Some Dubious Explanations for America’s Mass Shooting “Epidemic”

Since the turn of the century, the United States has endured over thirty mass shootings. The inevitable question is “Why?” The suggested answers are typically so dubious that they are often no better than blaming the moon, yellow bile, or demons.

1. Mass shootings are the result of the secularization of America. God has been banished from public schools and the public square, and the Godless monsters that are produced do not know right from wrong and place no value on human life. (The Huckabee/O’Reilly “Traditional Christian Folks” Explanation)

While this explanation makes for some nice red meat for Christian fundamentalists and other “traditionalists,” it happens to be ridiculous. Unless one fails to let facts get in the way of a good argument, it is dubious. Alternet’s Amanda Marcotte has written a piece that ranks the eight best nations to be an atheist based upon factors such as having a high percentage of nonbelievers. These nations – ranked from highest to lowest on Marcotte’s scale – are: the Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, France, Norway, Australia, and Japan. If the explanation set forth by moral blowhards such as Mike Huckabee and Bill O’Reilly is plausible, then one would expect these nations of “secular-progressive” heathens to be places where mass shootings and other violent Godless atrocities occur on a regular basis.

Alas, the facts show that this is dubious. The Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, and Australia have had no mass shootings in the twenty-first century. Japan has had two, France has had three, and Norway has had one – the notorious Anders Behring Breivik who murdered 77 and injured 242 others in 2011. Of these five mass murderers, at least two were anything but secular. Breivik was an extremely religious Christian. French mass murderer Mohammed Merah was a devout Muslim who killed seven and injured eight in March of 2012.

These eight “heathen” nations have among the lowest homicide rates in the world – ranging from .3 per 100,000 to 1.7 per 100,000. These rates compare very favorably with the homicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 of the United States. If secularism has not caused a rash of mass killings or homicides in general in these eight nations, then there is no reason to believe that the comparatively moderate level of secularism in the United States was a causal factor for mass killings and homicides.

2. Mass shootings are the result of the corrupt media with its violent video games, music videos, movies, and television shows. (The NRA “Let’s Find Another Scapegoat” Explanation)

High levels of exposure to violent movies, television shows, music videos, and video games clearly have an effect on people – particularly children. Studies have shown that such exposure creates both detrimental short-term and long-term effects. Dr. L. Rowe Huesmann of the University of Michigan claims that an analysis of studies demonstrates that exposure to violent media causes children to become more aggressive in both the short and long-term and that this effect is significant enough to be considered a public health threat. In the long-term, exposure to media violence can cause desensitization to violence, cause individuals to create cognitive “scripts” that encourage them to act violently like in the violent media they watch, and to seek out others who are similarly aggressive.

Violent video games – some of the most popular of which among young American gamers are ultraviolent and realistic “first person shooter games” – have also been shown to increase aggressiveness after exposure. Craig A. Anderson of the University of Iowa and his associates have conducted a meta-analytic review of the effects of video games on empathy and pro-social behavior in Eastern and Western countries. Among their most intriguing claims is that video game violence has different effects upon gamers in Western and Eastern cultures. They claim that “cultures characterized by collectivistic values, high moral discipline, a high level of egalitarian commitment, low uncertainty avoidance, and which emphasize values that are heavily Confucian showed lower levels of aggression than their counterparts.” Gamers in Eastern cultures such as Japan also favor different kinds of video games than their American counterparts. While Americans favor action and sports games, Japanese gamers prefer role-playing games that “often involve text reading, patience, and cooperative fights against computer-controlled characters.” The ways in which individuals in the West and individuals in the East interpret the world also greatly differs. Those in the East, for example, are more likely to pay attention to “situational contexts” in video games and other media. Based upon their meta-analysis, Anderson and his colleagues found that experimental evidence clearly shows that violent video game play is a causal factor in future aggressive behavior.

