The Institutionalization of Rage: A Few Words on the Aftermath of the WDBJ7 Shooting

"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit) 08/28/2015 at 11:36 • Filed to: mental health, gun safety, socialopnik, seriouslopnik, groupthink, powder room

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Right now, the United States is a nation embroiled in more wars than it almost literally can count - because our society has a love affair with them. From actual, literal wars - the military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, the kind-of-sort-of war against the kind-of-sort-of nation/caliphate of the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria/Islamic States of Iraq and the Levant/whatever acronym happens to be trendy to whatever political action group - to, speaking of political action groups, whatever invented “War on Societal Blight X” happens to be trendy right now. War on Drugs, War on Crime, and now, the War on Guns, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! even though this is the first time I’ve heard that there ever was a War on Guns within the nation that put gun ownership into its very governmental framework.

Ultimately, what these “Wars on Societal Blight X” accomplish is nothing more but to mask the underlying cause of what’s wrong in this nation. Complex issues can’t be boiled down into a soundbyte, and and what can’t be boiled down into a soundbyte is literally incomprehensible to the American voter. Consequently, American political leaders don’t even bother to try - every important issue in this country is now a “High Concept” sales pitch in the same way Disney Channel spins a one-like wacky concept into yet another popstar tweenie-bopper show. The social issues of drug use is now the War on Drugs, blamed on a foreign “non-state actor” enemy across the border or across many borders that can smuggle in a nuke as easily as 20 kilos of pure white, and Thank God they haven’t but you can guarantee they will because War on Terror. The issues behind rising unemployment and growing homeless numbers is now the War on Poverty, because we can’t solve anything unless we couch it in the language of shooting things. And now we have the War on Guns, because it’s not an issue of ensuring that everyone has access to the resources they need to be happy, productive individuals in society, it’s an issue of ensuring that those who are out to get you are eliminated as a threat to society, whatever “eliminated” entails. Because they’re out to get you , guaranteed, and if you’re not paranoid that your own neighbor could be a killer, or a drug dealer, or a Jihadist or an illegal alien then you are downright un-American...perhaps a threat to all that is American yourself.

Both sides of this “War on Guns” use the same disturbing language - it’s not about treatment for the mentally ill, it’s about keeping those “undesirable elements” from “negatively impacting” the rest of society. It’s about keeping people isolated, which is exactly what fuels the fire behind public mass shootings. This is why they keep happening - because our proposed solutions, and the rhetoric behind them, are as much or more poison as they are cure. Even Indefinitely Wild’s own Wes Siler !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! as what’s now a matter of rhetorical public discourse.

Incidents of targeted violence at schools rarely were sudden impulsive acts.

Most attackers did not threaten their targets directly prior to advancing the attack.

There was no useful or accurate “profile” of students who engaged in targeted school violence.

Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures.

Moreover many had considered or attempted suicide.

Many attackers felt bullied, persecuted or injured by others prior to the attack.

Most attackers had access to and had used weapons prior to the attack.

Despite prompt law enforcement responses, most shooting incidents were stopped by means other than law enforcement interventions.

In many cases, other students were involved in some capacity.

Most attackers engaged in some behavior prior to the incident that caused others concern or indicated a need for help.

Prior to the incidents, other people knew about the attacker’s idea and/or plan to attack.

These are the symptoms of someone who is deeply hurt and needs help. Fifteen years after Columbine (as a native Coloradan, something I know a little bit about), America is now engaged in yet another fight against social blight, the War on Bullying, but our resources and means of handling these types of situations are still woefully subpar. Still better than fifteen years ago - if we had had this sudden War on Bullying attitude back then, perhaps there’d be no shooting in celebration of Adolf Hitler’s birthday, 1999. Yet Columbine is hardly the last, nor the first - to say nothing of Sandy Hook, or the Aurora Theater Shooting (again, something I might know a little bit about), or the Charleston Church Shooting, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was the first mass school shooting I remember that gained real traction with the media, almost a full two years before Columbine. The perpetrator of that shooting passed along this message to a friend:

I am not insane, I am angry. I killed because people like me are mistreated every day. I did this to show society, push us and we will push back. ... All throughout my life, I was ridiculed, always beaten, always hated. Can you, society, truly blame me for what I do? Yes, you will. ... It was not a cry for attention, it was not a cry for help. It was a scream in sheer agony saying that if you can’t pry your eyes open, if I can’t do it through pacifism, if I can’t show you through the displaying of intelligence, then I will do it with a bullet.

