Having guns 'is a sign of low self-esteem'

[quade 3]

News:

Having guns 'is a sign of low self-esteem'

Guns can provide an intoxicating and almost pornographic attraction to young men who often feel powerless, according to academics in the field.

Last year a team of criminologists from Portsmouth University researched gun crime in a project funded by the Home Office.

They interviewed 80 men in prison who had become involved in gun crime.

'Power'

Asked about what attracted him to guns, Tommy, a London born crack addict and armed robber, said: "The control, the power you have got when you have got that in your hand."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6937537.stm

Don't shoot the messenger.









(If you're not getting the joke . . . http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3548083)

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[kbordson 8]

I think my same comment applies to this thread.

[quade 3]

Quote

I think my same comment applies to this thread.

Point is . . . I don't understand how some people can use that as an argument when that can be applied to just about -anything-.

Pretty much everything anybody does is in an effort to boost their self-esteem. Pretty much nothing is done for completely altruistic purposes.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[wolfriverjoe 1,346]

Quote

I think my same comment applies to this thread.

Ok, I don't understand it there either.

Guns mean power. (paraphrasing Chairman Mao)
Poeple who have no power can get it with a gun.

That power may be desired by a small woman who might have to face a large male assailant, a homeowner who may face a gang of home invaders, or a cop who may have to face a number of suspects.

Quade - are you seriously suggesting AggieDave suffers from low self-esteem (and yes I got that it was a joke)

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[quade 3]

Quote

Quade - are you seriously suggesting AggieDave suffers from low self-esteem (and yes I got that it was a joke)

No. I just wanted to make the joke but . . . knowing the rules as I do . . . I couldn't make it in that thread AND keep it there.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Amazon 7]

Quote

Quote

I think my same comment applies to this thread.

Point is . . . I don't understand how some people can use that as an argument when that can be applied to just about -anything-.

Pretty much everything anybody does is in an effort to boost their self-esteem. Pretty much nothing is done for completely altruistic purposes.

I don't know about that Quade.... lots of women have been very altruistic towards men.

http://www.collegegear.com/sf/stores/1337/p-304574.shtml

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Pretty much everything anybody does is in an effort to boost their self-esteem. Pretty much nothing is done for completely altruistic purposes.

But why do men buy mopeds?

---
I'm rejecting the study solely on the basis of it being English. Of course they feel powerful with a gun in their hand. It means more to them. Here's it's like having a car.

[quade 3]

Quote

But why do men buy mopeds?

Excellent question. However, just because something appears to lower a person's self-esteem, doesn't mean that the person doesn't see it differently.

Let's say I give a million dollars to charity. Ok, sounds altruistic, but is it? I get to write that off as a tax deduction, people are grateful to me AND I might feel good about it. That's not altruistic at all.

Same deal with the moped. You may THINK it brands him as a loser, but he may think he's somehow being more environmentally conscious. The truth doesn't matter in the equation.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[chuckakers 370]

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...according to academics...

Ya lost me there.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[kbordson 8]

Quote

Quote

I think my same comment applies to this thread.

Ok, I don't understand it there either.

Both of the example studies use a very low "N" which raises serious questions on the possibility of selection bias.

Meaning that jf I only need to have 80 people in my study, I can pick any 80 people that will support my theory - which doesn't necessarily PROVE my hypothosis.

[wolfriverjoe 1,346]

Quote

Quote

Quote

I think my same comment applies to this thread.

Ok, I don't understand it there either.

Both of the example studies use a very low "N" which raises serious questions on the possibility of selection bias.

Meaning that jf I only need to have 80 people in my study, I can pick any 80 people that will support my theory - which doesn't necessarily PROVE my hypothosis.

Ok, thanks.

I can also see both as a "reverse conclusion" - people with low self esteem are more likely to have guns and tatoos, but guns or tatoos don't necessarily mean low self-esteem.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[lawrocket 3]

You know, Paulan the point you hit is pretty dead on, in my arrogant opinion. But note - this is science people are doing. They've got goveernment funding to study this and rerach their conclusions.

I mean, Paul, this is supposedly science.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[MartinOlsson 0]

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Both of the example studies use a very low "N" which raises serious questions on the possibility of selection bias.

Did the study have a quantitative approach or was it a qualitative? Skimming through the article, I would guess qualitative. If thats the case a low N doesn't mean much.

/Martin

[Dave1960 0]

you can't make any kind of broad-reaching conclusions over a study with only 80 subjects in it. Any study of value would have to add a couple zeros to that number.
But just in case I'm getting my tattoos lasered off and have a nice barely used 9mm handgun for sale if anyone's interested

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Pretty much everything anybody does is in an effort to boost their self-esteem. Pretty much nothing is done for completely altruistic purposes.

It definately makes me happy to be on the range running CQB drills with steel targets. The "ting" of a fast and accurate shot is really exciting.

You know, the same argument could be made about skydivers, swoopers, surfers, baseball card collectors...

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[rushmc 18]

Quote

Quote

Quade - are you seriously suggesting AggieDave suffers from low self-esteem (and yes I got that it was a joke)

No. I just wanted to make the joke but . . . knowing the rules as I do . . . I couldn't make it in that thread AND keep it there.

Didnt buy a rifle until I was 47 years old. Had a 9MM S & W one year before that.

Hand gun is in a drawer. The rifle is loaded and ready to kill the damn dear that keep killing my trees

I guess I have had a shot gun for 20 years but that was just to pheasant hunt. I have not hunted pheasant or seen the shot gun since I moved 5 years ago Although I know where it is....

But I see your point.

Good thing for me is I bought my AR15 last Feb. It has doubled in value since then thanks to the last election

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[quade 3]

Quote

But I see your point.

Actually, I kinda think you don't.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Quade - are you seriously suggesting AggieDave suffers from low self-esteem (and yes I got that it was a joke)

I'm glad that to see that I'm finally being recognized as the self assured arrogant prick I am.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[MartinOlsson 0]

Quote

you can't make any kind of broad-reaching conclusions over a study with only 80 subjects in it. Any study of value would have to add a couple zeros to that number.

If you are looking for conclusions that can be generalized then that is true. If you for example want to investigate a subject to find ideas for further research, then a qualitative approach can be more useful. Journalist are seldom good at differentiating between the two. I'm not sure the authors of the study really had any clear conclusions. But since I didn't find any link to a fulltext version of the study I'm just speculating.

/Martin

[rushmc 18]

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Quote

But I see your point.

Actually, I kinda think you don't.

Well, I can guess why you might think that but yes, I do get your point. There is just a different twist to most topics. Sorry that is hard for you to swallow

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[piper17 1]

You could just as easily say that the power over others is why some people go into academia...that and they can't make it in the real world.

"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

[Lindsey 0]

Damn, I guess I'm gonna have to go out and get me a gun.

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Andy9o8 0]

Quote

You could just as easily say that the power over others is why some people go into academia...that and they can't make it in the real world.

Think so? I have an idea - let's have all the college professors go on moratorium for ... oh, say, 1 year. Then let's reconvene a year hence and figure out how much advanced ejumacation got done in the preceding year, and extrapolate on its long-term effect on society. (Of course, to be intellectually honest, we'll only be allowed to use the skills we learned in high school.)

[auburnguy 0]

tis a silly article.

"If you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day, and do it really half assed. That's the American way."
- Homer Simpson

[Lindsey 0]

I think that was sort of the point.

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail