Question about American culture

[Acclamator]

The USA and Canada both have about the same number of gun owners per head of population (about 1 in 4). But you don't hear tales of murders gang-bangings and school shootings galore out of Canada.

Why is this?

[HemlockGrey]

It's a lie to make other nations think we are so hopelessly entwined in the problems of our own society that do not care about them. The America shown to non-naturalized foreigners and tourists is a front, much like the Truman show. The true America is a militiant paradisal society; a cross between the Terran Empire and the Garden of Eden.

When the time is right, the vast might of the Americana Legions will strike, bringing the entire, America-mocking world underneath our iron fist, and we will laugh at the squirming British royalist conservatives who cry 'This can't be happening! America is too far entwined in it's own social problems to pay any attention to us!'

BWAHAHAHA! YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED, FOREIGN DEVIL! YOU WILL SOON KNOW THE WRATH OF THE IMPERIUM AMERICANA!

Er, I mean, I don't really know.

[Alyeska]

The USA and Canada both have about the same number of gun owners per head of population (about 1 in 4). But you don't hear tales of murders gang-bangings and school shootings galore out of Canada.

Why is this?

Because the media is primarily US driven. Thats the same reason why we rarely hear about anything outside of the US. The US population only cares about the countries that the President mentions. Prior to 1991 most people couldn't tell you where Iraq was. Prior to 1979 most people didn't have a clue about Iran.

[Joe]

The USA and Canada both have about the same number of gun owners per head of population (about 1 in 4). But you don't hear tales of murders gang-bangings and school shootings galore out of Canada.

Why is this?

Canada also does not have the violent gang culture that America unfortunately has. Also school shootings are actually on the decline in America, they just get more coverage these days.

[Colonel Olrik]

When the time is right, the vast might of the Americana Legions will strike, bringing the entire, America-mocking world underneath our iron fist, and we will laugh at the squirming British royalist conservatives who cry 'This can't be happening! America is too far entwined in it's own social problems to pay any attention to us!'

Does Canada have a secret police of thought with the goal to supress teenage murder news from going public?

[Colonel Olrik]

Because the media is primarily US driven. Thats the same reason why we rarely hear about anything outside of the US. The US population only cares about the countries that the President mentions. Prior to 1991 most people couldn't tell you where Iraq was. Prior to 1979 most people didn't have a clue about Iran.

Hrm. But if there was a shooting in Canada, or in the E.U, then it would certainly appear on TV. Much lesser news appear everyday. The fact remains. There are many more shootings at schools in the U.S than in Canada or the E.U.

[Mr Bean]

There are many more shootings at schools in the U.S than in Canada or the E.U.

Damn five a year? Wheres that handbaskset?


If somones stubs his toe in a fatel toe stubbing accident it will be on the news

Why does the Media cover a school shooting with two dead and not the eight car pile-up with seven dead?


Simple its the American Media

[Raptor 597]

When the time is right, the vast might of the Americana Legions will strike, bringing the entire, America-mocking world underneath our iron fist, and we will laugh at the squirming British royalist conservatives who cry 'This can't be happening! America is too far entwined in it's own social problems to pay any attention to us!'

Does Canada have a secret police of thought with the goal to supress teenage murder news from going public?

What you didn't know? Jacquend has got a great dictatorship going up there must go join his Inner Party, and yeshe probably has a secret police force, from what I've heard first he has.

[Raptor 597]

There are many more shootings at schools in the U.S than in Canada or the E.U.

Damn five a year? Wheres that handbaskset?


If somones stubs his toe in a fatel toe stubbing accident it will be on the news

Why does the Media cover a school shooting with two dead and not the eight car pile-up with seven dead?


Simple its the American Media

Yes, the plane crash analogy. Planes crashes in say South Korea full coverage, but 100 car pile up on the Basin(Highway in the swamp between Baton Rogue & Lafayette respectfully)

[Colonel Olrik]

There are many more shootings at schools in the U.S than in Canada or the E.U.

Damn five a year? Wheres that handbaskset?


If somones stubs his toe in a fatel toe stubbing accident it will be on the news

Why does the Media cover a school shooting with two dead and not the eight car pile-up with seven dead?


Simple its the American Media

American media.. European media.. They're all alike! All made in Taiwan!

When something like that happens, our media is all over it like dogs to a bone. Last year, a child lost an arm in a school, due to an accident with a truck wheel, and the media talked about it for days . There was a shooting, some time ago, in a German school, and it was the Big News during a lot of time.

The fact remains, there are many more shootings in the U.S. The reasons may be debatable, but the fact is not.

Five in a year, for a population of inferior size than that of the E.U, is quite a lot compared with our rate.

[Shinova]

Could also be because Canada has something like a third of the population that the US has.

[Joe]

There are many more shootings at schools in the U.S than in Canada or the E.U.

