America, ain't it great? Boy shoots family with birthday present.

[ricosuave]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...y-present.html

sickening.

[mrkajz44]

The fear based media in the states is crazy. They bring up the congresswoman shooting even though these two gun instances are not even related (expect for the fact that they are shootings)

As for the article, all I can do is shake my head

[HPLovecraft]

There's something weird about American society. Weird, indeed. Maybe it's just these types of incidents get tons of coverage because it's the States, I don't know.

[jar_e]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

The fear based media in the states is crazy. They bring up the congresswoman shooting even though these two gun instances are not even related (expect for the fact that they are shootings)

As for the article, all I can do is shake my head

Its a UK article FTR.

[hockeycop]

This would never happen anywhere but the USA...

Some kids off their dad in a library with a crossbow (Toronto). Some kids kill their whole family after meeting their boyfriend on a vampire website (Medicine Hat). Terrorists in Edmonton. Mounties killed in Mayerthorpe. War Criminals in Lethbridge...

Are we really better than them? My answer is no. Crap happens in every country in every corner of the globe. For you to sit back in your little bubble and take a shot an entire country based on these events, is wrong.

America, ain't it great? Hell yeah it is. Canada, aren't we great? You bet your ass we are.

My only beef with this thread is the title...

[puckluck]

Originally Posted by jar_e

Its a UK article FTR.

Still happened in America.

[FlamesAddiction]

He is 14 and in grade 7 according to that story. Not the brightest kid apparently, but hey, let's buy him a gun.

[J pold]

For all those so opinionated about American society, how many people have actually lived there and really experienced it? So many people bash the main stream American media as vehicles for hate and propaganda but it seems to me that many people outside the US use it to form their opinions of American life, kind of bizarre.

[RW99]

Originally Posted by J pold

For all those so opinionated about American society, how many people have actually lived there and really experienced it? So many people bash the main stream American media as vehicles for hate and propaganda but it seems to me that many people outside the US use it to form their opinions of American life, kind of bizarre.

True. But I'm assuming you have never lived in Afghanistan or Iraq. But I'm sure you have an opinion about them.

And for the record I lived in the US and I agree with the opinions

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by hockeycop

Some kids off their dad in a library with a crossbow (Toronto). Some kids kill their whole family after meeting their boyfriend on a vampire website (Medicine Hat). Terrorists in Edmonton. Mounties killed in Mayerthorpe. War Criminals in Lethbridge...

Now, I have heard this said before many times. But nobody has been able to adequately explain why Canada has a murder rate of 1.8 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants per year while in the United States it is 5.0 homicides per 100,000 people. That's 2.8X Canada's murder rate. The "this happens everywhere" thinking may be correct, but it happens MORE in the United States.

The "correlation" vs "causation" thing may be true. I see "freer access to guns" being a cause of that 2.8X, but the correlation does not prove causation, so I have no guaranteed proof of my belief. Some have told me that it's just cultural.... Americans, coming from the American Revolution, are just more violent than Canadians. Others have said that it's the wealth gap... there are more extremely poor people in the U.S. that see no option but to join gangs, deal drugs, etc.. But do those factors explain the 2.8X and wouldn't those things suggest that there are reasons to believe that Canada, as a society, has done a better job of curtailing violent crimes like homicide?

[jar_e]

Originally Posted by puckluck

Still happened in America.

His post mentioned the "fear based media in the states"...which is true, but this article is from the UK. Just pointing it out.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by J pold

For all those so opinionated about American society, how many people have actually lived there and really experienced it? So many people bash the main stream American media as vehicles for hate and propaganda but it seems to me that many people outside the US use it to form their opinions of American life, kind of bizarre.

(Born in Calgary and lived in Calgary 18 years, Edmonton 5 years, now San Francisco Bay area 2.5 years)

Whenever I go home to Calgary and hear about all the Asian gang craze, shooting, drug deals, etc I think "damn Calgary is one f'ed up place"

Kind of funny how that works, isn't it.

(The second thing that comes to me is, man are people here bad drivers.)

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

(Born in Calgary and lived in Calgary 18 years, Edmonton 5 years, now San Francisco Bay area 2.5 years)

Whenever I go home to Calgary and hear about all the Asian gang craze, shooting, drug deals, etc I think "damn Calgary is one f'ed up place"

Kind of funny how that works, isn't it.

(The second thing that comes to me is, man are people here bad drivers.)

Just curious to know . . . F'ed up because Calgary is a hellishly dangerous place? Or F'ed up from what you remember now that you've been gone 7.5 years? For the record, the Asian gang violence seems to have peaked in about 2009, and has definitely relaxed since. Calgary in 2003 is not the same as Calgary in 2011.

San Francisco is no walk in the park either, as bohemian as it may be.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Just curious to know . . . F'ed up because Calgary is a hellishly dangerous place? Or F'ed up from what you remember now that you've been gone 7.5 years? For the record, the Asian gang violence seems to have peaked in about 2009, and has definitely relaxed since. Calgary in 2003 is not the same as Calgary in 2011.

San Francisco is no walk in the park either, as bohemian as it may be.

Eff'ed up as in... petty. Not everyone obviously, but between the posers in the mall and teenagers thinking they are badass gangsters, its kind of... pathetic.

I do sort of miss the Calgary I grew up and left.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Eff'ed up as in... petty. Not everyone obviously, but between the posers in the mall and teenagers thinking they are badass gangsters, its kind of... pathetic.

I do sort of miss the Calgary I grew up and left.

I know you can't just be hating on Calgary, but posers in the malls and teenagers thinking they are gangsters happens all across the world. Everywhere in the world is bad for butthole kids. You think I enjoy being stereotyped as one of these monkeys? I hate the kids I grew up with (not my friends obviously, just the people in general), just a ton of losers.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by hockeycop

This would never happen anywhere but the USA...

Some kids off their dad in a library with a crossbow (Toronto). Some kids kill their whole family after meeting their boyfriend on a vampire website (Medicine Hat). Terrorists in Edmonton. Mounties killed in Mayerthorpe. War Criminals in Lethbridge...

Are we really better than them? My answer is no. Crap happens in every country in every corner of the globe. For you to sit back in your little bubble and take a shot an entire country based on these events, is wrong.

America, ain't it great? Hell yeah it is. Canada, aren't we great? You bet your ass we are.

My only beef with this thread is the title...

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

I know you can't just be hating on Calgary, but posers in the malls and teenagers thinking they are gangsters happens all across the world. Everywhere in the world is bad for butthole kids. You think I enjoy being stereotyped as one of these monkeys? I hate the kids I grew up with (not my friends obviously, just the people in general), just a ton of losers.

Point proven.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Eff'ed up as in... petty. Not everyone obviously, but between the posers in the mall and teenagers thinking they are badass gangsters, its kind of... pathetic.

I do sort of miss the Calgary I grew up and left.

Laugh.

Do you know what the word "petty" means?

I will say this though -- at least the gangsters in the Bay Area aren't posers.

[Jordan!]

These things happen more because of the population difference.. the U.S. isn't a 30 million people country to the south of Canada. More people = more social and political issues

America to me is pretty damn great and it really isn't any different than Canada.

[evman150]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

These things happen more because of the population difference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistics

Some remedial reading for you.

[Jordan!]

Thanks, I'll make sure to never read it as I live here every day and enjoy a pretty damn fantastic quality of life.