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School Violence


            There is no easy way to address such a disturbing problem. There is no way to relate to what a fourteen year old is thinking after he shoots classmates and friends. And there is also no way to put a stop to this problem that is taking away the last bits and pieces of innocence in America's youth. In this case, salvation comes as a product of understanding. Understanding what can fill a child with such rage and hatred. Understanding how society contributes to the deviance of these children. Utilizing the Functionalist, Conflict, and Interactionist perspectives of sociology we will search for this understanding and along the way find a practical approach to this problem. We will look at two specific incidents from the past five years and try to see them in the different perspectives our society refers to. We will also look to identify the problem at its roots and attempt to illustrate what sociologists should be looking for with respect to data and its sources.
             The first incident chosen was reported about in an article entitled Teen Lives Out Murderous Dream written by Lisa Popyk and published on November 10th, 1998 in The Post. In this case the child was Michael Carneal, a fourteen year old whose life was plagued by feelings of insecurity, paranoia, and "perceived injustices". Although he was not a popular student, he was seen by teachers, neighbors, and family members alike, as your typical fourteen year old. So what drove Micheal Carneal to break into a neighbor's house and steal numerous deadly weapons? What made him so angry that he would "unleash his frustrations on a steel drum kept in his backyard"? And most importantly what brought him to his boiling point that left five classmates wounded and three dead no more then twenty feet in front of him?.
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             According to the functionalist perspective society is a stable orderly system that believes in the importance of shared moral values and strong bonds in a particular society.


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