Christopher.Collins Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Unreal Tournament = Halo + Twisted Metal (without the cars) + Mortal Kombat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itku2er Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 If I am not mistaken this defense was used before but it held water like a bucket with holes in it. That is no real defense they should go with temperary insanity they might have better luck. Who is paying for this kids lawyer? But how about this theory: I think it was an evil plan set forth by the Father. He wanted rid of his family so he could take up with the piano player. :twisted: :twisted: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Plain Ruff Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 and the murder weapon was a candlestick in the library Tim Curry actually did it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itku2er Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Tim Curry was really wanting the father dead too so he could have the piano player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katbemeEMT-B Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 There was a case a few years ago involving a 16 year old who shot another teenager over a pair of sneakers. His defense was that he was poor and couldn't afford the sneakers and felt the other teenager was taunting him by wearing these brand new, expensive sneakers. This caused him to go into a jealous rage and he shot the kid on the street. Mind you, the innocent teenager never said a word to the criminal but the jury still bought his story, feeling sorry for him cause he was poor and a minority, and found him not guilty of murder. They did find him guilty of man-slaughter and he was sentenced to 24 months at a juvenile facility and 10 years probation. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with people. Why is it so difficult for our peers to force others to take responsibility for the things they have done. And we wonder why the United States is going to hell. Hey, it's not my fault, blah, blah, blah made me do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneEMTP Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 ...Seriously, what the hell is wrong with people. Why is it so difficult for our peers to force others to take responsibility for the things they have done. And we wonder why the United States is going to hell. Hey, it's not my fault, blah, blah, blah made me do it. I would argue that in this case at least the parents were absolutely held responsible for what they've done. They raised a terribly damaged child, which should be a crime, and in this case mom received the death penalty. I agree that our country, as well as most others I'd guess, have major issues in this area. The real problem is that I see a whole thread full of what I consider to be very intelligent people still screaming for feel good punishment instead of an answer to the problem. How many gazillions of these cases must we see before we decide that figuring out how to raise healthy children will be much more productive than continuing to punish children after they are damaged beyond our ability to fix them? Unfortunately this is very unlikely to happen any time soon. [s:eff6748b81]See B.F. Skinner’s Autonomous Man Theory[/s:eff6748b81]. Edited as I've not done a search on this in a generation or so and most of what I found is uneducated nonsense in it's regard. At it's base it says that people cling to the 'feeling' that we are autonomous people, making moral and ethical decisions completely separated from history and outside influences. He felt that "good" people wouldn’t admit that relatively good people can make bad decisions because they've been reinforced to do so in the past, so that being "bad" isn't what they "are" but what they've been taught to be. He felt this wouldn't happen because the opposite must also then be true, that "good" people make many good decisions because they were taught/reinforced to do so, not simply because they are morally/biologically superior at their center. In essence, am I, Dwayne, superior to Charles Manson in the decisions I make? I hope that I am, yes, but not because I am somehow at my center superior, but that I was raised to make different decisions. The problem that I see that people have is that admitting this removes my "specialness" or superiority over those that make socially less responsible decisions, and most won't be willing to do so. Assuming this kid is biologically sound, then he became what he was raised to be, and his parents paid the price for raising him in this manner. Dwayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eydawn Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Dwayne, this brings up the old nature vs nurture argument. Yes, people can definitely be reinforced into negative behavior patterns and often do so. However, there are some children who just simply fail to respond to intentional (or unintentional!) behavior conditioning, either negative or positive. It's like the old story of twins raised by loving parents and one twin goes off the deep end and rapes and kills his girlfriend. Same environment, same parents with the same parenting strategy.... While it is important to recognize that many parents fail to provide the proper environment and training for their children, it is also very unfair to place all of the blame on any parent. The child is an independent entity capable of making decisions and as such should be held responsible for those decisions. I am not saying that circumstance should not be considered, but it should never be a wholly exonerating factor. Some children are just damaged. And they could be perfectly "biologically sound" but still intellectually and emotionally damaged. Skinner had a lot of valid points... but I don't think he had the entire picture nailed down. To reduce everything to behavioral studies is to leave out the most important aspect of human existence- free will and freedom of choice. You can explain that many pedophiles were assaulted themselves as children and conditioned to be predatory... but that doesn't explain the pedophile who was never touched... you can explain that many abused children learned that behavior module and grew up to be abusers, but that doesn't explain the child who was abused who CHOSE to never become like his or her parents... who CHOSE to give their own children much better lives. Not all children become who they are raised to be. Many are raised to be good citizens, empathic, morally upright... and become some of the most depraved individuals one could ever hope not to meet. Many are raised in an environment where one would expect them to become deranged axe-murderers, and instead are pillars of the community. There are no absolutes where humans are concerned. Wendy CO EMT-B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneEMTP Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 You know I love you Wendy, but you're shouting into the chasm here... I'll give you the challenge Skinner gave to all with the same opinion. If you believe that these people thought their way out of these issues instead of 'learned' they're way out, all you have to do is prove it. It's relatively simple to prove that reinforcers move behavior, but to my knowledge no one has yet to even track a particular thought, much less prove that it changed behavior. For now I think, regarding such serious issues, we should stick with what we know instead of what we 'think'. Dwayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTXMEDIC Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 a birth certificate should be revokable up to the 18th birthday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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