Maybe to give us a little insight as to why he did it? Maybe for us to see and look for signs from our own children/relatives/friends/kids at school we don’t like or that we pick on?

 

I totally understand where you're coming from with your post. However, at the end of the day, you just have us two maybes. We have two "maybe" statements, yet the one statement that we know is true in regard to this video is that the shooter got what he wanted: he says in his video that "when you see me on the news you're going to know who I am". Well, when the police releases that video, and when the news broadcasts it, then the shooter is guarantees to get what he wants. He gets his face on the news. He gets his little manifesto rant broadcasted on the national news exactly as he wants it...to the point that he is actually the voice speaking the words on the news.

 

The mass shooting phenomenon that has taken hold of the United States in the last quarter century is the product of a lot of different things. However, I'm a firm believer that one if you were to list the top two or three causes of the phenomenon, the fact that the national news media, for better of worse, builds up a persona about these putrescent little nobodies when they cover the tragedies is one of the biggest inspirations to future mass shooters.

 

I wouldn't have a clue who this crap-stain was if the news wasn't reporting it. And posting these videos only gives future shooters proof positive that if you kill your classmates, then they'll be silenced and your voice will be heard.

 

Sure, MAYBE we have a few nuggets of info that we can glean from these videos...but the tradeoff is that we just inspired the next one, or two, or fifteen mass shooters to go ahead and do the same thing.

I totally understand where you're coming from with your post. However, at the end of the day, you just have us two maybes. We have two "maybe" statements, yet the one statement that we know is true in regard to this video is that the shooter got what he wanted: he says in his video that "when you see me on the news you're going to know who I am". Well, when the police releases that video, and when the news broadcasts it, then the shooter is guarantees to get what he wants. He gets his face on the news. He gets his little manifesto rant broadcasted on the national news exactly as he wants it...to the point that he is actually the voice speaking the words on the news.

 

The mass shooting phenomenon that has taken hold of the United States in the last quarter century is the product of a lot of different things. However, I'm a firm believer that one if you were to list the top two or three causes of the phenomenon, the fact that the national news media, for better of worse, builds up a persona about these putrescent little nobodies when they cover the tragedies is one of the biggest inspirations to future mass shooters.

 

I wouldn't have a clue who this crap-stain was if the news wasn't reporting it. And posting these videos only gives future shooters proof positive that if you kill your classmates, then they'll be silenced and your voice will be heard.

 

Sure, MAYBE we have a few nuggets of info that we can glean from these videos...but the tradeoff is that we just inspired the next one, or two, or fifteen mass shooters to go ahead and do the same thing.

 

Yep, the media being the most guilty in this because they run with it for weeks, but the video definitely plays it's part too. We should never know anything other than there was a shooting. We should never hear their name or see their picture.

Yep, the media being the most guilty in this because they run with it for weeks, but the video definitely plays it's part too. We should never know anything other than there was a shooting. We should never hear their name or see their picture.

 

IMO there's one more thing we should here.

 

- We should hear that the mass murderer was executed, and let all future mass murderers know they we be executed too.

I totally understand where you're coming from with your post. However, at the end of the day, you just have us two maybes. We have two "maybe" statements, yet the one statement that we know is true in regard to this video is that the shooter got what he wanted: he says in his video that "when you see me on the news you're going to know who I am". Well, when the police releases that video, and when the news broadcasts it, then the shooter is guarantees to get what he wants. He gets his face on the news. He gets his little manifesto rant broadcasted on the national news exactly as he wants it...to the point that he is actually the voice speaking the words on the news.

 

The mass shooting phenomenon that has taken hold of the United States in the last quarter century is the product of a lot of different things. However, I'm a firm believer that one if you were to list the top two or three causes of the phenomenon, the fact that the national news media, for better of worse, builds up a persona about these putrescent little nobodies when they cover the tragedies is one of the biggest inspirations to future mass shooters.

 

I wouldn't have a clue who this crap-stain was if the news wasn't reporting it. And posting these videos only gives future shooters proof positive that if you kill your classmates, then they'll be silenced and your voice will be heard.

