Off - Wot No Brock?!/ captured rotation

[Jonathan Jarrett]

On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 11:21:29AM +0100, M Holmes typed out:
> Well, I think guns could help a lot with school bullying problems.

	I can't see how. The kids who carried out the Columbine massacre 
were victims of bullying with access to firearms for heavens' sake. If 
you're meaning that the bullied should have guns to protect themselves, 
I see two scenarios: one, Columbine, or two, bullies with a big pile of 
captured guns to further intimidate people with. That would only work if 
the bullied were *immediately*, first-time, willing to shoot somebody, 
otherwise the bullies learn that they won't and take their power away. 
And if they are so willing, they're probably not getting bullied anyway, 
because someone who fights back is not a natural victim.

	Meanwhile, if you mean that teachers should use firearms to 
prevent bullying, firstly what do the firearms get them that normal 
sanctions don't, here, unless the bullies also have guns and are 
threatening the teachers? Which is hardly the same scenario. And 
secondly, since bullying is by its nature mainly carried out where 
teachers aren't, it doesn't bring the `solution' anywhere near the 
problem.

	So yup: I really, really, don't agree, I think whatever you're 
suggesting here would be either ineffective and terrifying or downright 
and tragically disastrous. Possibly time to get back to Hawkwind, yours,
									 
Jon

-- 
"When fortune wanes, of what assistance are quantities of elephants?"
	    (Juvaini, Afghan Muslim chronicler, c. 1206)
 Jon Jarrett, Fitzwilliam Museum, jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk