Not a happy post.

So it happened again. Another desperately angry (lonely? disturbed?) teenager took out his rage on his fellow students, teachers, and three passersby. Sixteen people have died. Again. Young lives were ended before they had properly begun. Again. And again, people are shell-shocked, astonished at how this could have happened so close to home, in such a quaint little town as Winnenden near Stuttgart. As with the equally terrible 2002 incident in eastern Erfurt, my heart goes out to the pupils, teachers, friends, family and Winnenden citizens- they have my sincere sympathy. As with Erfurt, the search for answers is beginning- how could a 17-year old be filled with such hate as to go on such a bloody rampage? How will life in Winnenden go on? And, most importantly, how can these crimes be prevented? How can we make sure we'll never see these images of crying children, of roses being laid down outside a school, ever again?

The media are always a popular choice when it comes to casting the blame. All those terribly violent movies and computer games, and heavy metal music of course, leave our youth terribly depraved. Don't they? As I'm writing this, I'm reading the first article claiming 17-year old Tim enjoyed playing Counterstrike. Well done, WELT Online. Gotta ban'em all, those evil games. Don't we love those easy explanations.

Another popular related issue is the guns law. Now, in this regard, Germany certainly isn't anything like the US or somewhere like that. In order to legally own a weapon, one has to obtain a license by demonstrating sufficient knowledge on weapons, mental capability, and by buying a special insurance. This license is limited to a three-year term.

Most civilian weapon owners would have to be members of shooting clubs, hobby shooters who have obtained a license in order to be able to keep a firearm at home. In the Winnenden case, the boy's father was a member of a shooting club and owner of 16 (!) weapons. (How that is legal - or normal- I don't know, but that appears to be part of the investigation.) In Erfurt, 19-year old Robert Steinhäuser was a member of a club himself. After Erfurt, the minimum age for gun ownership was raised from 18 to 21. Now one could say, luckily there's not that many people in shooting clubs. One could even say it's a coincidence that those clubs played a role in both cases, and that either kid could have just gotten a gun off the street if he'd wanted. But, as a reverse conclusion, what if more people had a Waffenschein and legally had guns in their homes? Would we possibly have considerably more cases where their offspring finds the key to the secret cupboard and goes on a rampage? How many Tims and Roberts are really out there, so lonely and so frustrated that their dearest wish is to blow the heads off all those who bully them every day? How many schoolkids would simply love to show them all?

For the real problem if you ask me (and not just me, but rest assured most politicians won't be asking) lies within our rotten old school system. In a system where it's laughably easy to become a teacher, where becoming one is all about academic expertise and pedagogic aptitude is worth next to nothing, where teachers are un-fireable civil servants with a very comfortable payment structure and where "teacher" is a lazy job choice for many simply out of lack of a better option, are our children taught and looked after by capable, motivated and caring individuals? Do their teachers provide them with real-life advice, sufficient support and motivation? Do the teachers still care after a few years of doing the same thing, with no incentives to improve or change at all? Of course not! Being a pupil in Germany means intimidation instead of encouragement, constant judgement instead of fair evaluation and opportunities, and resignation where there should be extra effort. On a day-to-day basis. And I'm solely talking about teachers' treatment of students here- I haven't even mentioned the bullying. As long as there's a three-track system where children are put into categories of smart, not so smart and dumb as early as age 9, as long as any imbecile can become a teacher, and as long as going to school means fear and competition instead of community and perspectives, I'm giving us a few years before the next incident of this sort.

But shedding established systems and reforming dusty old structures hasn't been a strongpoint of any German government in ages. In the election year of 2009, this tragedy will surely be in the focus of many an eager politician. Unfortunately, I have a suspicion that any change we'll see will be limited to banning a few games, and perhaps a couple movies.

Real change? Nein danke.

Bis dann

Nadine