An Epidemic Of Mass Murder

Littlechild@emperorsnuclothes.com/ August 7, 2019/ Uncategorized

Last weekend confirmed it. If there were ANY doubt that America is in the throes of an epidemic of mass murder, there isn’t any longer. TWENTY NINE innocent people dead and 53 injured in LESS THAN TWENTY FOUR HOURS, in two separate massacres (El Paso, TX, and Dayton, OH), and just a week before that, there had been yet another attack (Gilroy, CA) with 4 dead and 13 injured. Since Jan 1 of this year, there have been 17 massacres with four or more fatalities in each. That’s about one every 13 days. Although this crisis is a complicated one, and government policies that deal with it are, of necessity, complex as well, I think one thing should be clear to all fair minded citizens: WHAT EVER policies we have in place now ARE NOT DOING THE JOB. The amount of carnage we have seen this year (as well as what we’ve seen in the recent past) simply takes one’s breath away. What in the world is going on? And, what can be done about it?

First, let’s take a look at exactly what IS going on.

A small percentage of mass shooting incidents seem to involve primarily personal and interpersonal issues. Revenge for being fired, demoted or sanctioned in the work place as well as, more generally, workplace stress (going “postal”) has clearly been the motive for a number of multiple shootings. Jilted lovers, jealousy, rivalries and other vendetta scenarios do occur, as well. This category of massacre is, however, in the minority.

The majority of mass murders usually go beyond merely personal issues. A large portion of them involve racial conflict, (in addition to the recent El Paso carnage, recall the Virginia Baptist Church massacre by Dylan Roof). Another large percentage arise from religious conflict (The Philadelphia Synagogue massacre, the 9/11 Twin Towers attack, and many others). Other attacks are a combination of both racial and religious conflict (jihad related attacks such as the San Bernardino shooting, Ft. Hood shooting, and many others). Some are the result of political conflict (the Congressional baseball game attack on conservative baseball players, and, more recently the Dayton attack motivated, apparently by rabid leftist ideology). Some attacks are a combination of racial and political conflict (Black Lives Matter murdering multiple policemen in Dallas, for example). Some are a combination of lifestyle and religious conflict (the gay nightclub massacre in Orlando, FL), and so on. The common thread in all of these examples is obvious: CONFLICT. And much of this conflict can be seen as an unintended consequence of one of the core characteristics of our country: DIVERSITY. Although you will never hear diversity, per se, blamed by commentators at CNN, NBC, ABC, NYT or Wa Po, all of the conflict noted above would simply NOT HAVE OCCURRED in a homogenous society. Because of the remarkable degree of diversity in America, different races live side by side, as do immigrants and natives, right wingers and left wingers, straights and gays, the pious and the blasphemous, etc. And, making this observation is not to say that diversity, of and by itself, is wrong, but we must recognize that America’s extreme degree of diversity creates strains in the “social fabric” that sometimes fray at the edges. Most of the world’s societies are more homogeneous than we are and, as a consequence, have much, much less in the way of inter-sectarian strife and, as a consequence, much less in the way of mass shootings. That’s the reason that America dwarfs all the other countries of the world in this respect. And it’s not, as is often simplistically maintained, because of gun availability. While it is true that America has the highest number of firearms per adult (88guns/100 adults, source: Wikipedia), that’s not the whole story. Right behind America in gun ownership is Switzerland (45.7guns/100 adults) and Finland (45.3gun/hundred adults), yet mass shootings are UNHEARD OF there. There are much deeper causes at work.

In addition to the pre eminent role of diversity, another important factor is, without doubt, at work: the very violent nature of American culture. Movies, rap music, video games, comics, gang culture, violent antifa protests, social media, and other factors all contribute to an atmosphere and a mind set conducive to violence.

One of the basic tenants of developmental psychology is that frustration leads to aggression. And, this is no less true for adults as well. And, I don’t think anyone can deny that there is much about modern living that’s frustrating. The overarching rules that permeate society, the endless forms and red tape, the inescapable delayed gratification, the perceived preferential treatment of certain “favored” groups, the ubiquitous presence of identity politics, and the omnipresent nagging “do’s and don’t’s” that surround us, all contribute to a sense of frustration that can and does find an outlet in violence.

Next is the zeitgeist of increasing ideological polarization that seems so prevalent in the contemporary public square . Differences of opinion frequently are grounds for repercussions, the mildest level of which is ostracism. Witness the near hysterical reaction of “progressives” to mild pro Trump remarks made by the historically liberal Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, as well as their reaction to the conservative #justwalkaway movement which counts many gays and former liberals among its ranks. Beyond ostracism there is demonization. Witness the “progressives’” reaction to the rather milquetoast group “Proud Boys” or many of the “hate group” designations provided so casually by the “Southern Poverty Law Center”. Beyond all of this there is threatened violence (witness campus reactions to planned speaking engagement by conservative activist Milo Yiannopoulos and, then, actual violence that has occurred at every thing from the Presidential Inaguration to peaceful pro America demonstrations. Witness the recent bloody Portland, OR, attacks on peaceful conservative by antifa demonstrators as well.

