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But some people deal with more of the negative effects of life from day one...i.e. rejection by peers, bullying, social exclusion or parents who either neglect or abuse them. In the case of Connor Betts, he had depression and OCD and a fixation with guns. He was rejected by his peers and subsequently, drew up a 'hit list'. What gets me is if they were aware of his problems 10 years ago when he was still a teenager, why didn't anyone intervene? I don't buy the excuse that there are no signs, because people (mostly boys or men) don't suddenly wake up and become mass killers. It's years of torment, loneliness, rejection and pain that they eventually externalise by either committing a violent act against others, or committing suicide, usually with a violent method.
I get how someone can reach that stage, because they become so lost inside their heads that they no longer see people as human beings, but rather the source of their pain and loneliness. And when you throw in a mental illness or undiagnosed developmental disorder, you have a real monster on your hands.
As someone who is marginalised, it's why I say I'm more afraid of the society we live in that creates these monsters than even the monsters themselves, because I know what it's like to stare into the abyss and feel like everyone hates you and I know what it's like to feel intense loneliness and envy of others. In my case though, I'm only capable of hurting myself or ending my own life as I have far too much empathy for others, even though on the other hand I do resent people and society.
Here is a succinct summary of the life and death of Connor Betts. When I read the story I felt that Betts should have been expelled, and his family should have gotten serious therapy for him. He was suspended, and was back in school after the suspension was served.
The article says nothing about him being OCD. But it is easy to see that he was seriously disturbed. And he apparently shot his sister and her male friend. There are so many questions about all of this. But he obviously had no business owning any kind of weapon.
In terms of being afraid in large crowds, I don’t know. We visit a community market often. Sometimes I wonder if we are safe when we do. I do shop from time to time. I do not want to stop living my life. But, I might be noting exits and possible escape routes from now on.
But husband and I do stay away from huge crowds, like New Year's Eve downtown in our city. Elbow to elbow with little organization - I can only imagine if some idiot decided to shoot the place up.
We do shop on-line quite a bit and you could say, due to our age, we naturally limit our exposure to this sort of thing.
Here is a succinct summary of the life and death of Connor Betts. When I read the story I felt that Betts should have been expelled, and his family should have gotten serious therapy for him. He was suspended, and was back in school after the suspension was served.
The article says nothing about him being OCD. But it is easy to see that he was seriously disturbed. And he apparently shot his sister and her male friend. There are so many questions about all of this. But he obviously had no business owning any kind of weapon.
In terms of being afraid in large crowds, I don’t know. We visit a community market often. Sometimes I wonder if we are safe when we do. I do shop from time to time. I do not want to stop living my life. But, I might be noting exits and possible escape routes from now on.
Ms Johnson said she and Betts bonded over their problems with mental illness.
He told her that he had bipolar disorder and might also suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Ms Johnson also said he confided in her that while he loved guns, he didn't believe those with mental illnesses should be allowed to have the
If you read the rest of the article, the motive of this mass killing becomes quite clear:
- He hated himself
- He wanted to die
- He had obsessive-compulsive thoughts that probably became too intrusive
- He felt rejected throughout his life and probably wanted to target a place where people go to date, socialise
- He wanted to make a statement of how it should be made much harder for people with mental illnesses to obtain guns
He didn't see his targets as human beings, but as a source of his pain. He knew he was going to be shot and killed buy the police too, which is also why he did it. He ultimately achieved his goal.
I’m so afraid that a mentally ill or an otherwise hate-filled person will shoot up my area, and I get so worried about my spouse, sister, niece, nephews (triplets) will be hurt or worse. Why do we have to worry about this so much? Why do people do these things?
Because we have an idiot as a president and because access to guns is easier than access to pure alcohol to make limoncello with.
Because we have an idiot as a president and because access to guns is easier than access to pure alcohol to make limoncello with.
I guess it wouldn't do a bit of good to point out that mass shootings and killings have been going on now for decades, and increasing over the decades, regardless of the administration. Oh, and that of the two mass shootings this weekend, one was done by a white supremacist and one was done by a registered Democrat.
Ms Johnson said she and Betts bonded over their problems with mental illness.
He told her that he had bipolar disorder and might also suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Ms Johnson also said he confided in her that while he loved guns, he didn't believe those with mental illnesses should be allowed to have the
If you read the rest of the article, the motive of this mass killing becomes quite clear:
- He hated himself
- He wanted to die
- He had obsessive-compulsive thoughts that probably became too intrusive
- He felt rejected throughout his life and probably wanted to target a place where people go to date, socialise
- He wanted to make a statement of how it should be made much harder for people with mental illnesses to obtain guns
He didn't see his targets as human beings, but as a source of his pain. He knew he was going to be shot and killed buy the police too, which is also why he did it. He ultimately achieved his goal.
Some people try to do suicide by cop. Of course this is just perverse, but couple that with killing others, just so you will be killed, and you get evil perversity quadrupled. Suicide damages everyone who cares about you, but if you must destroy yourself (or feel compelled to do so) why take others with you?
The El Paso shooter is in a different category, I believe. His killings were premeditated hate crimes.
But I think these guys are following a template. They are modeling their murders after other mass killings, perhaps with perhaps their own touches. And there is apparently plenty of online encouragement.
Perhaps the shooters feel that they are getting even with tormentors. Perhaps they feel they have been victims long enough. But they follow a well worn template.
This is a story from a few years ago about a case where a father turned in his son and prevented a mass shooting. In this case, though, the young man was focused on the Islamic state .... perhaps that is the reason the police were willing to jump in and take action. If he had been ranting about immigrants, or democrats, or some sort of domestic issue, maybe it would have turned out differently.
...but something has changed. The media is different then it used to be. I do think they contribute a great deal to the problem. The obsessive focus on the sensational feeds the machine. I don't know the right answer just like NO ONE does regardless of how much e-ink they spill. But something has most certainly changed.
This article explores the issues about why school shootings have spread -
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