Damn five a year? Wheres that handbaskset?


If somones stubs his toe in a fatel toe stubbing accident it will be on the news

Why does the Media cover a school shooting with two dead and not the eight car pile-up with seven dead?


Simple its the American Media

American media.. European media.. They're all alike! All made in Taiwan!

When something like that happens, our media is all over it like dogs to a bone. Last year, a child lost an arm in a school, due to an accident with a truck wheel, and the media talked about it for days . There was a shooting, some time ago, in a German school, and it was the Big News during a lot of time.

The fact remains, there are many more shootings in the U.S. The reasons may be debatable, but the fact is not.

Five in a year, for a population of inferior size than that of the E.U, is quite a lot compared with our rate.

Many shootings? Unquestionable. Many more murders? Probably not; IIRC, the U.S. fares only slightly worse in overall murder rate (that is, murders per 100,000 people) than Canada.

[Warspite]

Maybe it has something to do with their attitude towards guns.
You all know about the "strong" discussions about gun control, with this sniper business and all, so whenever there's a shooting, it has more coverage than a car pile, guns are news.
A car pile, we may see a little blood, somebody hurt, AFTER it happened, but with a shooting, it might be happening live, and there's probably some paramedics trying to save some poor guy that got caught on the path of a bullet, LIVE!

It sickens me!

Another example: the past week, the local police shot a know and dangerous drug lord (he was already know as "Cop-Killer") and it was news for about two days, tops. One week later, I think few people remember that incident, and this sort of action is not very common in my country. The news reported more about the neighbourhood reactions than other people, why? Because, hearing people saying good things about the bad guy is news, than hearing the official police account, which wasn't much, BTW.

It's all about ratings.

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

The USA and Canada both have about the same number of gun owners per head of population (about 1 in 4). But you don't hear tales of murders gang-bangings and school shootings galore out of Canada.

Why is this?

Cause we exterminate all threats!

[The Dark]

American media.. European media.. They're all alike! All made in Taiwan!

When something like that happens, our media is all over it like dogs to a bone. Last year, a child lost an arm in a school, due to an accident with a truck wheel, and the media talked about it for days . There was a shooting, some time ago, in a German school, and it was the Big News during a lot of time.

The fact remains, there are many more shootings in the U.S. The reasons may be debatable, but the fact is not.

Five in a year, for a population of inferior size than that of the E.U, is quite a lot compared with our rate.

Thomas Hamilton, Scotland, 1996: Killed 16 students and a teacher, plus himself.

Germany, 2000: 16-year-old student in Branneburg shoots and kills his teacher. Also fails a cannabis test.

Germany, 2002: An expelled pupil in Freising kills his headmaster and sets off pipebombs in the school. Also shot dead his boss and foreman where he worked. Another teacher was shot in the face but survived.

Germany, 2002: A former pupil in Erfurt kills seventeen people in a school, then turns the gun on himself.

Between 1996 and 2002, 39 people were killed in the United States in gun-related incidents at schools. Between 1996 and 2002, 38 people were killed in the EU in gun-related incidents at schools.

Of course, Europe has also had the shooting deaths of 14 regional legislators in Zug, Switzerland, and 8 city council members in a Paris suburb in the last year and a half. Not to mention the assassination attempt of President Chirac, the assassination of Pim Fortuyn, the gunshots at the German Prime Minister's house, the Bologna shooting by the Red Brigade...all in all, it is the American media that makes the difference. While all media may be similar, it is (unfortunately) the American media that has the most money and the most strident voice.

Note: Edited based on further data I found

[Stormbringer]

Maybe it has something to do with their attitude towards guns.
You all know about the "strong" discussions about gun control, with this sniper business and all, so whenever there's a shooting, it has more coverage than a car pile, guns are news.
A car pile, we may see a little blood, somebody hurt, AFTER it happened, but with a shooting, it might be happening live, and there's probably some paramedics trying to save some poor guy that got caught on the path of a bullet, LIVE!

Except for a few cases, simply seeing it on the news isn't the cause. The problems with a lot cases are massive social ones. Inner city neighborhoods are riddled with gangs. Guns are far too easy to get and gun crimes don't get the penalties they deserve.

[aerius]

Could also be because Canada has something like a third of the population that the US has.

Actually it's roughly 1 tenth of the US population, they're at a bit under 300 million and we're at a bit over 30 million.

Violent gang culture, well, I'm afraid to say that we do have one, but it's not nearly as organized or large as what the US has. Our main problems are Biker gangs going to war with each other and gang related shootings in "shady" parts of town. The biker wars got a fair amount of media attention, and there'd be massive coverage every time there was a Hell's Angels convention or get together. With the gang related shootings there'd be a 15 second spot on the nightly news and that's about it, unless there were multiple shootings and deaths at a time, which would then get a 1 minute spot with half of it devoted to police interviews and funeral details.

