The stereotype of a mass shooter is a white male with a history of mental illness or domestic violence. While that may be anecdotally true, the largest single study of mass shooters ever funded by the U.S. government has found that nearly all mass shooters have four specific things in common.
A new Department of Justice-funded study of all mass shootings — killings of four or more people in a public place — since 1966 found that the shooters typically have an experience with childhood trauma, a personal crisis or specific grievance, and a “script” or examples that validate their feelings or provide a roadmap. And then there’s the fourth thing: access to a firearm.
The root cause of mass shootings is an intensely partisan debate, with one side blaming mental health and the others blaming guns. Researchers hope that the findings in the study could usher in a more holistic and evidence-based approach […]
This artilce about mass shooting and the previous one about decreased lifespan, are knit together by profound personal stress. Americans experience both psychological and existential threats as well, from sleeping on the cement in wintertime, as I can observe here in Portland, to a 97 year old woman being foreclosed out of her house for a 27 cent underpayment. (by our now, secretary of the treasury.)
Our society, a so called democracy with 16% of people contributing to the (dying) press, and 64% not able to say what the three brances of government do, while paying astronomical amounts for land (and interest) that just sits there… we appear to be, and act like a nation of suckers… willing to spend a Trillion dollars on nuclear modernization. ?
Funding the largest army, engaged in 8 wars, a declaration of which has not happend in 79 years. Golly, and the constitution requires that!
Thus, in a crazy society, is crazy and self eroding behavior a surprise?
Let’s look at politics. Michael Bloomberg to Be president, simple as one, two, three.
1) he is a billionaire
2) he runs a media network
3) duh
What is citizenship? …… dunno. We are called Consumers. We are appetite. No wonder.
We swim in a sea of advertisments.
I believe this is known as grumbling. Sorry there.