Actually far from being the main perpetrators the mentally ill are more likely to be the victims of violent crime
Really?? That first article is nothing but OPINION and it would be easy to find rebuttal opinions. Not only that but the very concept of "revenge" is also a product of a disturbed mind. So I'm not buying it in the least! You should pay close attention to the sub-articles in that second link because they DO provide a strong hint that mental disorders are involved.
OK, bigmouth, show some PROOF of that! And remember - we are talking SPECIFICALLY about rampage killers! (Egad!)
Yes, there is always a person in need behind all these actions. Often they have a hightened sense of emotion and take everything personally, then definitons of exactly what disorder they are suffering from can vary. I was debating psychopats on another forum last week, and a common misconception is that psychopats can change their behaviour, that they chose to be "evil". That is not the case, it's something they are born with and this article shows how difficult it must be for a mother with a child that shows these symptoms.
That explains everything. Well, in this case the mother seems to have had a major influence on the boys bad behaviour.
I have to agree with you a little here, because they assume James Holmes had no clue what the film was about, that is was all a coincidence...how likely is that?
So far everything posted on this person is OPINION. Hes dead. “It takes a certain degree of clear-headedness to plan and execute a crime like this,” said James Alan Fox, a criminal justice professor at Northeastern University in Boston, who has written several books on mass murder and school violence. I suppose a criminal justice professor whos written several books on mass murder and school violence is the same kind of opinion as Rush Limbaugh *face palm* "There really is no clear association between Asperger's and violent behavior," said psychologist Elizabeth Laugeson, an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...e-adam-lanza--newtown-shooting_n_2312545.html I wasnt saying every mass murder excludes mental illness. I am begining to think this very smart guy did it for revenge. Killed his mom while she was in her bed. Smashed his computer (erasing the traces of himself so you will never know why). Wore a bullet proof vest. Brought enough ammo to kill everyone. Then killed himself when the police got there. (he isnt going to pay a penalty imposed by society). He wasnt on a mission from god, he wasnt driven by voices in his head, he knew damned well what he was doing was wrong and he could have stopped at any time. He chose to die when the cops got there. That may not provide you with the kind of answers you would like to hear but sometimes people cannot fall back on mental illness for an excuse for their actions. Maybe he was just a cold blooded killer who was out to inflict as much pain as possible. Aspergers isnt schizophrenia. And every parent whos made the mistake of telling the school their child has Aspergergs is just reeling as they wonder how their children will now be viewed.
http://www.thenation.com/article/171810/five-assault-rifles-you-can-pick-walmart-photos# Too easy access? No?
I think you're working with a narrow definition of mental illness. Plenty of people with mental illnesses are still "clear-headed" in the sense of being able to make and execute intricate plans. And whether or not he "knew" that what he was doing was wrong, he obviously didn't know it well enough to not do it. I don't think that anyone on this thread has claimed that mental illness is an "excuse", merely that it is a factor which shouldn't ignored. And schizophrenics are generally not dangerous, either. Anyone who would discriminate against a kid with Asperger's just because one person with Asperger's committed a violent crime is an idiot. But that does not change the fact that IF there were better systems in place for recognizing mental illness - of all kinds - and providing help to those who are mentally ill, we would all be better off.
(Bolded emphasis mine) You don't realize it but what you've just said agreed what what I said. And you even quoted my statement that the very concept of revenge is the product of a disturbed mind. So my position remains unchanged. Note: I never said the guy wasn't smart, either. Being mentally disturbed or deranged does NOT prevent these individuals from carefully planning their actions and carrying them out. One can often be very crazy AND very intelligent.
Let me follow up with this snippet from wiki: Of the psychological, moral, and cultural foundation for revenge, philosopher Martha Nussbaum has written: "The primitive sense of the just—remarkably constant from several ancient cultures to modern institutions ...—starts from the notion that a human life ... is a vulnerable thing, a thing that can be invaded, wounded, violated by another's act in many ways. For this penetration, the only remedy that seems appropriate is a counter invasion, equally deliberate, equally grave. And to right the balance truly, the retribution must be exactly, strictly proportional to the original encroachment. It differs from the original act only in the sequence of time and in the fact that it is response rather than original act—a fact frequently obscured if there is a long sequence of acts and counteracts".[4] Desire for the sustenance of power motivates vengeful behavior as a means of impression management: "People who are more vengeful tend to be those who are motivated by power, by authority and by the desire for status. They don't want to lose face," says social psychologist Ian McKee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge Another example from above: Some societies believe that the punishment in revenge should exceed the original injury. For example, a poll of over 1,800 Americans showed that about 40% would support the death penalty for child rape. One doesnt have to be crazy to commit horrific offenses.
Exactly. That's a common mistake among the group of people who believe gun control is the answer. They are simply not thinking deeply enough to realize their mistake is the result of superficial reasoning. <sigh>
True. And she bought those guns to protect herself, ironically enough. Gun owners are far more likely to come to harm from their own guns than they are to use them to successfully defend themselves with them.
Sorry, you still haven't presented anything to change my position. And by the way, you can count me among that 40% that supports the death penalty for child rape. Anyone who has injured/abused an innocent child has given up their right to live in a free society.
Oh no no no... Castration! In fact I think castration is best used on most forms of rape, would solve the problem much more quickly then prison, which has a very high recentism rate for rape, meaning prison quite useless and teaching a rapist to control him* self, well castration could fix that, by remove the impulse, I guess they could go with depo provara/ chemical castration, but I think permanent physical castration is just easier to manage, one time solution. * Don't know how well castration would work form female rapists, but most people don't seem to give a dam about women raping men or even little boys Well as a gun control advacate I advocate for better requirements and enforcement of gun storage so that kids or non-gun owners can get at guns. Also banning clip fed rifles would have prevented his mother legally purchasing that civilian M-4.
There was an interesting story in The Rapist File (Sussman and Bordwell, 1981) about a rapist who wanted to be castrated before he was let out of prison, because he thought that he was likely to rape again but he didn't want to... his request was, unfortunately, denied. (Just an interesting anecdote - in general I think that the present line of discussion is a touch off-topic, no?)