Truth be told, the idea that exposure to violent media is a causal factor in aggressive behavior is neither novel nor surprising. The important question is what this should mean for public policy. At this point, it is far too tempting to begin down the slippery slope of censorship. Parents have the right and responsibility to regulate what media their children consume. There is more than enough information available for parents to determine what media might not be appropriate for their children. Rather than creating a new scapegoat for violence in American society, parents simply need to more closely monitor what their children do. Nobody forces parents to allow their children to play violent video games. Furthermore, parents have the greatest influence on how their children develop during the formative years. If children are drawn to violent video games, perhaps that says more about the failure of parents to properly socialize their children than it does about the behavior of “corrupt” media corporations that are simply offering products that are apt to sell. While this may sound like an overly simplistic solution, it is nevertheless true. Freedom of expression can produce dangers, but censorship is far more dangerous.  

It must also be noted that aggressiveness in and of itself is not a bad thing. Aggressiveness can be channelled into violence, but likewise it can be channelled into positive activities like sport or work. 

The differences between the effects of video game violence on the Western individualist psyche and the Eastern collectivist psyche must also be placed into a broader context. The “Confucian” worldview does not make individuals in Eastern cultures immune to desensitization or violent cruelty. Lower levels of aggression did not prevent Tojo’s Japan from perpetuating atrocities upon China and Korea. This also did not prevent the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia or the Maoists in China. If anything, while an Eastern collectivist mindset can perhaps decrease short-term small scale aggression, it is obvious that it can lead to long-term large scale aggression directed by political leaders.

3. Mass shootings are the result of a failure of the mental health system and mental health laws. If rampage killers could be identified before they kill, then tragedies could be averted. Lax civil commitment laws prevent society from being able to intervene and help troubled individuals before it is too late. (The “Everyone Is Crazy and Should Be Placed in an Asylum except Me” Argument)

Whenever a tragedy like that in Newtown occurs, many grab their torches and pitchforks and look for a way to blame the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Shortly before the Newtown shootings, the ACLU successfully opposed a proposed “assisted outpatient treatment” law (AOT) in Connecticut. Such a law allows for the “mentally ill” to be institutionalized and medicated without having harmed themselves or others or having expressed an intent to do so. Connecticut is one of only six states not to have an AOT law on the books.

The now common notion of institutionalizing those who are considered a “threat to themselves or others” is pernicious. Psychiatrists are not akin to the “pre-cogs” of Minority Report and cannot predict what individuals will or will not become violent. Psychiatry is such an imprecise science that one should probably call it a “science” instead of a science. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) “creates” mental illnesses by simply establishing criteria for them in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals. In most cases the APA has no empirical evidence concerning what is or is not a “mental illness” and has no idea about what the physiological causes of such “diseases” are. One need only be reminded that homosexuals were once considered “mentally ill” and women were stigmatized by psychiatry as being “hysterical.” In many ways, psychiatry is to medicine what astrology is to astronomy.  

One need not be a radical Scientologist (or wet one's pants about Xenu) to understand the dangers of excessive power being given to the psychiatric expert class in taking away the liberty of those labeled “mentally ill.” The Soviets regularly abused psychiatry to label dissidents as “mentally ill” and to forcibly institutionalize them. Once inside mental institutions, dissidents were often subjected to torture of various kinds.

If one believes something like that could never happen here, consider the following. In August of 2012, former Marine Brandon J. Raub was kidnapped by police and committed temporarily to a mental hospital after he posted “anti-government” messages on FaceBook. Raub was held against his will in the “snakepit” for a week before a judge finally ordered him to be released. If this is a sign of things to come, be afraid. Be very afraid.

The APA has already made dissent against authority a “mental illness” for children by diagnosing such dissent as “oppositional defiant disorder” (ODD), which can be roughly defined as “a pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures.” According to Johns Hopkins: “Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a behavior disorder, usually diagnosed in childhood, that is characterized by uncooperative, defiant, negativistic, irritable, and annoying behaviors toward parents, peers, teachers, and other authority figures.” That is right. If you are an “annoying” child, you may be “mentally ill.” The APA offers the following criteria for this “mental illness.”

