It was big news back in November and December of last year. But there have been so many mass shootings since then, that this one has rather faded into the background outside of Michigan.
So, by way of reminder: on November 30, a 16 year old boy named Ethan Crumbley shot eleven people, killing four of them, within the halls of Oxford High School, in Oxford, Michigan.
More from here:
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3568687-oxford-shooter-parents-seek-to-have-cases-against-them-thrown-out
The parents have been arrested on what seem to me quite dubious grounds. Obviously, if the parents had given him a gun and told him "it would be really great if you walked into school and started shooting" there would be criminal liability. But I will allow you to read the facts and determine how far from that is this situation.
Incidentally, this season's contestants on "America's Got Talent" include one talented vocalist who was in Oxford High on that fateful day and lost friends. If only for that reason, we'll be hearing a lot more about this.
I freely admit that, at this writing (my comment here), I do not have the facts. That said, I donn my sociologist hat. When these crimes are committed, there must be blame laid. On someone. In this case, presumably because of the killer's age and his parent's agency, the parents were deemed culpable. The family is but one tiny segment of the Big Picture. Our culture glorifies violence---it is entertainment. We relish all sorts of extremism, from sports through politics and beyond. Ethics is given a figurative nod and wink. Get by with anything you can, lie when you are caught. Who is to blame now? Connect the dots.
ReplyDelete