 

Sure, MAYBE we have a few nuggets of info that we can glean from these videos...but the tradeoff is that we just inspired the next one, or two, or fifteen mass shooters to go ahead and do the same thing.

 

You articulated my thoughts on this very well @Colonels_Wear_Blue.

IMO there's one more thing we should here.

 

- We should hear that the mass murderer was executed, and let all future mass murderers know they we be executed too.

 

Agreed. In a very slow, painful execution.

IMO there's one more thing we should here.

 

- We should hear that the mass murderer was executed, and let all future mass murderers know they we be executed too.

 

A good percentage of the people that do these crimes end up dead at the scene. I'm not sure the death penalty has ever prevented any crime. If you're at that point in the process deciding if a mass shooting is what you need to do, I don't think the fear of the death penalty is going to be the deciding factor as to whether you end up doing it or not.

 

I'm not saying they shouldn't be punished harshly. But I don't think the punishment even factors into the shooters thought process.

I totally understand where you're coming from with your post. However, at the end of the day, you just have us two maybes. We have two "maybe" statements, yet the one statement that we know is true in regard to this video is that the shooter got what he wanted: he says in his video that "when you see me on the news you're going to know who I am". Well, when the police releases that video, and when the news broadcasts it, then the shooter is guarantees to get what he wants. He gets his face on the news. He gets his little manifesto rant broadcasted on the national news exactly as he wants it...to the point that he is actually the voice speaking the words on the news.

 

The mass shooting phenomenon that has taken hold of the United States in the last quarter century is the product of a lot of different things. However, I'm a firm believer that one if you were to list the top two or three causes of the phenomenon, the fact that the national news media, for better of worse, builds up a persona about these putrescent little nobodies when they cover the tragedies is one of the biggest inspirations to future mass shooters.

 

I wouldn't have a clue who this crap-stain was if the news wasn't reporting it. And posting these videos only gives future shooters proof positive that if you kill your classmates, then they'll be silenced and your voice will be heard.

 

Sure, MAYBE we have a few nuggets of info that we can glean from these videos...but the tradeoff is that we just inspired the next one, or two, or fifteen mass shooters to go ahead and do the same thing.

 

My reply was to suggest answers to MJ’s curiosity (which you later changed that curiosity into your articulation for him).

I agree that the news, social media is driving the platform for a lot of these nut jobs to grasp for their 15 minutes of fame.

I agree more could happen due to this but maybe some do get prevented? Hard to tell.

Whether we see an actual video or hear the motives for these shootings I think we are all curious as to why little Johnny snapped.

Still waiting to hear why the Vegas shooter did what he did.

I'm going to make a calculated guess. This piece of crap grew up playing video games. It's obvious to me - like in video games - there is no value in human life. Other than what i guess was his girlfriend.

 

We just looked into the eyes of the devil.

 

Considering almost every kid born since roughly 1970 (including myself, my friends and my children) has grown up with video games, it wouldn't be a surprise if this kid did as well. But shooting zombies, playing war games, and trying to win a championship in Madden or NBA live isn't what's causing these events. If it were, we'd have tens of millions of people from the ages of 8 to 50 years old committing these crimes daily.

A good percentage of the people that do these crimes end up dead at the scene. I'm not sure the death penalty has ever prevented any crime. If you're at that point in the process deciding if a mass shooting is what you need to do, I don't think the fear of the death penalty is going to be the deciding factor as to whether you end up doing it or not.

 

I'm not saying they shouldn't be punished harshly. But I don't think the punishment even factors into the shooters thought process.

 

Over the years I have heard a lot of people say they don't believe the death penalty deters crime.

 

But virtually every person that could potentially face the death penalty tries to get the it off the table when the time comes, so I'm not so sure.

 

IMO it should be swift, sure, and they're dead.

 

I personally believe that some, not all, of these people want glory. Instead they should know that they will get no glory. They will get death. Not saying it will deter them all, but I believe it will deter some.

