AMID the shock, bewilderment and knee-jerk reactions to the stabbing incident in a Kuching International School, there have been all manner of conjecture about what motivated the 16-year-old assailant to attack his teacher.
Many horrified netizens were quick to point their fingers at the negative influence of gaming culture that has led to this shocking incident that was not only captured on the school’s CCTV but also apparently livestreamed on social media as well.
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However, a Threader was keen to highlight the negative influence of the True Crime Community (TCC) on the mindsets of the young and impressionable.
It was the considered opinion of mad (@mma4d._) that too many teenagers are seemingly obsessed with serial killers and mass shooters on social media.
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Warning that this is a serious issue, the poster urged parents to be vigilant and to monitor their offspring’s behaviour.
Alluding to the case of “praytokirbygirl” where a 15-year-old pupil stabbed a schoolmate after persistent bullying in Bating, Selangor, this troubled poster is deeply disturbed by the increased influence of TCC in recent times.
Editor’s Note: The digital footprint and an alleged “manifesto” or planner uncovered during the investigation which heavily referenced the popular Nintendo character Kirby and a pseudo-religious concept dubbed “Kirbyism” explained the assailant’s avatar/online persona.
Claiming to be researching TCC (no citations provided), the poster urged parents to be busybodies to “check up on them (their children) from time to time”.
Acknowledging the influence of TCC in the actions of the (alleged) perpetrator, this concerned citizen believed that some blame must lie with his parents for not doing the necessary.
The post aimed at raising awareness on the danger lurking behind children’s phone screens had generated 7.9K likes, 286 comments, 2.3K re-posts and 3.1K shares at time of publication, denoting that this incident has shocked a nation still reeling from a spate of school-related tragedies.
Underlining the danger posed, one commenter described TCC as having a cult-like grip on young minds and for parents to shield their kids from “extremist and terrorist ideologies”.
Warning that these groups are active on online platforms such as WhatsApp and Discord, guardians are advised to conduct spot checks on their kids’ gadgets to ensure they are not falling prey to such insidious content.
In a lengthy explanation, one commenter was at pains to stress that ultimately a person was responsible for his/her own actions.
Noting that it was unfair to “just blame the internet” when the majority who use and consume online content do not act adversely, this observer saw a pattern of family or bullying problems in those who react negatively.
It was thus reasoned that the root problems be addressed instead of kneejerk reactions after every shocking incident.
A ban of keywords by the authorities was also mooted as a method to combat this rising threat of TCC though it was noted followers were getting round TikTok’s bans by using emojis.
“I genuinely don’t understand why these TCC getting more and more awful,” lamented this concerned commenter.
The influence of TCC and a host of personal issues instead of video games was apparently confirmed by the (alleged) perpetrator himself with screenshots of postings from his social media account with fellow Threader @complxct attesting to the poster.
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Main image credit: Gempak
