Another Shooting Tragedy

[sekhmet]

ePaul. I agree with you for the most part. By giving the actions of a lunatic, however horrible, this much attention and notoriety, we glamorize it. I should say, the media glamorizes it. It's not decent.

[epaul]

That guy is dead right.

Now I'm going back to practicing what I was preaching.

[Deleted]

I haven't read through this whole thread, I usually don't unless there is a real problem. More guns will not solve this issue, nor will less guns. One small thing that might help in the long run, the news media. Many people that commit this type of act are looking to be immortalized, therefore, the news media should NEVER print or speak their name. Let their name appear in the public record for those that need to know but never in the news. If the media wants to report something, report the effect the killers actions has had upon his/her family and community.

[Russell Letson]

Paul, I'm going to have to disagree, mildly and respectfully. A truly private tragedy would not play out in a public place, nor have two dozen victims, nor evoke the human-swarming response of police, firefighters, EMTS, and plain old volunteers. Nor would it inspire churches to open their doors so that friends and neighbors could gather to express their shock and grief. Those ripples I mentioned upthread propagate in a public space, and our capacity for empathy--for identifying with those in pain--is part of what holds this sprawling, divided nation (or species, for that matter) together.

Now, news coverage might be excessive and/or vulgar and sensationalistic, but it is also in part a component of that swarming reaction and a sometimes hypertrophied version of the empathetic response. (It is also in part an automatic response to the news machine and thus not without a commercial component.)

And while some serial or spree killers might include in their motivation a desire to be the star of a reality-psycho-killer show, there is no evidence that this particular spree killer was so motivated. Nor is maintaining some kind of noble silence going to prevent the truly "nuts" (or, more often, clinically depressed or paranoid-delusional) from going off the deep end.

Nearly a decade ago Roger Ebert made a point similar to Dr. Deitz's (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20031107/reviews/311070301/1023), and while that approach might address a certain kind of narcissistic personality, I wonder whether it affects other borderline psychotics the same way.

On the third hand, the reaction I most often have to someone else's bereavement is that there are no words. Which, for a guy who lives by the word, is a, um, telling detail.

[billhammond]

Yep, the news media should all work in lockstep to make sure that when such horrific stories break -- and the citizenry is crying out for the facts so they can understand what has actually happened, and how, and maybe why -- we all confer and agree ahead of time that based on what we all know early in the story's development, that if it appears that the bad person or persons was acting in this horrific way because (whether mentally ill or not) they sought the publicity that the news media would provide, then we should certainly back off and ground the helicopters and stop making phone calls and all agree to not reveal the identity or the background of the bad person or persons.

Read the above one more time and try to understand what a ridiculous and even counterproductive world THAT would be.

This happens all the time. The newspapers and electronic media learn of a big story, their readers and listeners and viewers start reading their websites and dialing up their TV and radio coverage and they WANT AND NEED TO KNOW what the hell is going on.

And I was in one of those newsrooms yesterday, and I want to tell you, it was not in any way shape or form any happier place than any other commercial establishment in town, in the state, in the nation. We all went about our jobs with as much skill and energy and professionalism as we could, with grim faces all day, part of what we regard as a very important role in such moments -- to help the public know what is going on, to constantly update that information so that misconceptions can be headed off at the pass, and eventually shape a narrative that comes as close as possible to being the agreed-upon facts of the story.

The public doesn't want this because they are ghouls -- the public wants this because as human beings, they need to know what ACTUALLY HAPPENED so they can then go about the business of dealing with it, individually, as a family, as a classroom, as a place of business, whatever.

To suggest that because something so wretchedly horrible as this happens every once in a while because someone seeks the glare of publicity that the nation's journalists should shut the hell up is lunacy.

You can quibble all you want with the opinion writers and bloggers and radio jocks who maybe-too-soon start offering their views of what did, could and should happen and pointing fingers, but people, don't suggest that newspeople start employing some fantastic form of Selective Censorship in such stories because there is universal agreement on what is too much information, what is helpful, what is important.

Maybe start with thanking your stars that we live in a setting where almost any citizen in such moments has instant, free access to good, solid, tireless reporting that by nature starts out shaky but gets better and better as the digging continues.