 

Please folks, let's not a have conversation about the possibility of making a mistake and getting the wrong person, that's a topic for another thread.

The media as usual fuels the fire for anything out there. I agree with showing it. Things should not be kept from the public. But on the other hand the media tends to glorify things into something they are not. They also leave out a lot of info that people should hear or see to get to the whole truth.

Considering almost every kid born since roughly 1970 (including myself, my friends and my children) has grown up with video games, it wouldn't be a surprise if this kid did as well. But shooting zombies, playing war games, and trying to win a championship in Madden or NBA live isn't what's causing these events. If it were, we'd have tens of millions of people from the ages of 8 to 50 years old committing these crimes daily.

 

I agree.

 

The minds of these types of people are already twisted. The games, etc are not making them evil, they are already evil.

Considering almost every kid born since roughly 1970 (including myself, my friends and my children) has grown up with video games, it wouldn't be a surprise if this kid did as well. But shooting zombies, playing war games, and trying to win a championship in Madden or NBA live isn't what's causing these events. If it were, we'd have tens of millions of people from the ages of 8 to 50 years old committing these crimes daily.

 

Not putting you on the spot but if these things are not causing the events, what is?

I personally think some of this does contribute, but there are just too many factors to pin point why these people do what they do. That's why I didn't mind seeing the kids video, though I think that could be part of the next kids motive?

Humans are hard to figure out what makes each one tick or snap.

Not putting you on the spot but if these things are not causing the events, what is?

I personally think some of this does contribute, but there are just too many factors to pin point why these people do what they do. That's why I didn't mind seeing the kids video, though I think that could be part of the next kids motive?

Humans are hard to figure out what makes each one tick or snap.

 

If I had the answer as to what causes these events, believe me, I would have shared it by now. My comment about video games is simply based in logic (at least what in my sometimes convuluted mind seems logical). Violent events have occurred throughout time, many of which have been large scale genocide involving countless thousands of lives. For Pete's sake, we used to draw and quarter people who committed minor crimes. As a society we have regularly, and commonly use terms like murder, kill, and bludgeon as words to describe when our favorite football team wins a game by a big margin. As population has grown, and the world has become smaller, the number of people with the makeup to do this sort of thing has increased. And with modern weaponary, the capacity to do so at more and more disturbing levels of efficiency has as well. Violent play has always been a part of childrens activities, whether it's kids shaping sticks into guns (or buying any number of toy guns made to look and sound realistic) knives (or other weapons) and playing cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, war etc, or whether it's kids playing Halo on Xbox. Even the basketball coach who draws up the end game play to get the ball to his best shooter so he can "stick the dagger in" or "step on the other teams throat". Every kid alive has participated in these activities and exposed to violent metaphorical descriptions to colorfully describe everyday activities, 99.999999% of which never even have the thought to kill a bunch of people cross their mind. Video games are only the next evolution of the violence that has always existed in our society. It's just easy for older generations and those who didn't experience video games to blame VG's because it's a concept that they didn't have, and thus don't understand.

Yep, the media being the most guilty in this because they run with it for weeks, but the video definitely plays it's part too. We should never know anything other than there was a shooting. We should never hear their name or see their picture.

I'm not going to blame the media for what I choose to click on. We determine what the media shows us.

A good percentage of the people that do these crimes end up dead at the scene. I'm not sure the death penalty has ever prevented any crime. If you're at that point in the process deciding if a mass shooting is what you need to do, I don't think the fear of the death penalty is going to be the deciding factor as to whether you end up doing it or not.

 

I'm not saying they shouldn't be punished harshly. But I don't think the punishment even factors into the shooters thought process.

 

I agree. I listened to a podcast this week that I think applies here. A 20-something year old, along with a group of his friends, brutally killed a mother and severely injured her daughter during a home invasion. When they were determined to be persons of interest and brought in for questioning, one of them finally caved and decided to sing, because "I decided it was just like killing myself. They eventually execute me."

 

He didn't care. Not one iota. The death penalty is not a great deterrent.