Missing the Point on School Shootings

“Like they always do, the media have descended to explain away the madness. And like a Rorschach Test, each outlet had its own pet cause primed and ready to be read into the situation…”

This article is almost a year and a half old but it resonates just as strongly today as it no doubt did when first published (for those who were paying attention). It's an unlikely source, but brilliantly written.

“But this “witch hunt” we go through every time a school shooting happens is a total ruse. Elliot Rodger didn’t become a killer because he was a misogynist; he became a misogynist because he was a killer. Just like Eric Harris didn’t become a killer because he loved violent video games; he loved violent video games because he was a killer. Just like Adam Lanza didn’t become a killer because he loved guns; he loved guns because he was a killer.”

The author, Mark Manson, makes some superb points, particularly about mass shootings as non-political terrorism and how society writ large responds to them.

“When viewed in this way, our responses to the school shooters looks juvenile in comparison. Can you imagine arguing over whether misogyny made Osama Bin Laden plan September 11th? Or whether video games caused Dhokhar Tsarnaev to plant bombs at the Boston Marathon? Or whether heavy music inspired Timothy McVeigh to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City?

You would be laughed at.”

Take the time to read Mark Manson's article How We All Miss The Point On School Shootings in its entirety right here.