The father of a schoolboy stabbed by a deranged attacker, holds
his son's blood-stained shirt, in Chenping, Henan Province, Dec. 14.
From
Chenping to Newtown: 'Don't Let Children Go to School
in Fear' (022 China, People's Republic of China)
On the same day Alan Lanza went on a rampage with an assualt rifle in Newtown, Connecticut, killing 20 children and six adults, half a world away, in China's Henan Province, a deranged man entered an elementary school and attacked children with a knife, injuring 22. In this article from China's state-controlled 022 China, columnist Li Guohui argues that at every level, ' friends, relatives, communities and societies' have failed to properly care for the mentally ill, which he suggests is the root cause of such attacks.
Parallel attacks on children in America and China: On the same day Alan Lanza went on a rampage in Newtown with an assualt rifle, killing 20 children and six adults, a deranged man in China's Henan Province entered an elementary school and attacked children with a knife. Twenty two were injured, including the child above. In China, thanks to the fact that the attacker used only a knife, no one was killed.
On the morning of
December 14th, in Gunagshang county, Henan Province, a
man slashed 22 students, some of whom were seriously injured. The preliminary
determination was that the attacker was a man suffering from mental illness and
experiencing an intermittent neurotic episode named Min Ying-jun [闵应军]. A few hours later, more tragic
news emerged.
At an elementary school in the American state of Connecticut,
a shooting took place in which as many as 28 people were killed, including 20
children. Law enforcement officials say that the attacker, Adam Lanza, may have had a personality disorder, and his family
added that he may be autistic, and furthermore was undergoing drug treatment.
On this day, dozens of innocent children experienced a
murderous tragedy - an unforgiveable and heinous crime! But as we grieve the
innocent lives extinguished, and rage at the cruelty of such an indiscriminate
slaughter of the innocent, there are mysteries that remain to be solved.
Whether or not Min Ying-jun suffered
some kind of neurotic episode, why would he go to an elementary school to
attack children with a knife? What was Adam Lanza's
motive for killing his mother - and why after killing her, did he take four types
of firearms to her elementary school and do such violence?
[Editor's Note: Early reports were that Lanza's
mother taught at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. As it turns out, she never
did.]
The police forensic investigation may yet help resolve this puzzle.
As we await the facts, this is an issue that demands further reflection: why do
certain people with mental illnesses eventually resort to crime? And why do safety
barriers around schools so often prove ineffective?
China graphic
of the attack on Chenping schoolchildren.
In recent years, many disturbing incidents involving out-of-control
mentally ill people have occurred, and reports of deranged individuals killing
and injuring others have almost continuously been a topic of discussion. Statistics
show that 10 percent of all such incidents involve the mentally ill. The social
harm that results from this cannot be ignored. A China Central Television news
survey showed that every year, mentally ill people are involved in over 10,000 incidents
of serious violence.
Posted by Worldmeets.US
And as noted earlier, situations like these are not unique
to China. This July this year, there was a massacre in the U.S. city of Denver.
Neighbors of the suspect John Holmes, said he was withdrawn, and his lawyers
said he was undergoing psychiatric treatment. And last year in July, a bombing
and shooting in Norway's capitol of Oslo killed 77 people and injured more than
80. The “maniac" responsible was said to be suffering from paranoid
schizophrenia.
Looking around the globe, the number of mental patients with
personality disorders has gradually risen, and their friends, relatives, communities
and societies have failed at every level to provide the proper care and concern.
If a "fuse" is unexpectedly lit, a "bomb" will explode. At
that moment, these apparently meek lambs may turn into mighty butchers. Therefore,
in order to create a more harmonious social environment, there must be stepped-up
intervention with mentally ill people. Earlier mechanisms for prevention are a
matter of great urgency.
A mother and her son, who was stabbed in the head at
a primary school by a deranged attacker, in Chenping
village, Henan Province, Dec. 14.
How professional and scientific is treatment? Are psychological intervention mechanisms timely enough? In order to "keep
watch" on mentally ill patients, outside of traditional medical and
psychological approaches, should mental health be recognized as a social
problem - and are family, friends, and society at every level, giving enough
attention and supervision? Are lawmakers and officials paying enough attention?
Can people with mentally illnesses be permitted to override the lives of the
rest of the population? All of these questions must be urgently answered.
Furthermore, school security should not be overlooked. The opportunities
Min Ying-jun and Adam Lanza
had to take such malicious action against children are not unrelated to weak security.
Perhaps if they were equipped with the necessary human, material and
technological protection, and it was ensured that the job of providing school
security was taken more seriously, "devils slipping into school"
could be more effectively prevented, and a safer barrier for children's lives
could be erected.
In recent years, frequent gun attacks have repeatedly struck
the nerves of Americans and the wider global public, and after each shooting,
an intense debate on gun regulation ensues. The popularity of gun culture in
the United States has deep historical roots. For more than 200 years, Americans
have used their guns to secure freedom and order. But damage to public safety due
to gun ownership cannot be ignored, which is why the movement to "ban
guns" has never disappeared.
But apart from the fact that the United States constitutionally
guarantees the right to own a gun, the National Rifle Association and other
interest groups impede gun control, and both politial parties contribute to making the
issue of firearms more complicated. And a segment of the "pro-gun
faction" opposes all government controls over firearms. So regarding this
attack, even though Obama was choked up by tears and said he was "heart
broken" a number of times, he has yet to take a clear position on the
topic of gun control.
Gun control is a complex issue, and is unlikely to be resolved
anytime soon. In contrast, "not letting our children go to school afraid"
is an issue much easier to solve.