A pattern of negativistic, hostile, and defiant behavior lasting at least 6 months, during which four (or more) of the following are present: 

(1) often loses temper
(2) often argues with adults
(3) often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults' requests or rules
(4) often deliberately annoys people
(5) often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
(6) is often touchy or easily annoyed by others
(7) is often angry and resentful
(8) is often spiteful or vindictive
Note: Consider a criterion met only if the behavior occurs more frequently than is typically observed in individuals of comparable age and developmental level. 

If the danger of this is not already apparent, consider the following scenario. Jane is ten years old. Her parents are virulent anti-Semites. When her parents tell her to stay away from her Jewish playmates, she refuses. When her parents tell her to read Mein Kampf, she refuses. When her parents try to teach her about Nazi ideology and Aryan race theory, Jane often loses her temper and argues with them. She often annoys her family and their Neo-Nazi friends and becomes easily annoyed when they begin to blame Jews for all of the evils in the world. She often becomes angry and resentful when her parents tell her that the Holocaust is a hoax and that it did not really occur. Jane often becomes spiteful and vindictive when her parents do not allow her to play with her Jewish friends or do not allow her to see a movie with Jewish directors or actors, read a book by a Jewish author, or do anything that is not overtly anti-Semitic. Guess what. Jane is “mentally ill.” Jane has ODD. Psychiatrists may very well prescribe medications to treat Jane’s ODD. They may prescribe methylphenidate (Ritalin). Methylphenidate produces the following side effects.

·                     fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeats;

·                     feeling like you might pass out;

·                     fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;

·                     aggression, restlessness, hallucinations, unusual behavior, or motor tics (muscle twitches);

·                     easy bruising, purple spots on your skin; or

·                     dangerously high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats, seizure).

Less serious Ritalin side effects may include:

·                     stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite;

·                     vision problems, dizziness, mild headache;

·                     sweating, mild skin rash;

·                     numbness, tingling, or cold feeling in your hands or feet;

·                     nervous feeling, sleep problems (insomnia); or

·                     weight loss.

The psychiatrists may prescribe dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine). Dextroamphetamine produces the following side effects.

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

·                     fast or pounding heartbeats;

·                     feeling light-headed, fainting;

·                     dangerously high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats, seizure); or

·                     tremor, restlessness, hallucinations, unusual behavior, or motor tics (muscle twitches).

Less serious side effects may include:

·                     headache or dizziness;

·                     sleep problems (insomnia);

·                     dry mouth or an unpleasant taste in your mouth;

·                     diarrhea, constipation;

·                     loss of appetite, weight loss

The psychiatrists may also prescribe risperidone (Risperdal) to decrease Jane’s “disruptive behaviors.” Risperidone produces the following side effects.

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction while taking risperidone (the active ingredient contained in Risperdal) hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop taking risperidone and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

·                     fever, stiff muscles, confusion, sweating, fast or uneven heartbeats;

·                     restless muscle movements in your eyes, tongue, jaw, or neck;

·                     drooling, tremor (uncontrolled shaking);

·                     seizure (convulsions);

·                     fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;

·                     nosebleeds;

·                     white patches or sores inside your mouth or on your lips;

·                     trouble swallowing;

·                     feeling like you might pass out

Less serious side effects of risperidone may include:

·                     weight gain;

·                     feeling hot or cold;

·                     headache, dizziness;

·                     drowsiness, tired feeling;

·                     dry mouth, increased appetite;

·                     feeling restless or anxious;

·                     sleep problems (insomnia);

·                     nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation;

·                     cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose; or

·                     mild skin rash.

Jane’s parents need not be anti-Semites. Alter the above scenario to make them racists, sexists, homophobes, etc. Nothing changes. In any of these cases, Jane is “mentally ill” and a candidate to be poisoned with psychiatric medications. 

Before long, the APA will undoubtedly create a new “mental illness” that is an adult version of ODD – just as it earlier created “antisocial personality disorder” as an adult analog of “conduct disorder.” Such a new “mental illness” would lead to those who resemble Thomas Jefferson, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Lucy Burns being diagnosed as “mentally ill.” 

In short, too many seek to scapegoat groups such as atheists, media corporations, or the “mentally ill” for mass murders instead of laying the blame on the mass murderers themselves.