He Was Almost a School Shooter. What Stopped Him? | Amanpour and Company
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- Aaron Stark provides a unique perspective on America’s gun violence epidemic -- from inside the mind of a potential school shooter. As he explains in an article for the Washington Post, Stark was prevented from committing a massacre 25 years ago, when he was a teenager. Now a mental health advocate, Stark joins Michel Martin to discuss his past and what can be done to prevent these attacks.
Originally aired on July 22, 2022.
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Amanpour and Company features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day, from politics, business and technology to arts, science and sports. Christiane Amanpour leads the conversation on global and domestic news from London with contributions by prominent journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City.
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I feel like this is one of the most important interviews Amanpour & Co has ever done.
Badluckcity...you took the words right out of my mind...
Absolutely.
I was thinking the same.
Its a sad fact that America has to admit to producing people with these kind of lives and experiences IN mass. #GreatestCountryOnEarth
Thank you very much
I hope it helps someone somewhere
Thank you sir for speaking out. Others need to hear you.
This was an excellent interview. Thanks for sharing your story and happy you had a great friend who helped to start you on a better path. There definitely needs to be a better way to help abused children
I hope many people hear this story. It includes one of the best lines I've heard in a long time -- "give love to the ones you feel deserve it the least because they need it the most."
That's a topic for more stories in the media - instances of people showing love/kindness to ones who may seem to be undeserving. Those are potentially stories that will foster the greatest change in the world, not just to the people who were involved . . .
May more people follow that advice/wisdom and help the world get to a much better place.
I wish the whole world could hear this man speaking about this he really needs to be heard he can help so many 💯💯💯💯💯🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
@@joann1627 "The Whole World" does not need to hear this. The Mass Obliteration of Children is a uniquely American problem. "The Whole World" (Minus the US,) is doing OK, thanks. You shoot your kids, we don't.
This man's story reminds me of the horrific story of James Huberty. He struggled and tried to get help for a long time. After he realized that he was not going to get the help that he needed, he said "Society had their chance," before giving up and going out to "hunt humans." He went to a McDonald's in San Ysidro, California, and started shooting.
It lasted almost as long as the Uvalde shooting. At the time, it was the biggest and most terrifying mass shooting in America. Today, I doubt that it's in the top 20.
The point is there are people who are SO DESPERATELY trying to get help, and they can't get help, or they don't have the money, or they don't have insurance or the right kind of insurance, or anything else.
When those people believe that society has given up on them, they return the favor by giving up on society, and they don't make a secret of any of it.
Our society is cold, unfeeling and horrific, so it's no surprise that we are cultivating callous, unmoved killers.
🎯🎯🎯💯🙏🏼 Very well put!
The way this nation operates is so often an absolute crime against humanity.
Same with James Holmes and the theatre shooting.
Do you think this is an argument for universal healthcare? I’m assuming that clinic turned him away because he didn’t have insurance or a guardian present. The only stop after that would be a hospital emergency room, I imagine.
One of the strongest person ever, to speak their truth! Thank you, it may have seem like the brain blew up, but it was the heart, being broken, consistently, my God!
Thanks for your strength and self-love!
It takes real courage to tell the truth about his life. Thank you
I think Aaron should be an executive advisor to the president on the issue of mass shooters. He's really bright, and understands the problem better than anyone else.
God. Finally a real person just speaking to us. Im so grateful for you-SO grateful you're still here❤
Damn. This tore my guts out. It hurt to listen. Before I started watching this, I was thinking there is no way I'm going to sympathize with this guy. Anybody who thinks for one minute that they want to destroy innocent children is an irredeemable monster. Four minutes in, and I had Full sympathy for him. I'm not really very much different than he is. I may have experienced about 10% of the hell that he's gone through, and recovered from. I never fantasized about hurting random, innocent people. I only want to hurt monsters, but other than that, everything is the same.
