In the ongoing media assault over the Va. Tech gunman, I heard on the radio this a.m. that he represents a problem of growing proportions among the youth of today.
The caller (Stephanie Miller Show) wasn't as lucid as he might have been, but he had strong opinions that youth are increasingly self-absorbed, lack maturity (as in "out-of-touch with how to deal with emotional issues"), and the like. Why he never recognized these issues among past generations of youths I have no idea.
I think history is rampant with examples of self-absorption and the emotionally detached. That's the hallmark of a sociopath.
I'm wondering if, despite the fact that this gunman moved here as a toddler, there weren't some serious cultural clashes in his life. Asian cultures, upon arrival in the U.S., adamantly cling to their cultural values. Sometimes it takes a few generations for the families to be "Americanized", and even then traditions still have a strong grasp on their views.
I'm not saying that's a bad thing, either. It's just an observation. But for this young man, it will be interesting to learn what his home life was. He seemed to have some rather evangelical attitudes about the "way of life" his fellow students maintained.
At any rate...