KIDS SHOOTING AT OTHERS JUST LIKE THEY SEE IT ON TV

      The saturated media coverage of violent events can generate more violent behavior among its viewers.  The overplayed information of The Virginia Tech catastrophe could have been Matti Juhani Saari’s motivation and trigger to shoot and murder innocent people. 

       A 22-year-old student, Matti Juhani Saari, kills 10 people at Jokela High School on September 23.  He started to execute his diabolic plan at Kauhajoki School of Hospitality where he began firing his weapon at the students in the classroom.  The night before the massacre he had been questioned by the police because of his you tube video that had been posted 5 days prior. In the video a young man wearing a leather jacket fires several shots in what seems to be a shooting range but due to lack of evidence Saari was released. 

       The similarities between the Jokela High school shooting and the Virginia Tech Massacre are very visible.  Both Saari and Seung-Hui-Cho shot innocent students at their schools for no apparent reason.  Saari just like Seung-Hui-Cho used media tools to warn people about their monstrous plans.  This is Finland’s second massacre in less than a year. Another gunman had killed 8 people in a school in Southern Finland.  Just like in the Virginia Tech massacre, there were clear signs of danger, chaos, and blood spelled all over video footage that was aired or shown in one or another media outlet such as the internet.  The signs were out there but clearly ignored.  Just like with the perpetrator, of the The Virginia Tech Massacre, Seung-Hui Cho, Matti Juhani Saari, also made a You tube video stating and demonstrating his macabrous execution. 

         Could this bee a coincidence or is the saturated media coverage affecting its viewers to a point that he or she is copying the crimes that they see on TV or Internet.

Both of these cases and it just brings up the question where is it going to happen next?  I think we should look deeper at the causes of this catastrophes instead or just looking at the perpetrators.  No, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions but what I’m saying is that we have to look deeper at the reasons and causes behind their actions.  Maybe, if we’re able to decipher the reasons and motives and also what triggers these feelings and actions; maybe just maybe, we can get to the bottom of this and start preventing such disasters. There has to be reasons beyond the usual disturbance and issues that these kids clearly had, there has to be a bigger picture that we’re all missing.  We have to find how much does the Media affect its viewers.  To what point is the Media responsible for today’s crimes?  By Media obviously I’m talking about all outlets not just TV.  Video Games also play a huge part in triggering these vicious feelings and actions.