We haven't had anything like the Columbine shootings that I know of, but we've had some cases of students being killed in or around school property. A student was beaten and killed in a drug deal gone bad across from my old high school a year after I graduated, which got some media coverage. Another student was shot but lived in a gang related issue, that incident was suppresed and only got coverage in the community paper.

Crime exists in Canada, probably a lot more of it than most people including our citizens are aware of. It's not as bad as the States, but it ain't getting any better.

[Warspite]

Except for a few cases, simply seeing it on the news isn't the cause. The problems with a lot cases are massive social ones. Inner city neighborhoods are riddled with gangs. Guns are far too easy to get and gun crimes don't get the penalties they deserve.

I totally agree, but I wasn't infering that seeing on TV creates, or compounds, the problem. I was just trying to relate the difference between the news of a gun shooting and a car pile.

Thomas Hamilton, Scotland, 1996: Killed 16 students and a teacher, plus himself.

Germany, 2000: 16-year-old student in Branneburg shoots and kills his teacher. Also fails a cannabis test.

Germany, 2002: An expelled pupil in Freising kills his headmaster and sets off pipebombs in the school. Also shot dead his boss and foreman where he worked. Another teacher was shot in the face but survived.

Germany, 2002: A former pupil in Erfurt kills seventeen people in a school, then turns the gun on himself.

Between 1996 and 2002, 39 people were killed in the United States in gun-related incidents at schools. Between 1996 and 2002, 38 people were killed in the EU in gun-related incidents at schools.

But, country-wise there were more in the US than, say, Germany. Every country has gun violence, some more, others less.

[HemlockGrey]

Of course, considering gun laws in the EU are far more stringent than in the US(Or so I am led to believe) that might make up for the disparity in population...

[Warspite]

Of course, considering gun laws in the EU are far more stringent than in the US(Or so I am led to believe) that might make up for the disparity in population...

Could you explain?

The fact that gun law in the US is more... relaxed, has it's roots in the Constitution, right? And in the good ol' Frontier days.

More stringent gun laws is good, right?

[Colonel Olrik]

Thomas Hamilton, Scotland, 1996: Killed 16 students and a teacher, plus himself.

o_O
Pretty old. I had completelly forgotten about it. Of course, it's massive numbers (and with the German shooting) tip the death toll in the E.U direction.Only two shootings in seven years made 33 deads.

Germany, 2000: 16-year-old student in Branneburg shoots and kills his teacher. Also fails a cannabis test.

Another one. Damned germans. They're trying to spoil my reasoning!

Germany, 2002: An expelled pupil in Freising kills his headmaster and sets off pipebombs in the school. Also shot dead his boss and foreman where he worked. Another teacher was shot in the face but survived.

This one doesn't quite fit in the "quiet and nice student goes into a killing spree at his school". Anyway, these germans are starting to annoy me!

Between 1996 and 2002, 39 people were killed in the United States in gun-related incidents at schools. Between 1996 and 2002, 38 people were killed in the EU in gun-related incidents at schools.

Well, but how many shootings actually ocurred? The death toll of two shootings made almost all the numbers in the E.U list.

Of course, Europe has also had the shooting deaths of 14 regional legislators in Zug, Switzerland

Not E.U:evil: They actually have more weapons that americans, so they're special.

and 8 city council members in a Paris suburb in the last year and a half. Not to mention the assassination attempt of President Chirac, the assassination of Pim Fortuyn, the gunshots at the German Prime Minister's house, the Bologna shooting by the Red Brigade...all in all, it is the American media that makes the difference. While all media may be similar, it is (unfortunately) the American media that has the most money and the most strident voice.

All reported, as you can see (you could find them, after all). There were plenty of murders in the U.S in that period, as well [I'll bet, more]. This last part proves that we have murders. One of the easiest way to commit a murder is with a gun. I never said that the E.U was murder free. Only that it has fewer shootings.

[kheegster]

Of course, Europe has also had the shooting deaths of 14 regional legislators in Zug, Switzerland

Not E.U:evil: They actually have more weapons that americans, so they're special.

I read somewhere that in Switzerland every grown man has an automatic weapon sitting in his house, due to their national service requirements.

KG

[Sea Skimmer]

Of course, Europe has also had the shooting deaths of 14 regional legislators in Zug, Switzerland

Not E.U:evil: They actually have more weapons that americans, so they're special.

I read somewhere that in Switzerland every grown man has an automatic weapon sitting in his house, due to their national service requirements.

KG

They have had universal conscription for decades, though how it's structured is now changing. The result is every adult male fit for service, by law must have an assault rifle or submachine gun with ammunition in their residence. These are supplied by the military but are kept for life.

They have around 20 murders with guns per year.