What really gets me, is that he asked for help, and he obviously needed it, and he was turned away! What the fuck? There's something seriously wrong with our society. Also, I can't believe you didn't talk about that more. I experienced that too. I hit bottom, and I sliced myself up pretty good, and then I went and asked for help, and they turned me away. I almost completely lost it after that. I wanted to go on a rampage, take out some bad people, and die in the process.
I really feel for you. The domestic abuse of children breaks me up like nothing else. If you read the backgrounds of all the Dictators (and wannabes) around the world their background is virtually identical to the letter as what you and Aaron have experienced. Perhaps contact Aaron and/or Amanpour and Co. to set up a site to collect all these stories in one place and then use that as leverage to change the responses of the social/mental health services.
Social Psychologist Lisa Fontes wrote a book *Sexual Abuse in Nine North American Cultures: Treatment and Prevention* (Lisa A. Fontes). This is a particularly brilliant study because she used a systems/ecological approach to help repair these situations. You might like to encourage her to get involved? I have emailed her in the past, she's very approachable. Be well.
So glad that you hung on…and it looks as if you are still pushing forward! That will take you places, hold on every day…it does get better…when you work for it! I have been there…and now I am 82 and life works well!
Wow. his story brought me to tears. As we move post Roe. More kids that are going to be "unwanted", "a burden" could create much more stories like his. How is America society going to deal with kids that we forced upon families? American institutions Obviously need to be more supportive. Social services did not ACT on the child's behalf. Yet they are publicly the ones with that authority. Major change here? Could be a good place to focus "mental health" spending? Better Training / Better Job screening for positions paid by taxes / public funding?
This is true.
The conservative response, as I understand it, is that its all part of God's plan.
Perfectly encapsulated.
You managed to tie abortion into this. That’s quite amazing.
While it's a tragedy that Roe was overturned, school shootings have nothing to do this. Parents don't gain the right to abuse their children because they couldn't get an abortion. School shootings is way more complicated than blaming it on "unwanted" children. Also as a country with the biggest gun violence in the industrialized world, it's a bit sad to be thinking about how a Post Roe world would somehow make gun violence in the US worse. It's already horrible and beyond anything that's expectable in our peer nations. Let's please learn from them.
I appreciate his story, and though my story is much more like his friend’s, you can tell he is, indeed, a good person. He describes this experience and thought process very well.
Wow! This man's story is extremely hard to hear and... its also extremely eye opening to see things from his view, from his world, from his pain, from what he was suffering... very sad way to grow up and I... am very sorry about that Aaron Stark. THANK YOU for sharing your story. You are strong. You are important and... you are amazing to have come out of this horrible start and created your own family and that that abuse stops with you.... that you don't pass that on to your kids. 🙌 THAT... IS AMAZING!!!
I am sorry for all of your pain growing up. All kids deserve better. Thank you for your cleanse and being able to get past it. Thank you for helping us connect the dots.
I had a very hard childhood as well, and I was angry. He is 150% correct.
“Give love to the ones you think deserve it the least because they are the ones who need it the most.”
Thank you so much for sharing. Really shows how one compassionate person can save many lives.
I'm sure that the real story behind much of society's ills is very similar to this young man's story. We can only solve the problem when we can prevent this kind of terrible child abuse.
Indeed
I am so glad Aaron is speaking out. This plight is happening to so many young people, it’s a miracle he didn’t follow through with his fatal plans.
This man’s story should be taught to every school child in America. That one friend literally saved his life and untold other’s just by his simple kindness. That’s a lesson we all need to learn from! So called “bad” kids are the ones most in need of nurturing and positive interactions.
And that was the absolute best thing he could've said to leave us resonating with. "Give love to those you think deserve it the least, b/c they need it the most."
Thank you for sharing your story. Good to hear it may only take one person, one family. Do they even have the 3 day waiting period thing anymore? I'm actually surprised more of these guys don't just take out the awful people who treated them so treacherous, instead of innocent people at least. Blessed be your beautiful family, glad you made it and work to help those in similar situations ❤️☮️
Can we, as adults, be grown-up enough to look out for and do our best to take care of troubled young people. Let's be like 'Mike' and be looking out for people in pain!