Language that is becoming more and more familiar as these mass shootings come to light. Someone who feels isolated and persecuted by society, and the only option left is to lash out at society through violence. America’s answer isn’t to address those underlying issues, to eliminate what makes people feel isolated from society in a way that society is the enemy, but to enact out on those paranoid threats that society is the enemy. We become the enemy that they perceive us to be, by “separating the threat” and ensure that they can’t harm us, to Hell with whatever happens from that point on.

Again, from Wes Siler:

Schools should ensure a climate in which students feel comfortable sharing information they have regarding a potentially threatening situation with a responsible adult.

School districts are encouraged to develop policies that address the many aspects of reporting a threat.

Teachers, administrators, and other faculty should be trained on how to properly respond to students who provide them with information about a threatening or disturbing situation, as well as how to deal with actual threats.

Prevention is the best cure, but it’s not working because we’re going about it the wrong way, or even making it worse. Again, it’s the language of identifying a threat, containing a threat, and then prosecuting a threat. It’s only about making students feel comfortable enough to help the proper authorities identify, contain and prosecute the threat, not about making students feel comfortable and safe so that they’re never inspired to commit such acts of mass violence in the first place.

This is the same attitude behind the spate of racial cop-on-citizen shootings that have given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. You want to know why police “shouldn’t be trusted with guns,” according to Greg Howard? Because police are routinely trained to treat every person they see as a potential threat against themselves. Policing in modern America is no longer about law enforcement, it’s about protecting yourself as the officer against anybody seeking to commit a crime - and that could be anybody. This is the Us verses Them mentality institutionalized as basic police work, and we’ve seen the results. This is by no means whatsoever the fault of actual police officers who do routinely put their lives at risk for the sake of citizens as their most basic job description. This is the fault of an attitude that has now been institutionalized into the very fabric of American domestic and foreign policy. It’s no different than the complete ignorance of the history of relations in the Middle East that has given rise to Al Qaeda and ISIS in favor of “shoot ‘em all and let God sort them out” - the nuances required to prevent threats and make allies are far too complex, so it’s far easier and preferable to shoot them down as they rise after they’ve killed thousands of American civilians, after they’ve killed thousands more American servicemen and servicewomen, as “blood and treasure” is a capital that must necessarily be spent for American security. Those soldiers aren’t worth much if they’re not being actively shot at and killed, those bombs aren’t worth much if they’re not actively being dropped on population centers, those bullets aren’t worth much if they’re not actively perforating a Jihadist.

I’ve recently read !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the biography of Cassie Bernall who became the most famous of the Columbine High School victims for allegedly identifying her faith and being executed for it. Her mothers shares that Cassie herself wasn’t far off from the Columbine shooters themselves - she had been practicing the same “Satanic” activities now classically associated and profiled with school shooters, performed poorly in school, and “hung out with the wrong crowd.” She had the support system in place to prevent her from going down further darker paths. The Columbine shooters did not. Up until the moment they had committed themselves to pulling the trigger against another life , the Columbine shooters themselves were as much victims as the deceased through their inability to cope with bullying and “fitting in” - a sentiment Cassie’s mother Misty Bernall shares herself with the shooters’ parents.

The shooter behind the WDBJ7 murders is described as having anger issues and was told to actively seek consoling. If he had been given that support system, would the shooting have been prevented? I don’t know. But I’m certain it would’ve prevented the shootings at Sandy Hook, at what now numbers as two theaters, at a church, and in what are now inevitable future incidents.

Which brings me to my final point - shooting incidents will continue to happen because the American health system is fucking broken to the point of near criminal negligence. Mental health facilities are not places of comfort where people go to get fixed and their issues corrected - it’s just yet another minimum security prison where “repeat offenders” are processed through again and again and again ineffectually. Actually, minimum security prison is better because at least its free; “patients” at mental health facilities meanwhile rack up almost unpayable medical bills for the privilege of being filed through a lunch line, engage in regimented “recreational” activities that are more at home during Kindergarten play time, and looked over, examined and lied to by “mental health professionals” who may or may not have the appropriate attitude and bedside manner for this occupation while given the occasional drug !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Again, this is something !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Yes, keeping guns out of the hands of “crazies” will probably stop most mass shootings. But is that really a solution, or is it a nice convenient band-aid that sounds nice in a soundbyte and is easily digestible to a voting constituent? There is an even greater issue of the institutionalization of rage - that everything is a matter of Us verses Them, and Them can be anything from Iran to “crazies” to our own neighbor, who might be a crazy, or an illegal alien, or both. That everything has to be a War on Blank. That we must identify and prosecute threats as efficiently as possible, and that the threat is always lurking over our shoulder.

After all, you are the hero of your own story, and whatever uncontrollable rage you have is always justifiable. Whether you happen to be a mass shooter, a police officer, or a politician.

My apologizes for having to post this essay on OppositeLock due to lack of posting privileges elsewhere. If anybody wants to share this elsewhere on Kinja or beyond, please feel free to do so.

Mattbob > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 11:57

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“inability to cope with bullying and “fitting in” I think this is the major problem. Every person I have met who has fit this description of the victim who might do something like this has been the type of person who has been coddled up until the point where they think they are being bullied. Kids can’t deal with anything these days and get this idea that they are a victim. But someone will probably call me a victim blamer and make my view invalid in the eyes of the internet.

Brian, The Life of > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 11:57

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There’s a lot to chew on, here. Thoughtful post, NID.

nermal > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 12:00

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I agree that not everything needs to be a “War on...” to improve and progress.

That said, I think a lot of these “wars” are treatment of symptoms and not problems. Like continuously treating a burn wound, caused by repeatedly putting your hand on a hot stove. You can call it what you will and do what you think is best to treat burn wounds, but until you realize what the cause of it is, you’ll never really fix anything.

At the end of the day, I think personal accountability is the first part of the problem, and teaching personal accountability (or not) is the root of it. If you can accept the consequences of your actions and understand that you have the power to influence outcomes, you’ll be much better off. Same goes if you teach the same attitude to your children. The problem is, that’s difficult. It’s much easier to blame the guns or the cops or video games or the Confederate flag or Obama or whatever else any time something bad happens.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 12:07

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Thank you for this.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 12:20

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Very insightful and a lot worth thinking about and discussing. I truly don’t want to be that guy but here:

The shooter behind the WDBJ7 murders is described as having anger issues and was told to actively seek consoling.

While he probably did need consoling, I think he might’ve also needed counseling.

Either way, again nice write up.

Krieger (@FSKrieger22) > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 12:29

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One thing I’d like to say (as a non-American) about these “Wars on _______” is that they are fairly shortsighted. In Afghanistan and Iraq, the US and its allies didn’t succeed in providing a viable alternative to the previous status quo (and completely destroyed the government of the latter with no functional replacement , which has been an error that will haunt the world for some time). The War on Drugs has led to increased incarceration rates, and may as well be the Prohibition of the late 20th/early 21st Century for all it’s done to stop illegal drug use. The War on Guns... well, when an assault weapon act focuses on aesthetic features common on assault rifles deemed “scary” instead of what makes an assault rifle an assault rifle (burst fire or full auto, with post-1986 examples of the latter incidentally banned by an earlier law unless you are a licensed dealer), you may have a problem with how you are prosecuting it.

I do think that there needs to be a proper dialog on what the US and its people need to do to overcome the problems they face. However, the fact that the population of the US is becoming increasingly politically polarised and prone to forming self-reinforcing bubbles disconnected from reality doesn’t give me much faith that such a dialog will be likely anytime soon.

Mercedes Streeter > Mattbob 08/28/2015 at 12:34

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Nah, coddling really didn’t start happening until the generation after mine (I’m 22). Kids in my middle school years were still the true definition of bullies: They physically beat the shit out of me, they pounded the fuck out of my emotional state, and had me believing this planet would be better without me.

These shooters aren’t coddled kids who grew up with a false view of the world, they are people with unchecked mental issues. And the fact that someone that has a mental problem can so easily obtain a weapon designed for ending lives in quick fashion? That’s fucked up.

Racescort666 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 12:36

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The “us vs them” attitude and mentality is very harmful to a working society.

Mattbob > Mercedes Streeter 08/28/2015 at 12:43

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I know people my age who were coddled to the point that they can’t deal with normal people in normal situations(I’m 27). Every scenario is different, and these things are hard to judge because one persons “ pounded the fuck out of my emotional state ” could be another persons “they were being dicks, but it’s not a big deal because I am stronger than that.” That is precisely the point, peoples upbringing affects the way they view the world around them and feel about how they fit into it, IE whether they are a victim or not. Also, there are a lot of ways to end lives quickly, complaining about shootings is complaining about symptoms versus root cause.

desertdog5051 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 12:53

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Wes Siler is one of the most self-centered, condescending people here. I first thought he was great when he wrote simple articles about motorcycles. I bore his brunt of attitude when I made a a comment that he obviously did not agree with. I do not care to read anything he writes now. I’m glad you paraphrased his post. I would not have read it myself. Rant over.

For Sweden > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 12:54

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This is the media organization that wants to bring back bullying, unfortunately.

I’m pretty sure they keep Sam Biddle and others around because they will take revenge if fired.

Mercedes Streeter > Mattbob 08/28/2015 at 12:54

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Yeah, but I really don’t think coddling is the only reason why violence happens. A contributing factor, but not even close to the sole reason.

So...Are you saying your solution is to have parents tell their kids “grow up, the world sucks”?

BigBlock440 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 13:11

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Her mothers shares that Cassie herself wasn’t far off from the Columbine shooters themselves - she had been practicing the same “Satanic” activities now classically associated and profiled with school shooters, performed poorly in school, and “hung out with the wrong crowd.”

I didn’t know that. I don’t remember it being in the book (though it’s been a decade since I read it).

Nice write up

[insert slow clap gif]

iSureWilll > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 13:13

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This was a great read. Thank you so much for sharing.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 13:17

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I thank you for this. I’ve had these thoughts also in seeing these issues pop up.

America has the serious problem of antagonizing every issue and punishing, as opposed to seeking to understand these big issues and working to prevent them happening. It’s too bass-ackwards

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Mercedes Streeter 08/28/2015 at 13:21

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I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have kids understand that. And also, it’s not to say they can’t be loved also.

Everything in moderation. Parents can tell kids the world sucks but guide them to build strong/resilient personalities that don’t require validation every time they successfully poop.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > desertdog5051 08/28/2015 at 13:22

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I agree. I’ve seen his writing evolve since 2009 and I noticed the same thing

Mercedes Streeter > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 13:24

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Thank you for this post person that’s not in Detroit! (I’ll get to your email, I promise! I am currently more bogged down with tasks than I can physically handle)

Surprisingly, instead of trying to fix mental health in this country, people keep on trying to change parenting. “Toughen up” practices have had disastrous effects. It’s to the point where having feelings still has negative connotations. The problem isn’t parenting, it’s our fucking society. Not only is it flawed in almost every way from birth, but it doesn’t even offer effective means for corrective measures. But it DOES offer easy ways to screw yourself up even further.

Instead of focusing on you know, preventing bullies and similar villains, we instead just tell people to get over it. Or conversely, hug them so tight that they don’t even know what the real world is.

Mercedes Streeter > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 08/28/2015 at 13:30

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This is the response I’m looking for. I mean yeah, you can’t coddle the crap out of them...but the opposite (which is what I got) can have equally bad consequences. Indeed, give them some love, but show them what the real world looks like. :)

I mean, for how many decades did society deem men having feelings as a weakness?

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Mercedes Streeter 08/28/2015 at 13:34

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For the most part, society still seems to think so

RallyWrench > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 13:38

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Thoughtful post, thanks. I was bullied a bit as a kid for being introverted, fat, and dorky, but certainly never reached or considered any level of violence. I don’t understand the mindset that leads to that, or exactly what the catalyst is, but it obviously happens, and all too often. We have deep cultural and institutional problems here, and they’re being fed by political partisanship, fearmongering, festering latent racism, and systemic inequality. I fear for my children among the people who perpetuate these failings, it quite literally keeps me up at night. On the other hand, Canada is looking better every day. I wish I could provide a more considered response and have a real discussion about it, but I’m at work and it’s taken an hour to post this. Dang jerb interruptin’ mah Oppos.