Another problem that foments mass violence in America is contemporary society’s pervasive sense of alienation. In addition to all of the frustrating aspects of life mentioned above, many citizens are stuck in mindless or unfulfilling jobs at low wages with job satisfaction rates in negative numbers. Many young people are also shockingly disappointed and disillusioned by the lack of reward they find waiting for them after extensive (and expensive) education. In addition, American males may also be alienated by contemporary society’s shift away from traditional patriarchy and the the normative and reinforcing role that it used to play in male adulthood.

Another important factor is that our society has abandoned many of the methods by which unstable and even deranged individuals are identified. Before any interventions can be taken that might eliminate or, at least, reduce the chance of violence, we have to IDENTIFY those that need help. Teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, clergy and police are often stymied when it comes to reporting and triggering interventions that might derail violent plans (think of the Parkland, Florida, shooter).

Next, it is likely that contemporary laissez-faire parenting plays a role as well. The parents of many of today’s mass shooters are “children of the 60s.” The “do your thing” ethos of that era, has resulted, for some families, in less than adequate moral guidance and discipline. And, on top of that, the decreased role of “organized religion” has left at least some of our populace morally adrift.

The last and most contentious factor I’ll discuss today is the availability of weapons. Although there is no question that obtaining a weapon in contemporary America is not terribly difficult, we also know that availability, of and by itself, is only one of many factors operating here. There have been mass murders in America that have been perpetrated without any guns what-so-ever. Recall the Manhattan jihadi that drove a van over innocent pedestrians on the Hudson River Recreation Path. Recall the Boston Marathon bombers that killed several marathon spectators and maimed scores more with pressure cooker IEDs. Recall the jihadi from New Jersey that detonated an IED in Manhattan and then attempted detonations along a parade route in New Jersey. There have also been several knife attacks with multiple casualties, as well. It is clear that if someone wants to murder multiple people, a gun is not an absolute requirement. However, the availability of hundred round magazines that the Dayton shooter had at his disposal, clearly enable the a deranged individual to achieve the most amount of casualties in the shortest time.

So, considering all of the above, what can be done?

For many of the factors mentioned above, I’m afraid that there are no easy answers. Although America’s extraordinary degree of diversity is a major causative factor in our epidemic, diversity is here to stay. We are diverse people and will remain so. One thing that we should seriously consider, however, is changing immigration policies and law, so that we PUT THE BRAKES ON FURTHER INCREASES IN DIVERSITY. We’ve got quite enough diversity on our hands right now, thank you. In practical terms, this would simply mean decreasing or eliminating immigration from countries and societies vastly different from ours. The Mid East and Somalia are obvious examples. This is not, and must not be dismissed as “racist”, however. In fact, race has NOTHING to do with it. Putting a damper on out of control diversity simply reflects the reality that people from vastly different cultures and ideologies and who often speak a different language and adhere to vastly different customs, behaviors and beliefs may not be a good fit for our sophisticated and complicated society. As a consequence, such individuals will struggle themselves to make their way and are apt to stress our society in ways that are disruptive. Further increasing that sort of diversity should be stopped until such time that we have achieved greater degree of harmony with the level of diversity we have now.

Violence stemming from personal problems and issues would likely be harder than sectarian violence to tackle. It might, however, be somewhat ameliorated by making psychological intervention services more easily available to all, and free of charge and, importantly, non stigmatizing.

Regarding the pervasive violent nature of our culture, we can and should take steps to “tone it down”. Violent themes in the movies, video games, and especially rap music (which is heavily listened to by America’s youth) should be reduced, either by the industries themselves, or by fiat, if necessary. And schools, churches, organizations and youth groups need to crusade against gang culture, especially among the disadvantaged.

Further, laws and policies in schools, governmental agencies and in the workplace should be developed so that at risk individuals are identified without risk of reprisal and appropriate interventions carried out.

Other factors such as the alienating and frustrating nature of contemporary society, as well as laissez-faire parenting are much harder to address. Perhaps, civic leaders, church leaders and even cultural leaders even in places like Hollywood and the music industry, could start a revival whereby values and morals and, yes, patriarchy, once again become an important part of American life.

And last, gun laws and gun related governmental policies MUST change. While I would NEVER advocate infringing on a citizen’s right to defend himself and protect his/her family, I can not shy away from the conclusion that more MUST be done to reduce the chance that guns, especially assault type weapons, fall into the hands of patently disturbed individuals. Even though it will not be possible to achieve a 100% success rate in this regard (human behavior, especially pathological behavior, is notoriously difficult to predict with certainty) we must improve the odds. Stronger background checks are a must. A central data bank is a must. Various purchasing loop holes (trade show exemptions, and the like) must be eliminated. Greater resources must be directed at steped up policing of gun running. A mandatory psychological assessment by a mental health professional should be required for anyone wishing to purchase an assault style weapon. An appeals process would need to be set up to insure that this is not administered arbitrarily and unfairly. And arguments that this will lead to the “confiscation of all guns” should not hold water. Prior to instituting any of the above measure, the law should have a preamble that states that under no circumstance will the right of a sane American to responsibly own and use firearms for self defense and the defense of his/her family, will be curtailed.

I’m sure that the reader can come up with additional measures to achieve these goals, and we should take a look at all reasonable options. But what is absolutely certain is that we MUST DO MORE.