That’s the most profound and powerful thing I’ve heard in a really long time.
This guy has come a very long way. He has obviously done a lot of self-reflection and work to heal his trauma.
Thank you for sharing your experience. This is a very brave man🙏
Very powerful interview. Thank you Aaron for your unflinching honesty. You humanized the individuals we demonize. You call us to reach deep into ourselves and find the compassion and treat everyone with dignity, kindness, and consideration. Compassion is too often perceived as weakness, whereas it takes so much work for me to be compassionate when my natural impulse is anger and resentment.
I feel his story. Thank you all for finding him and sharing :D
Aaron Stark,.....THANK YOU!! For sharing your story with us & with BEING OPEN to the Love from your friend when he saw your pain. That was also a choice you did not have to make. To be open to receiving his love & attention. You are amazing & we are all Grateful to you for what you do. You are a HERO today. I hope you share your story with as many people as you can possibly reach in your lifetime. Thank you. 🙏
In psychologist Alice Miller's terms Aaron's best mate Mike became for him an *Enlightened Witness* someone non-judgemental who knew his situation - "a good kid in a crap world" - and who loved him for who he was. So, yes an incident like that has the power to reach right inside and begin the transformation process.
Wow, this is profound. I know that pain. I feel you, man. So grateful to your recovery and health. Thank you for your story 🙏
More people need the courage to speak honestly about this type of thing.
The journalist and the guy telling his story is the best interview that I have seen in years because it explains so much‼️‼️‼️Now I only hope that everyone understands that what happens in abcommunity can happen to any child from any community ‼️Thank you so much for this interview‼️‼️
“Why is that what you wanted?” Isn’t the plan, fruition of the life he’s describing? We don’t really understand it if we grew up in different circumstances. Our path leads us to next every moment and every next choice. Thank you for this interview and thank you for making a healthy choice. You are both helpers! 🙏🏼
Brilliant! I pray he writes a book about his experience and how he saved himself. Incredibly important interview.
Thank you! Both of you for your truth
I saw this on tv & had to come here to say Thank You.
Very touching interview. I am happy that you survived a very bad situation. God helped you. You are a very good person.
Your god could have helped him much more by not putting him there in the first place.
Remarkable statement. Thank you for speaking out.
Outstanding. Wonderful interview.
Also, the level of empathy here. Thank you, everyone 🙏 Appreciated 👏
Great expressive and effective speaker
Thank you for sharing
what an inspirational journey this human is living.... "give love to the ones you feel deserve it the least, because they need it the most."
Aaron thank you. 💚
Wow. What an eye-opening interview. Thank you, Aaron--I've learned more from your honesty and giving us insights into your world that no one could ever define. The courage that it took for him to do the inner work to get him to where he is now is astonishing--especially coming from the depths of darkness that he stood in. I hope all schools, counselors, police and support services can hear his story. I admit this has given me more compassion for the darker souls walking this earth--and I will remember Aaron's words to just treat them more like a person than someone to be feared (with caution, of course).
Absolute gut punch. Tears. After uvalde I said “why can’t these guys go blow their own brains out and leave the rest of us alone?” This really drove home the extent to which the rest of us have left THEM alone. Isolated. These guys ARE “the rest of us” and we’re doing this to ourselves.
Thank you for sharing your story.
THANK You AARON. I am so Happy You are Alive. Your Family doesn’t DESERVE YOU. Your friend and his FAMILY ARE LIVING ANGELS. And I’d like to THANK my Parents who were Mom and Dad to Many Kids we dragged home. ❤️💋
Thank you! 🥲
Interesting guy and fantastic interviewer. Thank you both.
“Ocean of destruction” and “negative social environment” are terms Mr. Stark used to describe his personal experience of this society. And behind those descriptions are the cascading effects of American culture, the human misery caused by its domestic and foreign policies and its obsession with psychological, hot and cold perpetual war.
Holy moly, you really summarised this - "the cascading effects of American culture" - with some extraordinary insight. I can only imagine that you have some personal insight into these matters. Be well.
