. Hey, you! Let me tell you something-- you'll beat him on the second beer. Bet four beers, you'll put him on dialysis. Old Man McGee is missing a liver and kidney as it is.

    Pick the one who will run the country, not your drinking parner.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Greg, 24 Sep 2008 @ 9:09pm

    Re: Has everything to do

    What the hell are you talking about? The further south you go the lower the IQ? If you're going to dis 'the south,' at least know how to spell "partner."

    Dumbass.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Sep 2008 @ 9:12pm

    Re: Re: Has everything to do

    You want to mess with the vikings, eh?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Sep 2008 @ 9:16pm

    Re: Re: Has everything to do

    Well, its true. I am from mississippi and went to school in alabama and i love them both to death, but come on. Youve got to admit.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Sep 2008 @ 9:23pm

    Re: Re: Re: Has everything to do

    Well, you know, there's always good people anywhere you go. But, you have to admit- 'The person is smart' but the 'people are dumb'. One-on-one, my friend. Still an undecided voter myself, but my family built roads across this nation. Won war medals. Fought in battles.

    Looks like it will all be sold to the Saudis.

    Fuck Vietnam. Pussy battle. Personally, I had some respect for McCain but when I learned he turned his back on his 1st wife, and later sued her... It was over.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 24 Sep 2008 @ 9:26pm

    Internets don't kill people ...

    ... guns kill people.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Fitness Freak, 24 Sep 2008 @ 10:02pm

    how is this story about presidential politics?

    seriously, how is it that the comments on this story have turned to presidential politics?

    guess that's the big question these days.

    -Brian

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    ITT: Rule 34, 24 Sep 2008 @ 10:05pm

    Re: how is this story about presidential politics?

    I think before you showed up and whined we were trying to get back on topic.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Kent, 24 Sep 2008 @ 10:18pm

    Re: Re: Has everything to do

    HOLY SH&T! A TYPO?! Yes, that clearly invalidates the whole comment.

    It is true that there is a correlation between latitude and average IQ in the US.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    JC, 24 Sep 2008 @ 10:48pm

    Re: Has everything to do

    So being #1 in school scores counts for what? It prevented this? Caused this? Your point?

    As for IQ and the election. IQ != wisdom. A lot of very smart people I've met seem utterly incapable of learning from experience. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. But after the third time, maybe try something different?

    Oh, BTW, there are plenty of statistics that show that blacks, or pacific islanders, or (pick some ethnic group) have lower IQs. Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    Allen (profile), 24 Sep 2008 @ 11:23pm

    Blaming the internet or the police procedure?

    Of course the politicians are going to look for someone or something to blame. Otherwise they might have to admit that they are ineffectual and powerless to prevent this.

    On the other hand having read the article, and in particular the paragraphs surrounding the quotation you quote I don't think he was blaming the internet. I think that he was suggesting that police use of information from the internet needs to be reviewed.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Sep 2008 @ 11:25pm

    Re: Re: Has everything to do

    I debated whether or not to reply as it may disappoint you.

    Reason being that a good buddy- Phil Gramm. This piece of work not only defeated my personal Hero, Ron Paul in vote, but he also repeated three grades in school to overcome his academic deficiencies by "hard work".

    This piece of "Hard work" was also responsible for a quite fascinating bill passed the few days (possibly under the radar) after the 2000 election. It was called the "Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000" and is the reason why gas fluctuates day-to-day.

    Today, it's has a fancy name coined the "ENRON HOLE", even though Enron fails to exist today. This guy thought it was a great idea. Probably 3 times over.

    It needs to be killed thrice. Those adventurous and wanting to make a difference, click here.

    He's also credited with saying the happy quote below:
    "You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," and "We have sort of become a nation of whiners, you just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline."

    But overall, my favorite quote from this hard-thrice time worker is:
    "I recently told Ed Whitacre [former CEO of AT&T, who retired with a $158 million pay package] he was probably the most exploited worker in American history"


    So yes. You can try harder. Three times harder, and screw America three times over. Isn't America Grand?

    Are you mad yet?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Sep 2008 @ 11:50pm

    Re: Internets don't kill people ...

    ... guns don't kill people...

    people kill people...

    a gun is just a tool...
    I can use a knife, my hands, a car, a pipe, a 2x4 to kill.. should we ban those too

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    jFive, 25 Sep 2008 @ 2:01am

    Academic scores/stats have nothing to do with intelligence. I hated school and had poor grades in most subjects I did not find interesting. I acceled in all science and music classes.I was constantly bored.When I was in school, I never saw the point in learing history or social studies. In retrospect I wish I did learn more in those areas. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20. I dropped out of high school missing only a English Lit and a gym credit.I am now the COO for a media firm in NYC pulling a six figure salary. My IQ is 186 and I only have my GED.I am from Atlanta, GA, THE SOUTH. (Go Dawgs!) Follow your heart, it usually points you in the right direction. That said: Didn't they search this kid's house for the firearm? Where are the parents in all this? Why wasn't he monitored, isolated, suspended from school, banned from campus? I honestly don't know, I haven't been following the story.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    eldakka, 25 Sep 2008 @ 3:12am

    someone to blame?

    and you can understand why people immediately respond to such things by looking for something to blame, or some law or process that needs to be changed

    Actually I do NOT understand why people immediately look for something to blame.

    Sometimes there is something obviously wrong. But, in most cases: Shit happens. Get over it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    nasch, 25 Sep 2008 @ 7:48am

    Re: Re: Internets don't kill people ...

    Guns don't kill people...

    ...bullets kill people.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    yesman, 26 Sep 2008 @ 1:47pm

    Well there are some interesting bits of information floating around the web because of this story.

    Like the fact that Finland has the highest murder rate of all western European nations http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita and highest gun ownership in Europe http://www.slate.com/id/2200722/?GT1=38001.

    Seems it was only a matter of time before the two started to collide.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2009 @ 6:57am

    Re: Re: Has everything to do

    internet is bad

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2009 @ 6:58am

    Re: Re: Re: Has everything to do

    it so had everything to do with the internet

    link to this | view in thread ]


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