Thursday, December 27, 2012

Another Scapegoat for Mass Shootings



 
The finger pointing blame game that occurs whenever there is a tragic mass shooting in the United States has begun again. Progressives point the finger at gun rights advocates. Gun rights advocates point the finger at video game manufacturers. Video game manufacturers point the finger back at gun rights advocates. Gun rights advocates point the finger at Hollywood. Hollywood points the finger back at gun rights advocates. Gun rights advocates point the finger at Big Pharma and the psychiatric industry.  Big Pharma pints the finger back at gun rights advocates. Gun rights advocates point the finger at policies that do not make schools into militarized police states or the Wild West. School officials point the finger back at gun rights advocates.  

Now gun rights advocates are pointing the finger of blame at the news media. The news media, it is claimed, “glorifies” killers by making them “household names.” Disaffected and disturbed individuals go on a killing spree instead of simply committing suicide because they wish to achieve the fame in death that eluded them in life. 



Is this even true? First of all, are such killers really “household names?”  One of the most tragic school shootings in American history occurred on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin on the afternoon of August 1, 1966. The murderous gunman climbed a tower on the university campus and opened fire with a Universal M1 Carbine rifle, killing 15 and wounding 32 others before being killed by police. What is this murderer’s name? It is no excuse that he perpetrated his murderous rampage nearly fifty years ago. Lee Harvey Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan, and Charles Manson committed their heinous crimes during this period, and they are well remembered. Rather than have you waste time Googling it, I will tell you that the murderer’s name is Charles Joseph Whitman. How about a more recent one? What is the name of the murderer who 32 and injured 17 on the campus of Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007? Give up? It was Seung-Hui Cho.

The point is that media coverage of these murderers do not really seem to make them into “household names.” Nevertheless, is it possible that the erroneous perception that they will become “household names” inspires these rampage mass shooters? There is no evidence that this inspired Charles Joseph Whitman. All indications are that a dishonorable discharge from the Marine Corps, the divorce of his parents, and marital problems led to Whitman’s rampage. What about Seung-Hui Cho? Evidence indicates that he was suffering from severe anxiety disorder as well as major depression. In a note that he left behind, he channeled Holden Caulfield and criticized “rich kids,” “debauchery,” and “deceitful charlatans” and claimed that these “rich kids” were the ones who “caused him to do this.”  There is no indication that fame – or infamy – was on his mind. The Colombine killers – Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold – cited bullying at school as their motivation.

Even if some rampage killer committed his crimes in order to achieve fame, what would critics of the news media have them do? Would these critics seek to infringe upon the First Amendment rights of the news media? Should the news media ignore such stories and simply continue reporting on hero dogs that save their owners’ lives and on common household items that may be dangerous? Should no mention be made of the killers? Should the audience be given no facts about the killers so that no theories may be formulated as to why the tragedy occurred?

The mainstream news media in the United States can be criticized for countless things. These outlets are largely corporatist mouthpieces owned by large corporations. These outlets often practice lazy and sloppy journalism. These outlets often go to insensitive extremes in order to get sensationalistic details. However, when television journalists attempt to actually do their jobs and inform the public about a tragic event, should they be stopped from doing it?

Until Americans and their politicians get real about the causes of gun violence in general and mass murder in particular, these tragedies will continue to occur. A simple scapegoat is always easier to find than a complex solution to a multi-faceted problem. Poverty, desensitization, a history of institutionalized racism, an inept mental health system, and violent and nihilistic feelings inspired by a ruthless government and the hopelessness it creates with misguided economic and social policies are just a few of the root causes of violence in the United States. Smarmy talking heads on the television news are no more to blame than video games, Hollywood, or the Second Amendment.

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