No one is ever going to be able to stop that process of newsgathering, not any more than anyone is going to be able to wipe guns from American soil. Especially because the public needs to know, wants to know, used to PAY to know and today only bitches selectively when this or that report does not line up with this or that individual's assured view of what is right and what is not.

[Chesapeake]

I don't believe the media glamorize people like this. Whenever I've heard any editorial comment about this individual, it has been along the lines of despicable, twisted, deranged, etc. The media do report their names, and every little detail they can find out about their lives, partly because the public demands it, and partly, I suppose, because we think if we know more about such people, the how and the why of such atrocities as far as we can figure them out, we might be able to head off the next one. We tend to look for scapegoats and easy answers in situations like this, but blaming the media for the acts of a mentally ill person seems to me not very productive.

[Chesapeake]

Bill beat me to the punch on this one. He states it much more elegantly.

[epaul]

Reducing my post to "blame the media" is as simplistic as "blaming the media".

I wasn't discussing "reporting", it wasn't even about "sensationalizing", though that at least is getting closer to my point.

But, if what I was trying to say didn't work the first time, it is unlikely to get any clearer with a repetition.

Think of the "tree scene" from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", then consider the "Feelies" of Brave New World.

Then you are getting close.

But, it doesn't matter.


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[billhammond]

Dec 15, 2012 18:18:48 GMT -5 Chesapeake said:

Bill beat me to the punch on this one. He states it much more elegantly.

Ah, you are very kind.

I do want to say one more thing on this topic -- I know there are people on this forum who have worked in law enforcement, military, ER rooms, etc., and have seen and experienced things that the rest of us cannot even imagine.

Much of that they will never talk about to others. And similarly as journalists go about reporting on stories like Newtown's, they learn lots of things that we never report. Lots of things, lots of awful, ghastly things that the public can do well without, and so most media outlets do not release those reports.

Of course, this situation exists in a continuum, to where the New York Post will report stuff that the Deseret News will not.

But we self-censor all the time, is my point.

One thing we are never gonna do in such a story, I assure you, is fail to identify the perpetrator(s) if the ID is solid. I could write a dozen reasons for not withholding the ID, but I have probably written enough on this topic.

[billhammond]

I was actually directing my comments at Marty's post, Paul, not yours, even though Marty and I just enjoyed a terrific hour or so at a wonderful gastropub. So, Mr. Reynolds, I trust you realize that I am not aiming at you, the great guy, but the idea that in such stories the perp should be granted anonymity, because I think that is a hugely untenable suggestion.

But you still run a mean sound board, make a fabulous string winder and can fix anything.

[Deleted]

I don't blame the media. So much of this type of thing has happened in the last few years that I can't help but think that people who commit such atrocities are trying to make their last act immortal. They see and hear all the media that someone gets when they do such things. We can't stop someone from doing something but we can take away the immortality by not using their name. And if in doing so we take away the attraction for that immortality from just a few isn't it worth it.

[epaul]

Dec 15, 2012 18:35:18 GMT -5 billhammond said:

I was actually directing my comments at Marty's post, Paul, not yours, ...

Oh. Well that makes sense. His post was crazy.

As for mine, I suppose it has a few holes in it. Pretty tough to wrap something like this up into a neat bundle. These sad deals have links to every foible of mankind. I got at something. As did Russell. As did you, as did, well, everyone but Marty. I don't know what he was smoking.

What do you guys do on these lunches of yours?


.

[godotwaits]

I promised myself to vacate this discussion. My bad. Here I am again. Hold your horses my friends. I think some of you are very nearly right, but there is a larger picture that I think will soon come to light. My initial grief has subsided somewhat.

Some background: I lived in Sandy Hook. And I have been around the area for years. Newtown, more properly. Sandy Hook is a subset of Newtown. Newtown is a town in Fairfield County. One of the wealthiest counties in the country. My, now ex-wife and I, had a home on Lake Zoar (which is really the Housatonic River) The northern border of Fairfield County is river which flows, largely NW to SE down through to Stratford, adjacent to Bridgeport. When my son was born, we lived in Sandy Hook. There were affordable opportunities along the shores of Lake Zoar. Lots of innerestin' fixer uppers. Cottages along the lake. Leftovers from the wealthy a generation ago. The wealthy along the shorelines of Ct. These property parcels are small and grandfather-claused in. There's a blue collar generation who live here. And some of them are dangerous. (That'll be another story for another time)

Newtown is a very large town. Covers a lot of real estate. And yet, it is only a town of some 30,000. The town has changed a lot in the time I have known it. It is full of some very large property parcels, now, and home to some incredible McMansions now. I just want to suggest that there is a very complicated set of social/economic things going on here that have not come fully to light.

