EDIT: Sorry for the personal insult. This really bothers me. I said a lot of stupid shit when I was young (still do, actually), and I couldn't imagine being prosecuted for it.
At minimum, the young man could use some anger management training. I think that probation beats the heck out of jail time. And, I'd argue that community service is good for just about any teenager (even those who haven't been convicted of anything).
He was obviously trying to make a joke about how 'insane' he is, and came up with some prose to try and show it. His reference for 'insane' was a school shooter cannibal.
I don't really understand how any of this could be construed as anything other than just poor taste humor.
In the physical world, this would be akin to someone saying, "Dude, you're a jerk" (or harsher) and then you, some time later, write over all the whiteboards in his office and the offices around his many explicatives and angry faces.
Someone's got a bit of an uncontrolled temper.
In the game is one thing, since it wandered OUT of the game that's ... a bit awkward. Deserving of criminal charges, I don't think so; but, needing help? I think yes.
If a popular greeting between people of the same culture was "F* you!" except the long form of that, or even something more grotesque (to you), is it wrong to, if you're a part of that community, say those things to one-another?
The internet, if anything, has created a large collection of very callous 20-somethings that can, off the cuff, say some really, really awful things, to a person that's not a part of their community. Huge parts of Reddit and 4chan are evidence of this sort of change in callousness.
Now, this particular instance of what he said, given what's happened in schools lately, was in terrible taste; and, if this is a pattern for him, he may need some real counseling, but the criminality of his statements is very suspect.
Long story short: what people are saying in normal conversation between each other is changing to things that older people, in part even like myself, find repulsive; but, it's normal and not-rude in their vernacular and it's a strong judgement call to call them socially inept and having poor taste - just different ones, and maybe "socially inept", if only in your social circles; but, when those statements cross the line to real threats or extreme circumstances, then yes, things must be done, sometimes through the judicial system.
That is certainly one possibility, but it's not the only one. Sometimes people tell you exactly what they will do, and then go do it.
In fact there was a school shooting in Virginia just like that a couple of months ago, where the shooter posted his intention to 4chan first.
Not only that, I could even go so far as to see the police showing up, the kid saying 'no, really, it was a joke', and then the whole thing ending right there, and I wouldn't cry foul. But prosecuting this kid for making 'terroristic threats' is a monumental failure of the justice system.
EDIT: Policeman friend of mine just quoted the Penal Code 22.07 Terroristic Threat verbage for me:
1. Threatening to commit any offense involving violence to any person or property 2. With intent to a.) cause a reaction of any type by an official or volunteer agency organizied to deal with emergencies b.) place any person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury c.)prevent or interrupt the occupation or use of a building, room, place of assembly, place to which the public has access, place of employment or occupation, aircraft, automobile or other form of conveyance or other public place
In his opinion, the kid's actions did not meet the criteria to cause an arrest, much less a prosecution, under this law due to the lack of evidence of intent.
Anyways, is there a list of safe jokes available that has been approved by the US Führer or local Gauleiter? I'd just like to be safe when I visit friends in the US.
I am sure there are plenty of people who say some really horrible things in jest that would shock you. Have you heard of the joke 'The Aristocrats'? You think the people who tell that joke need anger management to bring them to a more moderate level of behaviour that society can accept?
I cannot to go on, the fact that people think the way you do without seeing what is so deeply wrong with that mindset upsets me too much. It's a sad world we live in.
It's a completely ridiculous comment and I am astounded that you are taking it seriously.