So I found out I'm on my schools "Shooting Watch List"

[Jodah]

Heh, my school wasn't really worried about that. We had stuff to do in case, lock the doors and such, but nobody took it seriously. Half the students had rifles in their cars during hunting season and we had a school sponsored Trap Shooting Team. If someone was gunna go psycho there they wouldn't have had to try very hard.

Honestly, I would have been offended about the Atheist lacking empathy thing. One does not need to read a book of stories to be morally well adjusted.

 

[killamanhunter]

tell some guy in Anon about it, they'll tear that school district apart like the largest box under the Christmas tree. However if you do not plan to ask the most powerful beings on the internet just go into the counseling office and yell, "I HAVE A GUN IN MY POCKET!" and just walk out. Should get you both looks and laughs the rest of the day and week.

 

[Raregolddragon]

Humm I was on the list in high school due to a mental breakdown I had.

But in my defense it was caused by an allergic reaction of stupid that was on a linebacker.

I mean dammit when you don't know where original 13 states where and say that out loud with pried because of your ghetto culture, your going to get a rant for having that much stupid on you.

 

[Mr.Gompers]

Great, if my school has a list like that, I'm probably labeled the #1 threat, as I
-love guns
-play video games
-am an atheist
-like metal
-am not afraid to argue with my teachers
-and had issues with bullying/anger when I was younger

I wonder how I could find out if my school has one...

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

According to your situation and the general way I act (apparently I can be VERY creepy when I want to be) I think I'm very high up on that list.

 

[soes757]

Well people who excel at science do tend want to kill people...for science reasons of course.

They also have weird fascinations with cake...

OT: That is weird. But at least the teachers are being told to be nice to you.

You beat me to it!


OT: Thats kinda scary...You should get the rest of the folders and sell them to other students for $100 a piece.

Oh yeah And I'd be pretty high up...cording to your school anyway.

 

[Laser Priest]

By the beard, Christian town schools...

But this fits me, and most of the people I know.

I guess that means we're DANGEROUS.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

So I was called into the office of my high school today to talk to my guidance counselor about college stuff (I'm a senior) and she had all my files and stuff on her desk. There was one folder she never looked at though during the meeting. I asked her about it and she said it wasn't important.

The bell rang and we both got up to leave. I went back to her office once she had left and picked up the folder. It was a report about my "school shooting potential". At my school, apparently, the SSP is based on grades, interests, music choice, and religion. It said this (from what I can recall, I skimmed it)

"Grades: Excellent, excels in science.
Interests: Shows an interest in death and goth culture.
Music Choice: Heavy metal, shows interest in death.
Religion: Atheist, shows lack of empathy.

Comments: Staff are urged to act nicer to NAME to keep him at a stable emotional level."

Which is weird, because I don't have any interest in goth subculture or a death fascination. I do like metal, but so? Also the part about me being an atheist is ridiculous (the school is in a Protestant/Catholic town).

Anyone else think this is a bit weird?

Shit, in that case I was probably on a similar list...
Let's see, loner, great at science/math, slightly heavy, always wore too much black, confirmed atheist, always sat alone during lunch, buried in books, never talks to anybody. Heh, and I don't even like violence...

Honest advice: try to get that folder again, make copies, and return the folder. Confront the principle about this, and demand an explanation and the release of all collected information on you. Feel free to threaten a lawsuit (defamation iirc, as it is in writing that could potentially harm your future if it falls into the wrong hands), but you cannot use the copies you made for that. If that doesn't work, take the copies to the press and watch the shitstorm take down a few people.

 

[Vykrel]

Religion: Atheist, shows lack of empathy.

Comments: Staff are urged to act nicer to NAME to keep him at a stable emotional level."

Which is weird, because I don't have any interest in goth subculture or a death fascination. I do like metal, but so?

that atheist part is one fucked up assumption. to think that someone possibly has a lack of morals or empathy simply because they arent afraid of going to some terrible place after they die is just ludicrous. some folks are good people just because its the right thing to be.

also, do you wear a lot of metallica t-shirts, or other black band shirts? if so, that might be why they assume you are into goth culture. any piercings you might have are probably also a contributing factor to your schools dipshit judgement

 

[t3h br0th3r]

You should confront her about it, at her house, while holding a gun.

Actually don't do that, that would be a horrible thing to do. Also, you snuck back into her office to rifle through your files just to know what one 'unimportant' file was? Thats some worrying behaviour right there.

I like how music choice is one of the indicators for whether you will shoot up a school. "ARGH He likes Judas Priest, now were all screwed!"

Those female genitals!

if he were a Canibal Corpse fan, then i would be worried.

 

[Laser Priest]

tell some guy in Anon about it, they'll tear that school district apart like the largest box under the Christmas tree. However if you do not plan to ask the most powerful beings on the internet just go into the counseling office and yell, "I HAVE A GUN IN MY POCKET!" and just walk out. Should get you both looks and laughs the rest of the day and week.

Especially from the police and your parents after you've been suspended or expelled for causing a panic at school.

 

[SilentCom]

What school do you go to? I never heard of a school shooting potential list. This shows that people are rather paranoid about school shooting nowadays.