The big question remains: Why? What was the motive. Don't know if within all this noise it's become apparent to you, but, the principle State Police investigator has made it known that their investigation is sitting on a very serious answer. Unlike many of the previous horrible tragedies which shall remain forever unanswered. And I can predict that more revelations are not going to be released until after President Obama visits town tomorrow and lends comfort to the grieving. Sunday. Starting around Monday, I think some very unpleasant facts will begin to be released. I think the State Police would rather keep the cat in the bag until then. There is more to this story than meets the eye just yet.

As a quick digression let me say that I agree with Father Bill on the role of the media. I think it is our duty as a nation to examine our tragedies in spite of the cacaphony of sensationalism. Hey, we live in a tower of Babel now. Thousands of voices screaming to be heard. But we still need to do some soul searching.

I heard an interview of a teacher who called into a talk program on WICC. A local radio station from Bridgeport. He had had a fairly close acquaintance with the alleged perpetrator Adam and his mother. He, in as much, said he knew that Adam was a deeply disturbed young man. This was 3 or 4 years ago. I think discussions about mental illness and how we as a society treat this issue will be a central feature.

I don't think Adam went into that school for any amount of self-aggrandizement, or egoism, or to become famous, or infamous. He was a cornered animal who had too long gone ignored. His only tether to the world was his mother, and her only tether was to work and economic survival via a job, aka a position within the school system as a kindergarten teacher. I think somehow that went sour. And they both faced a financial precipice. They would possibly be homeless.

Do you know: he wanted to be a Marine. It was his dream and only interest. And guns. She bought them for him. All guns were registered to her. He was 20. And living at home with Mom. His dreams weren't happening.

Do you know that there was a serious altercation that happened at the school involving Adam and several administrators on Thursday prior to the horrendous Friday. Only only one person survived that altercation. The single administrator/teacher with injuries to a leg and an arm. I think the State Police have probably interviewed that person extensively.

That school was on 'lock up' but the principle buzzed Adam in. Now there's gonna be a why. Why would she do that when he's standing there in his Teen Aged Mutant Ninga costume. She probably didn't even look. Even though she was the stuanchest support of the security measure. She was expecting him. She grossly underestimated her error somehow.

I somehow think there is some kind of stink that will stick to the Board of Education regarding it's Personnel problem with Mrs Lanza. Was she a teacher. Oh yes. No not really. The superintendant of the board claimed she was in no way an employee. Oh well she was a 'sub-stitute' teacher. No really she was just a 'volunteer.'

Let me me tell you. It costs a lot of money to live in Fairfield County. And the wealthy are gobbling up every square inch of it. It probably won't be long before I have to relocate. The family was estranged. Dad lives in Stamford. He owes his ex-wife no further child support. Ryan was making his own way, living in Hoboken and working in Manhattan and hadn't seen his brother since 2010. Adam carried his brother's expired license, which is why Ryan was intitially identified as the perpetrator. Adam probably couldn't get one of his own.

We do need to reflect upon our society and how some people are being marginalized and torn apart. We do owe some amount of responsibility to those who are mentally marginalized. We do need to get some kind of better control on weapons.

I may be wrong. But let's wait till Monday. For now, we must grieve with the grieving.

[Doug]

I think a large part of these types of things is "I want to be famous".
Given that it would be a good idea to not let them be famous (no name etc).
Given that as Bill said people have the desire to know and that there are media that will tell them. Serving their readers/watchers.

So while media encourages some of these type of acts by giving a forum to "famous" there isn't anything that can be done. People want to know. And most of the media does a fair job of not promoting "famous" but most of the crazies are satisfied with "infamous". So I don't think it's a matter of blame the media but blame human nature, both the need to "know" and the need to be infamous in the crazies. Not going to change either of those needs.

So seems to me that the only censorship that will work (media is already doing self censorship) is for people to do self censorship. How you feel about what you read/see.

[Fingerplucked]

Dec 16, 2012 2:48:01 GMT -5 godotwaits said:

Do you know: he wanted to be a Marine. It was his dream and only interest. And guns. She bought them for him. All guns were registered to her. He was 20. And living at home with Mom. His dreams weren't happening.


