Fringe - The Lab (OT) #18: 2018 is finally here! - Page 8

@l3jandra · 03-12-2018, 09:59 PM

People with that kind of job needs to always do their best, no matter what's going on with them

**FoxPhile** · 03-13-2018, 04:56 PM

It's too bad they can't test people for dedication and compassion. Those should be requirements for any medical profession.

@l3jandra · 03-13-2018, 09:25 PM

For sure

Ropetuned · 03-14-2018, 12:15 PM

I know politics is a touchy subject but what are your opinions on the walkouts protesting and trying to get tougher gun laws? I think walkouts are a waste of time and aren't even close to being a solution, I actually think it's counter productive really. While stricter gun laws are great in theory its nowhere near the answer.

**FoxPhile** · 03-14-2018, 05:00 PM

Taken individually, one protest doesn't have much impact. But if the walkouts are the start of a movement, then they could eventually lead to change. So I think they are a good thing.

I also think it's a good experience for the kids. We like to talk a lot about free speech in the US, but free speech isn't entirely free. By that I mean, if you want to protest something - stand up for something - that will sometimes hold consequences. It's not an infringement of their right to free speech if they get detention for cutting class. People who protest can sometimes lose their jobs, or be the subject of hateful responses, because there will always be people who disagree with any position - and that is their right. I suspect the majority of the teenagers who participate in this walkout will get a fairly gentle introduction to that reality. But it will be a good lesson just that same.

a fine mess · 03-28-2018, 09:42 PM

I support the marches, but not so much the walkouts. I am a teacher and I understand wanting to send a message, but if all the teachers walk out one day during the school day, we are no longer doing our jobs. And that is to teach kids. I do not work for the politicians or even really the principal (she's just who keeps me accountable). I am there for the kids. If our students walk out, they are no longer doing their job, which is learning. So in the end, we all will lose. Will politicians really care? They might not even blink an eye, but we suffer the most. As usual. Protests have a time and place. And always comes with a price. That price may not always be worth it.

Criminals are those who use guns wrongfully and they will find a way to harm others regardless, if that is their intent. I am not saying guns do not play a factor and yes it needs to be discussed. Too many lives lost, but there is a deeper issue. I think the deeper issue is mental health and access to support for strengthening our mental health. I am not saying mental illness because we can't see it as being sick or as a disease. I think when we start being complacent with 'I am just this way and can't help it', we start believing it a little too much. I'm not sure if I am explaining this well, but I am not so quick to let it be an excuse of 'well, I just can't help it.' You made those decisions. Own up to it. That's the problem with society I think. We want to blame something or someone else. And really it is an American problem. Is it because of all the prescription drugs we take? Is it because of parenting? Is it because of working long hours and multiple jobs to provide for a family? Even behaviors in school we have seen more often. Severe ones. More factors are in play - not just guns.

I can see both perspectives. However, I am not in support of doing nothing. I am also not in support of arming teachers with guns. I do not want to hear they will give us a 'bonus' - oh please. Our district often tells us we have a budget and they can't give us this and that [due to money] so where will the money be coming from? The federal government? We've been waiting to have sufficient money to EDUCATE our students. When that comes, we can talk about arming us with guns. There are far greater things you could arm me with, before we discuss guns.

**FoxPhile** · 03-29-2018, 03:34 PM

I can understand that, as a teacher, you feel a responsibility to do your job, and you feel it is important for the students to do theirs. But pretty much anyone who wants to engage in any sort of protest may have to take a few days off of their jobs. Certainly, when a union decides to strike - those workers are leaving their jobs. And that is usually just to benefit a small number of people at one company. It is a sacrifice on the part of the students to leave school for a few hours. But I think they learn something just as valuable from this experience. If nothing else, they learn that there are times in life that you have to weigh the pros and cons of a decision. I'm sure many of the kids who participated in the walkout didn't think anything of it. But I'm just as sure that many of them thought long and hard, and weighed the possible consequences against the potential good. As many of those who agonized over the decision and decided to participate, there are probably just as many who agonized, and decided they could not. That's a good life lesson for both groups.

I also agree that criminals will find a way to get guns no matter what controls are put on them. But I do think that the types of guns typically used in these incidents can be better controlled. We can limit the manufacture and import of them. Making them illegal will eventually lead to a decrease in supply. And it will make it more difficult for a person planning a mass shooting - who probably is not really a criminal - to get them. One thing I can say for sure - NOT imposing greater gun control laws will do nothing to stop this from happening.

I grew up during the Vietnam War era. A lot of kids in my generation protested the war. People said then that protests did no good. Yet, the US got out of that war. I don't believe that the protests were the sole reason for that - but I do believe they had influence - and I believe these protests can have influence too.

a fine mess · 03-30-2018, 06:32 AM

We don't have unions in the south (I'm from Texas). I wish we did though.

Yeah, there isn't an easy answer or solution. Stricter gun laws will make it more difficult for those to obtain guns. At the same time, children could gain access to guns from parents who own them and didn't take the precautions of locking them up or securing them. I agree and fully support the better control of semi-automatic rifles. We need less careless people. Handgun owners as well. I will never own a gun. I would never want to be responsible for killing another, even as self-defense. Many people are driven by emotions and that is what causes them to make irrational decisions. They want a quick fix. I always want to see the good in people. It might be hard to hear for many during this time, but I just feel we can do something [as a society] to prevent such violence. I want to believe people can change. It starts with the human heart. Yeah, we can put more laws in place and enforce them [that's another issue], but if we don't work to change people's hearts, they will harm others with a gun or not. There are other weapons that can be used.