@@lobopix_ Thanks, I am just trying to make sense of this time in history. I do try to say something of value that I didn’t see in the comments. I love Amanpour & Co and I am a big fan of Michel Martin so it’s easy to say something relevant.
@@carlpope6541 Saying something of value in youtube comments is a rarity indeed which is why your comment stood right out.
You're certainly right about "trying to make sense of this time in history" because a whole heap of disruptive man-made interferences is coming our way and we are patently ill-prepared for it. It is our collective children who will bare the brunt of our failure of responsibility on any number of matters.
I watch this channel too. Thankfully the 3 main interviewers Hari, Michelle and Walter don't do the horribly typical US interviewer thing of showing off their knowledge and erudition for half an hour before they get around to asking each of their questions.
Here they generally get to the question quickly then sit right back and let the interviewee respond. And isn't that the very point of an interview: to hear what _they_ have to say not the interviewer preening themselves in public? Be well.
What a smart humble guy! His analysis of what is going on with those kids and the sickness of *unsocial* media that's breaking them is spot on. And the solution is just as simple as he says : treat people like humans not subjects or resources so they feel valid.
The most derogatory term in business to me is "human resource department" and yet it reflects how "The Market" think of us.
...what an amazing, clear, honest and important interview...and finally nothing new...if you never were loved as a kid, you ll never have love for yourself and other beeings...it would be so easy to have heaven on earth...much love from germany...
I'm glad you got through Aaron. Best of luck going foward
Thank you for your honesty and courage to telll your story! (Sounds like the kid from Oxford, MI)
WOW. Thank you for sharing your story. I see that you have a family and I"m so glad for you. Amazing how a helping hand and a shower can change a world.. Hopefully each of us can see where we can offer help and friendship.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I love the way he explains that you feel invisible. Shooting people would make you more visible. It makes sense. More people need to be kind to kids that seem odd
Riveting, gut-wrenching, heart breaking. And at the end, when Aaron Stark said, "Give love to the people you think deserve it the least... because they're the ones who need it the most," well, that just brought me to the final round of tears.
We cannot fix society's ills with more rules, more stringent laws, more punishment and more prisons. We cannot keep throwing people away who are struggling with the constantly growing barriers to basic survival, and lack of access to supportive, loving environments that are needed in order to thrive. Not everyone can just 'pull themselves up by the bootstraps,' when they keep getting knocked down by the systems and societies that erect more and more barriers for them to overcome.
If we lose our love for each other, and our very humanity, in this too-fast, too industrial, too technological, too corporate-controlled and capitalistic, pathologically disconnected world, we will create our own mass extinction from within. We're already on that collision course, in my view. When will we wake up, collectively, and change course in a meaningful way? 🙏☮💞
God bless this man for his brutal honesty. We all benefit from understanding and opening our hearts to the abused, neglected, and lonely children. Let's stop JUDGING! And let's start looking for every possible way to save these kids!🙏
"I'm just gonna be the best worthless I can"
that
This answered a lot of questions for me.
Everyone needs to hear this story. This explains all of it.
I heard him loud and clear. That he needed to be seen and heard, not as a problem etc. But just seen. As a teacher and parent, I am hoping I really SAW the humanity in children. I will be more aware after listening to his story. Thanks you for interviewing him. His message is so important to all of us.
Me too! I am usually aware, but this is a reminder to not drop the ball…
04:56 - Ronald Reagan is largely responsible for the lack of help Mr. Stark sought.
While Governer of California, he abolished the state's hospitals ability to care for patients with significant mental illness. These people were literally turned out and most became homeless.
When he was elected President, one of his first initiatives was to reverse Carter's Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 which was to rebuild the country's mental health care system.
Beg to differ. Once, my mother beat me and my brothers so badly our bloodied butts didn't dare make contact with the school bench. A teacher noticed my brother wasn't sitting properly and soon discovered why. We were taken to the school nurse's office, where they had to peel our underwear off to see how bad it was. My mother was taken into custody and we went to foster homes.