That school was on 'lock up' but the principle buzzed Adam in. Now there's gonna be a why. Why would she do that when he's standing there in his Teen Aged Mutant Ninga costume. She probably didn't even look. Even though she was the stuanchest support of the security measure. She was expecting him. She grossly underestimated her error somehow.

I somehow think there is some kind of stink that will stick to the Board of Education regarding it's Personnel problem with Mrs Lanza. Was she a teacher. Oh yes. No not really. The superintendant of the board claimed she was in no way an employee. Oh well she was a 'sub-stitute' teacher. No really she was just a 'volunteer.'

Friends are saying she talked about her guns a lot. She took her boys out for target practice. It doesn't sound like the guns were for him.

Earlier reports said the principal buzzed him in, but they're now saying he was denied entry, so he shot his way in through the glass doors.

And the superintendent is saying the mother had no ties to the school, so they're not sure how or why he picked this particular school. Although I suppose "volunteer" could mean just about anything, so maybe there was something that would not have been documented.

[jdd2]

american exceptionalism...

[Tamarack]

News reports are coming out with portraits of the victims -- unique little kids with lives ahead of them, dedicated young teachers at the beginning of their careers and middle-aged women working hard while looking forward to retirement. Some may see this as intrusive media, I see it as a way of keeping us human, to resist desensitization.

[AlanC]

This AM I hear that the mother didn't work there and that he shot his way in rather than being "buzzed in" along with doubts that the shooter was the one involved in the Friday altercation. Similar to the Travon/Zimmerman debacle, we will have to wait a few weeks to get some real facts. I'm beginning to despise the 24 hour "News" channels. It seems all they are good for is muddying the waters of the news stream.

[Cosmic Wonder]

Dec 16, 2012 9:45:44 GMT -5 jdd2 said:

american exceptionalism...

Jdd, I have no idea what you meant by that. Certainly our country does not own the patent on insanity.

[Rob Hanesworth]

There is an essay circulating from a mother named Liza Long entitled "I am Adam Lanza's Mother" in which she details some of the difficulties of having a child with mental problems that you know will oneday cause him to hurt himself and/or others and not seeing options on how to deal with that child. Much to think about.

Here it is:

Three days before 20 year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, then opened fire on a classroom full of Connecticut kindergartners, my 13-year old son Michael (name changed) missed his bus because he was wearing the wrong color pants.

“I can wear these pants,” he said, his tone increasingly belligerent, the black-hole pupils of his eyes swallowing the blue irises.

“They are navy blue,” I told him. “Your school’s dress code says black or khaki pants only.”

“They told me I could wear these,” he insisted. “You’re a stupid bitch. I can wear whatever pants I want to. This is America. I have rights!”

“You can’t wear whatever pants you want to,” I said, my tone affable, reasonable. “And you definitely cannot call me a stupid bitch. You’re grounded from electronics for the rest of the day. Now get in the car, and I will take you to school.”

I live with a son who is mentally ill. I love my son. But he terrifies me.

A few weeks ago, Michael pulled a knife and threatened to kill me and then himself after I asked him to return his overdue library books. His 7 and 9 year old siblings knew the safety plan -- they ran to the car and locked the doors before I even asked them to. I managed to get the knife from Michael, then methodically collected all the sharp objects in the house into a single Tupperware container that now travels with me. Through it all, he continued to scream insults at me and threaten to kill or hurt me.

That conflict ended with three burly police officers and a paramedic wrestling my son onto a gurney for an expensive ambulance ride to the local emergency room. The mental hospital didn’t have any beds that day, and Michael calmed down nicely in the ER, so they sent us home with a prescription for Zyprexa and a follow-up visit with a local pediatric psychiatrist.

We still don’t know what’s wrong with Michael. Autism spectrum, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant or Intermittent Explosive Disorder have all been tossed around at various meetings with probation officers and social workers and counselors and teachers and school administrators. He’s been on a slew of antipsychotic and mood altering pharmaceuticals, a Russian novel of behavioral plans. Nothing seems to work.

At the start of seventh grade, Michael was accepted to an accelerated program for highly gifted math and science students. His IQ is off the charts. When he’s in a good mood, he will gladly bend your ear on subjects ranging from Greek mythology to the differences between Einsteinian and Newtonian physics to Doctor Who. He’s in a good mood most of the time. But when he’s not, watch out. And it’s impossible to predict what will set him off.