Mercedes Streeter > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 08/28/2015 at 13:41

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Such is true. This is why whenever you see the media making fun of trans people, it’s always trans women. It’s OK, it’s funny to make fun of us, because of how our society views men. So men who become women? Fuck, that shit’s funny! *shakes head*

nermal > Mercedes Streeter 08/28/2015 at 13:43

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The big issue that I see is that things need to be addressed from both sides. Both preventing bullies / villians and dealing with one when you encounter them.

Passing the blame to a 3rd party is easy but innefective. Same goes for ignoring things and hoping they go away.

The best analogy I have is don’t steal, teach your kids not to steal, trust that your neighbors won’t steal..... but still lock your doors.

Mercedes Streeter > nermal 08/28/2015 at 13:53

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Yay!! Whew I thought you were on the whole “fuck feelings” side of things. That kind of parenting is just as bad as super coddling.

Society as a whole is fucked. We need better parents, better schools, better healthcare, and most certainly, better mental healthcare...And to be honest, the only way it’ll dramatically change (look how long it took for trans people to actually become relevant...decades) is with a nationwide disaster type situation.

Krieger (@FSKrieger22) > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 13:56

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Something I forgot to post:

Video sharing (among other things) on the internet in general has become significantly more common since 2009, and as usual, warnings like in the video not to provide the shooters and their motives more publicity than they already have are ignored. Of course, why follow the warnings of an actual forensic psychologist when there is ad revenue to be earned and likes and shares to be had, in addition to whatever opinion you want to push?

The Chinese newspaper I read today had stills from the WDBJ7 shooter’s own video of his shooting, muzzle flash and all. The entire thing wasn’t just nightmarish due to the actual-snuff-film angle, but because I realised that this was practically a depot’s worth of fuel for the”video games are making people murderers” line newspapers here love so much, in addition to the traditional “if it bleeds it leads” mentality almost every newspaper or news channel has today.

Racescort666 > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 08/28/2015 at 14:07

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He was good when he wrote for Jalopnik, most of the stuff on indefinitely wild is condescending.

Frank Grimes > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 14:08

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My solution.

-If you have children be a mother or a father take that more serious and important than anything in your life. If you had a crappy dad or non existent mother learn from that and use it as a bad example, an example of what not to do.

-Mental illness stigma needs to die now.

-Educate young kids about mental health just like physical health. Provide mental health services free for all kids all the way up to high school. Of course if it is as crappy as they are teaching everything else maybe it wont matter. But at least have therapists in schools and refer kids who get in trouble there to sort out the beginnings of possible issues.

Racescort666 > For Sweden 08/28/2015 at 14:11

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To repeat what others have said (maybe even you, I don’t remember): Gawker is a business. When you boil it all down, many media outlets don’t necessarily exist to bring you news, they bring you controversy because it gets more attention and more revenue. This is even when they have to fabricate it.

nermal > Mercedes Streeter 08/28/2015 at 14:18

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I’m more on team take responsibility than anything else. Saying “toughen up” is basically ignoring the problem, which at best does nothing and at worst makes it worse.

WiscoProud > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 14:19

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People bring up gun control in the aftermath of shootings because the wide accessibility of firearms in this country make these shootings possible. Sure the shooters could have attacked with non-firearm weapon, but the death toll would be significantly smaller. People use semi-automatics in these shootings for the same reason the military uses them, you can send a lot of lead out of the barrel quickly. While I don’t think guns should be banned, I do think there should be training and background checks. Also, there should be a system where your guns can be temporarily taken from you following domestic abuse or mental health issues. I'm a realist, I know this will never pass, but we need to at least put in a system of background checks.

For those assuming I am anti-gun, I grew up around guns my whole life, and have hunted for 20 years. I love target shooting, and wish I could do it more. However, I have also had two friends kill themselves with them.

BReLp7dzHM3ytYsE > Racescort666 08/28/2015 at 14:24

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The “us vs. them” mentality is becoming more and more prevalent along racial lines these days. It's very damaging and destructive. Not totally relevant to this post, but it's the first thing I thought of when I read your comment.

TheJMan92 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 16:43

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I didn’t expect to come across this on Oppo but I’m glad I did. Thanks for writing this, it’s everything I want to say when this topic arises, but I’m just not that well coordinated.

wiffleballtony > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 08/28/2015 at 17:39

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I feel one of the biggest stimulants to these events is the amount of publicity they get. As a result it snowballs as more crazies want to immortalize themselves.