In short order, the authorities found out that my mother, a French national divorced from her American spouse, had no legal grounds to stay in the US. She was deported and we were sent packing right alongside her, ensuring we would have several more years of violence and neglect to look forward to.
That was in 1968, in Missouri. My experiences prove that child welfare has long not been a priority in the US, especially not if the child is from the wrong side of the tracks.
As a society we are STILL a long way from protecting our abused.
Wonderful point this man makes and it also points to the fact that before you are 18 you are considered a child and a child brought up in a dysfunctional household and no self worth is a serious mental problem that many do not have the maturity to deal with the circumstances of their lives- then you give them easy access to weapons of war??? Remember they do not have an open record before 18 therefore if family or close friends or teachers do not come forward to alert authorities there’s no way of knowing they could potentially be a threat. In the case of this man do you think his family would red flag him???
The easiest way to slow down this crazy violence is raising the age to 21 and paying a high insurance premium to own any type of rapid fire weapon. The insurance should stay extremely high until 25- just like renting a car. And most importantly is to get more counselors into the schools that have contact with these kids and being able to direct them to programs to help young people with mental issues that result from poor home situations. With over turning of Roe/Wade there will be a flood of unwanted and abused kids that will further this violence committed by young people that we are seeing here in US
Aaron I'm so glad a angel loved you enough and gave you the strength to love yourself
The United States is a developed country that is rich in economy, science, health and has the largest and most expensive education in the world, but has many students with many mental illnesses : paranoia, serial killers, schizophrenia, narcissist, psychosis, bipolar disorder. but these diseases only appear in economically underdeveloped countries, with poor sanitation and oppressive and exploitative political environments.
The gun culture that the U.S. Supreme Court defends for the Second Amendment has conspired with murderers. Not only do ordinary people suffer from mental illness, but conservative judges on the Supreme Court also suffer from mental illness.
The USA is NOT a developed country - it is a Third World country with wealth exploited from its own citizens, and from nations around the world.
@@ianchandley 👍❤️
What a story - thank you for sharing.
Beautiful story! But, I have seen those children over my 82 years and especially when my own children were teens and our family was struggling with an alcoholic father. This story rings so true about affirmation of kids. Especially, the ones that seem hard to love.
We need more education on psychological development in schools.
He is very good at verbalization. Thank God he was able to pull through his tragic childhood.
He can now use his skills to help others.
God bless him.
He is the cure.
Thank GOD for his story and his friend Mike!!
Hello everybody I am the one in the video. Thank you all for listening.
If you have e any questions I will try to answer them
Hi, Aaron. Your childhood and mine have quite a bit in common, down to the saving grace - in my case, both a friend and music. Did you also find solace in music?
You're spot-on; more of us need to tell our stories, especially now, when the powers that be have decided every child must be born, whether wanted or not. It seems few have any idea what it's like growing up unwanted and the consequences it can bring.
All my best to you and your lovely family, and thank you for all you do. Best from Poland.
Hopefully Aaron Stark can spearhead change the way Social Services/Mental Health foundations. Incredible strength and perseverance Mr. Stark-in spite of agencies that are funded to help a person like he used to be.
Amen. Social services agreed with his mom. Same thing with me growing up.
"Give love to the ones you feel deserve it the least, because they need it the most." For me, Mr. Stark's words shined a bright light on the #Evangelical movement, growing in number, power and influence, that ignores neglected children in "normal" families, not recognizing that many of these kids will turn 18 and instantly become mass shooters with AR15's. If Evangelicals truly cared about family values they'd focus on our institutional familial failures and help those they consider to be "normal" families already in such crisis. They'd work with the federal government, state, and community officials and social service departments to help these kids. This illuminating interview highlights their failures and, IMO, how influential groups like Evangelicals should be focused on the real and most basic of "family values," kids who won't be traumatized to the point Mr. Stark so bravely discussed. If all who can make a difference don't start with this critical issue, I see a future filled with destroyed "family values" and more traumatized young kids who'll turn to guns, suicide and murder.