Several weeks into his new junior high school, Michael began exhibiting increasingly odd and threatening behaviors at school. We decided to transfer him to the district’s most restrictive behavioral program, a contained school environment where children who can’t function in normal classrooms can access their right to free public babysitting from 7:30-1:50 Monday through Friday until they turn 18.

The morning of the pants incident, Michael continued to argue with me on the drive. He would occasionally apologize and seem remorseful. Right before we turned into his school parking lot, he said, “Look, Mom, I’m really sorry. Can I have video games back today?”

“No way,” I told him. “You cannot act the way you acted this morning and think you can get your electronic privileges back that quickly.”

His face turned cold, and his eyes were full of calculated rage. “Then I’m going to kill myself,” he said. “I’m going to jump out of this car right now and kill myself.”

That was it. After the knife incident, I told him that if he ever said those words again, I would take him straight to the mental hospital, no ifs, ands, or buts. I did not respond, except to pull the car into the opposite lane, turning left instead of right.
“Where are you taking me?” he said, suddenly worried. “Where are we going?”

“You know where we are going,” I replied.

“No! You can’t do that to me! You’re sending me to hell! You’re sending me straight to hell!”

I pulled up in front of the hospital, frantically waiving for one of the clinicians who happened to be standing outside. “Call the police,” I said. “Hurry.”

Michael was in a full-blown fit by then, screaming and hitting. I hugged him close so he couldn’t escape from the car. He bit me several times and repeatedly jabbed his elbows into my rib cage. I’m still stronger than he is, but I won’t be for much longer.
The police came quickly and carried my son screaming and kicking into the bowels of the hospital. I started to shake, and tears filled my eyes as I filled out the paperwork -- “Were there any difficulties with… at what age did your child… were there any problems with.. has your child ever experienced.. does your child have…”

At least we have health insurance now. I recently accepted a position with a local college, giving up my freelance career because when you have a kid like this, you need benefits. You’ll do anything for benefits. No individual insurance plan will cover this kind of thing.

For days, my son insisted that I was lying -- that I made the whole thing up so that I could get rid of him. The first day, when I called to check up on him, he said, “I hate you. And I’m going to get my revenge as soon as I get out of here.”

By day three, he was my calm, sweet boy again, all apologies and promises to get better. I’ve heard those promises for years. I don’t believe them anymore.

On the intake form, under the question, “What are your expectations for treatment?” I wrote, “I need help.”

And I do. This problem is too big for me to handle on my own. Sometimes there are no good options. So you just pray for grace and trust that in hindsight, it will all make sense.

I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanza’s mother. I am Dylan Klebold’s and Eric Harris’s mother. I am James Holmes’s mother. I am Jared Loughner’s mother. I am Seung-Hui Cho’s mother. And these boys—and their mothers—need help. In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.

According to Mother Jones, since 1982, 61 mass murders involving firearms have occurred throughout the country. Of these, 43 of the killers were white males, and only one was a woman. Mother Jones focused on whether the killers obtained their guns legally (most did). But this highly visible sign of mental illness should lead us to consider how many people in the U.S. live in fear, like I do.

When I asked my son’s social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. “If he’s back in the system, they’ll create a paper trail,” he said. “That’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you’ve got charges.”

I don’t believe my son belongs in jail. The chaotic environment exacerbates Michael’s sensitivity to sensory stimuli and doesn’t deal with the underlying pathology. But it seems like the United States is using prison as the solution of choice for mentally ill people. According to Human Rights Watch, the number of mentally ill inmates in U.S. prisons quadrupled from 2000 to 2006, and it continues to rise -- in fact, the rate of inmate mental illness is five times greater (56 percent) than in the non-incarcerated population.

With state-run treatment centers and hospitals shuttered, prison is now the last resort for the mentally ill -- Rikers Island, the LA County Jail and Cook County Jail in Illinois housed the nation’s largest treatment centers in 2011.

No one wants to send a 13-year old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, “Something must be done.”

I agree that something must be done. It’s time for a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health. That’s the only way our nation can ever truly heal.

God help me. God help Michael. God help us all.

(Originally published at The Anarchist Soccer Mom.)