Thanks JB for the help. I wasn’t trying to go all Tom Cruise here on psychiatric treatment as being bad, but that the mental health profession lets these guys slip thru the cracks. That is a really difficult problem to deal with, but one that never seems to come up in the after-shooting analysis. We have a crazy people problem, not a gun problem.
After the Aurora shootings I thought I was going to go on crazy pills when a crazy guy walks into a hyper-violent movie and shoots people and everyone is wondering what kind of gun he had and what kind of gear he is wearinig.
What is this, a Magpul Video?
He had a girlfriend. Even loners have friends and even a page in the yearbook like the Columbine shooters nowadays.
He could have spent every day after school helping sick children, and it wouldn’t fucking matter given his actions. I fail to see where you are going with this.
You’re trying very hard to find a “type” of person that goes on mass shootings. The problem is that there isn’t a “type” of person that does this. They’re not all loners. They’re not all mentally unstable, although many are. You can’t say that all people who go on mass shootings were “dipshits” or “failing at life” before the event.
It’s a crazy person problem. Not a gun problem, as was stated above. If it was a gun problem then we’d be seeing these types of shootings occur every day in Israel. A place where fully auto M4’s on young girls and boys is a constant. There’s something wrong with our culture here, it’s not the guns themselves. Whenever someone blames the guns, I just say, “Look at Israel. They don’t have this issue.” Typically they STFU.
Girlfriend pregnant, surprise break-up, failed life plans, etc.
I think he just snapped. He did not have psychological coping mechanisms that were effective. Synonymous with being unable to succeed at life.
I just wish that after the “event” we wouldn’t plaster their pictures all over the TV and internet. I don’t wanna peruse his friggen facebook account. I want these cowards names and faces forgotten as soon as possible. We should stop giving them the notoriety that they ALL are seeking.
I couldn’t agree any more with you.
Born and raised near that mall (we used to ride/race dirtbikes in the
field where it was built then hanging out there as a teen)
The news here is all about him and little to do with the victims or their families.
Like many in this thread asking about HIS facebook and HIS parents
with little to nothing about the victims who were only at a mall.
There is a mini Sheriff’s office located across from the theater close to where he started.
Yes NO GUNS allowed on private property HAS to be followed but if
you get “caught” they can only ask you to leave and if you don’t charge you with trespassing.
If i see “No Guns” i see a place that doesn’t want my hard earned money. (unless federal or state building)
We don’t have a crazy person problem, a gun problem, or a problem with the mental health profession. We do have a problem with a culture of violence. By that I mean people are inculcated with senseless violence from a very young age. It permeates our media, recreation, and even our religion in many instances. What is worse, modern technology allows children to virtually act out their violent tendencies through video games in a manner that could not be imagined just 25 years ago. Thus, people’s coping skills and default defenses turn to what is familiar with the slightest stress. Add in a little substance abuse here, a dash of government dependance there, a sprinkle of broken family, and you’ve got a great recipe for the perfect sociopath. All that is needed for a tragedy is an abundant supply of weapons left unsecured in a negligent manner.
How do you fix it? Well, that beats the hell out of me. On one hand, a strict interpretation of the the First Amendment prevents government censorship. On the other, it is nearly impossible for parents to control this shit - it’s everywhere. In addition, you could be a great parent in providing some filter from the media, but it does not mean that your kids are immune from being targeted by the next 16-year old sociopath for their nice shoes. I also don’t think that we could (or should try) solve this problem with gun control. But, I’m getting tired of people who fail to secure their weapons in a responsible manner. It’s called a safe asshole - buy one.
Some have mentioned the mental health profession failing us. What are you expecting - more involuntary commitment orders? A better medication? I’ve got a little secret, there is no red pill called mom or blue pill called dad. In addition, there is no money to fund more mental health resources since most of these people lack financial resources. After all, we are talking about severe personality disorders which are not easily treated with medication or therapy. They are ways of thinking and viewing the world that are formed at a very young age. Good luck changing that with some therapy.
As for other countries like Israel, they have their own culture of violence problems just expressed in a different way. Their sociopaths have chosen women and kids with bombs over guns.
You (and by extension, “others” and “their”) are responsible for your own actions. You, and no-one and nothing else. No exceptions. I don’t care what feel-good bullshit you heard.
Thusly these circumstances are the fires from which teh crazy is forged. Crazy doesn’t necessarily denote mentally defective in a permanent way, normal people can act crazy under a variety of circumstances. But I agree with your general point, it’s a cultural problem. We’ve managed to cheapen the value of human life, and simultaneously heightened the value of celebrity to the point that some people, crazy people or people acting crazily, believe that shooting a large number of people and committing suicide sounds like a sensible final act of defiance or protest against which they see as a world or social group that has marginalized them. Sorry for that crappy sentence, it’s my first of the day and no coffee yet…
The Israelis are not the ones strapping bombs to children. They are reacting to that, and that’s why their young people carry M4’s to lunch. But I will grant you that Israel has a culture of violence that’s expressed in more subtle ways, and that perhaps it’s their homogeneity and political solidarity that keeps it from becoming the type of self-destructive cancer that we’re seeing here. I just don’t know.