His friend was right 100% right about him, he was a good kid in a very bad situation, if I had gone through his experience I don't think could have been the decent, empathic and intelligent human being he has become, I would still be angry and fearful/paranoid of the world and people around me. It's an absolute shame and tragedy there are not more people like him and his friend in the world, btw duck all the people who shat on him. His story makes me want to be a better human being, thanks dude.
Excellent insight for those of us who deeply care ….there are so many lost kids…
good idea for an interiew. finally!
however you should emphasize in the title that they also discuss the reasons that led him to think of doing it, before stopping himself.
Let us think about this again! GIVE LOVE TO THOSE THAT YOU FEEL DESERVE IT THE LEAST, BECAUSE THEY NEED IT THE MOST. That is much more than some sort of affirmation. If put into action, that seemingly simple concept would be transformative!!! I know that I am going to try to remember this for the rest of my life.
Be someone's "home base". 🙏🏻
❤️
🐞And so goes the argument “ No gun no crime. 🐞
Everyone always believed my mother too. I still hate liars and lies. Social services is not so good. It's a very poorly implemented system full of people who don't care much about children. Just putting on a show.
Thanks for sharing this.
Same here.
Think how society has treated him all his life,...now you know how women feel everyday. Can you imagine if women joined the ranks in doing mass shootings because they feel hated? 😳
I'm at the beginning of this show but I wonder if the cause of his hateful desires had to do with poor socialization. Was he someone that others disliked, and so he did not make proper connections with his peers? I'll listen and find out.
Ok, I listened. Wow! Poor guy. It's incredible how awful some parents are willing to be to their children. I truly can't understand it. I'm sincerely surprised that he reached out for help. And I'm surprised he was told no help was available.
This story for me was an eye opener. I wish members in the political and arm forces would see this
😢 🙏
"There"s nothing I can do for you". My psycholigist health coach whose been told my serious neuron brain injury doesn't exist, told me that yesterday. Ella axtec califonian mujer who bicecleta the 🌍 to Great Barrier Island New Zealand not knowing this island is still controlled by the last missionary of Church of England empire. He's killed all my loved ones and got a medal from the Queen cos he got her Pitcairn Island as nuclear missile base via interpol. Russia has all ukranian men killed three russian conscripted armies, but everyone's got new nukes for a reason. Gotta survive like him to tell.
Hard to hear this story ….hard TRUTHS that societal structures need to take VERY SERIOUSLY! All the times, he asked for help and was turned away with a POLITE ‘sorry’. If these mental health agencies don’t help-then WHAT are they good for or funded. Mental health professionals REALLY need to ask themselves this questions-HOW exactly are they performing what their name implies. ‘Mental Health or social services’ Judges also return those abused children lot the abusers. Child Social Services needs a complete overhaul and the judiciary who oversee that space. Talk about NOT seeing what is really going on.
"I was either a monster or a project."
I'll take "project" over ostracization & abandonment any day.
16:20 "I was depressed and abused and alone and felt like i was worthless."
is this mental illness or just being wrong about oneself?
Trying to prove that something is a mental illness rather than some other category is a huge stupid waste of time.
That's not headed in the direction of SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
It's a wild goose chase.
And the BUSINESS** of psychiatry and pharmacology know this very well.
** singular, not plural.
😢
Unfortunately the 24 hour cable news media helps create the situation by giving these mass gunmen the attention they seek even though the majority of the perpetrators are usually dead by the time it's over with and this guy presents the perfect description of why we see so many copycat crimes. It's because these people want their 15 minutes of fame on live TV.
This cat is very smart
This guy is sick and goofy as hell too.
It should be mandatory for all children over the age of three in the US to carry guns at school. Locked and loaded. Kevlar helmets and vests. Keep our kids safe. Go USA 🇺🇸
You are insane. You are part of the problem. Go get help, you're obviously screwed up.
People who do that are POS cowards.stop blaming others for ur actions.
You missed the point.
Cry me a river many go thru that and never mass murder
Some good guy, conceal carry , would have taken you out.
gfys.
1st)learn English
2nd)you should have listened to the whole clip before commenting!
Explains a lot. Good interview.