 

[Nifarious]

Well, despite the very fuzzy legality of unprofessional profiling based on random, insulting assumptions (Atheist=killer???), your school has only asked you to talk casually with a guidance counsellor and advises that their employees try to act extra nice to you. Insulting and discrimination, yes, but only of a 'positive' sort. It's like holding Asians to be the model minority because they fall in line in an inherently inferior matter just for being an othered minority. It is discrimination, but there's little to be done about it, legally. At least, that what one layperson supposes.
I'd talk about it with my parents, but ultimately, I don't think there's anything to be done other than ignore it.

 

[Amaury_games]

Well people who excel at science do tend want to kill people...for science reasons of course.

How does relegion and music taste make you more likely to go on a shooting spree. Kind of strange for a school to monitor their pupils like this based of vague ideas of their personality and interests.

I wouldn't say this is unexpected, since there are many cases of shooting sprees, and people want to make them stop. From what I read on the first post. The thing about religions is to look for signs that the person has more empathy and hope or stuff like that, which would probably prevent him/her from going on a killing spree (unless he/she is a fanatic, and then people are just as screwed as him/her would wnat to rid the world of the impure ones). I can't say I don't like this (I think I'd like to make files like these for each student if I ran a school, but the data they're acquiring and analising seems to be odd or stupid. Examples: The OP said he/she isn't atheist or goth, so where did THAT come from? If the school if classifying the students based on their principles and ideas, rather than psychological studies and objective analysis of your attributes, I think they're pretty much wasting their time and wouldn't prevent a mass murder if the killer-to-be walked in front of them with a sniper rifle saying it was for a hunting trip he would take with his beloved dad, while they would read the bible and listen to gospel music the whole week. ¬¬ The other issue is: Where the HELL is the paragraph that tells if you're being assaulted by bullies; having your lunch money stolen; have weird parents, friends, classmates, teachers (you know, the people that are part of your life and influence part of the way you think, even if you don't agree with them); if you write weird stuff like "Kill them All"... Basically, they seem to be ignoring your environmental influences, and THAT'S very bad, and blind.

PS: I don't think EVERY killer would have a background with the actions (like writing creepy stuff), and experiences (having weird friends, teachers, parents), or that these things alone make a mass-murderer. I do believe they help make one, or at least, don't help preventing a person from becoming one. I hope I saved a lot of misunderstanding with this sentence.

 

[Nifarious]

Well, despite the very fuzzy legality of unprofessional profiling based on random, insulting assumptions (Atheist=killer???), your school has only asked you to talk casually with a guidance counsellor and advises that their employees try to act extra nice to you. Insulting and discrimination, yes, but only of a 'positive' sort. It's like holding Asians to be the model minority because they fall in line in an inherently inferior matter just for being an othered minority. It is discrimination, but there's little to be done about it, legally. At least, that what one layperson supposes.
I'd talk about it with my parents, but ultimately, I don't think there's anything to be done other than ignore it.

 

[Feralcentaur]

Wait, if you're being called more prone to violence for listening to Metal, does that mean you can judge people by what other music genres they like?
Like could you say someone has a "special" interest in farm animals for listening to Country?

 

[jumjalalabash]

I got put on one of those kinda lists in middle school for supposedly making a "hit list' (took me 3 years what in the fuck that was) on a bus. The major hole in this story being that I don't ride a bus which brings up many unsettling questions.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

Everyone else explaineed my feelings towards this, so I'll point something else out:

Let's say you did go on a school shooting, wouldn't your motivations be INCREDIBLY wierd? "Motivated to shoot out because my documents said I was going to".

.>

What? I thought it would've been wierd. you sould tell them that your school records are rather inaccurate.

EDIT: You know, this makes me wonder what MY school records say about me...

 

[LGC Pominator]

This is weird, scary and probably indicative of why my 2 final years of high school (when I got into metal) suddenly saw teachers giving me a wider berth than usual.

Is it just the autistic part of me that wants to break into my course coordinator's office in my uni campus and find out what documents they have got on me? cos I am really interested now!

I wonder how I would fare if assessed the same way:

Likes metal, videogames and such
Religiously open (IE agreeable to any interesting ideas)
Variety of conditions
working knowledge of modern and medieval weaponry
possibly dangerous interest in martial arts and knives.

Yeah, I would probably already be locked up where you are.

But they know whats for the best, right? RIGHT?

 

[Riddle78]

Hmm...Well,with the inclusion of "Relegion" on that list,I could see it at an attempt at profiling. However,with the other elements,that seems less plausible. However,the mere existance of this document,and others like it,startles me,even disgusts me. I understand that if a school shooting occured,it'd be DISASTEROUS. I also understand that it warrants monitoring. However,this seems extreme,and it can be abused to single individuals or groups out too easily.

I'm troubled by this list,to say the least. Inform the higher ups about your knowledge of this list,explain to them it's faults,and suggest something a little less...unorthodox. Like random school-wide locker,desk,and bag searches. Heavy handed? Maybe. Invasive? True,but so's that list (invasion of privacy,I'd think. They're spying on you!). Results? I'd estimate an 80% rate of finding and pre-emptively defusing any shooting attempts. Searches best done before lunch,however,since lunch is the first prime opprotunity for a shooting due to the reasonable assumption that 90% or more of the school population would be in the caf.

On a personal note? Your school's administration is CRACKED. Espionage? Seriously?