Saturday, December 15, 2012

The Gun Didn't Do It -- But The Camera Might Have

     Why is it, when a deadly lunatic shoots up a classroom full of kindergartners, we're inundated with Sorrowful Pontificating about guns -- but not so much about school security, detecting/treating the dangerously unbalanced, or the media's role in producing more of the same kinds of crimes by glorifying mass shooters?

     Ever hear of "suicide clusters?"  It happens at high schools and colleges, among teens and young adults especially: one kid gets seriously troubled and does him- or herself in, followed by entirely normal mourning and questioning; much attention is paid to the circumstances, means and methods of the suicide...and more suicides follow.

     It's also known as the Werther effect, which "not only predicts an increase in suicide, but [that] the majority of the suicides will take place in the same or a similar way as the one publicized. The more similar the person in the publicized suicide is to the people exposed to the information about it, the more likely the age group or demographic is to commit suicide. The increase generally happens only in areas where the suicide story was highly publicized. Upon learning of someone else's suicide, many people decide that action is appropriate for them as well, especially if the publicized suicide was of someone in a similar situation as them."
     For those who have not been keeping track, these mass shootings, which dominate the national news when they happen -- the most recent got an entire day of highly-repetitive coverage by all of the major TV networks -- are nearly all suicides

     Tam had already linked to a video in which an Actual Trained Expert says exactly the same thing.

     The anti-gunners, scenting blood, took the bit between their teeth and were off and running the day of the tragedy, blaming guns, blaming gun-owners and casting aspersions at the NRA (which, like the well-intentioned behemoth it is, reacted in bewildered silence yet again, a habit the Association needs to get over and toot sweet, if they want to have any gun-owners left to represent).

     If anyone tells you, "now is not the time to discuss gun right," ignore them.  Now is exactly the time; those who oppose the right to self-defense know it and they are already all over this; their tools and dupes in the media, even more so.

     Hundreds, perhaps thousands of disturbed young men watched yesterday's coverage,coverage which was filled with tears and police en masse, reporters intoning that a "town's spirit has been shattered,"* weeping parents, shaken residents and above all, attention; a ghastly focus on the criminal, his reasons, his weapons, his victims, him, him, him.   It did not fail to give them ideas.

     Inevitably, these dramatic, stupid suicides take aim at a defenseless population -- malls, cinemas, schools, all places where no law-abiding citizen may legally carry a gun.  And the antis of this world want to make more places that way, while the lamestream media goes on and on about the latest shooting-spree suicide.  It is a recipe for more of the same.  It is a prescription for a death-spiral of ever-stricter gun-control that will not prevent tragedy.

     We have to push back, no matter how distasteful the task under these circumstance.  The Bradys and the Bloombergers are already dancing in the blood; we must be the tourniquet.

     The way to deter these shootings is to stop making an all-day Greek tragedy of them, followed by weeks of fame for the miserable loser who committed the crime; the way to get them out of schools is to start arming any willing teacher and school administrator, perhaps via a program similar to the "Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO)" program -- (instead, even it has been hacked way back).

     Deny the crazies fame and an unarmed victim pool and the appeal drops; the Werther effect dissipates.  (Don't believe me? Watch Tam's video.)

     And stand ready to fight gun-banning legislation and regulation.  At the Federal level, the only bulwarks are the House and the Supreme Court; short-term, if the antis can stampede enough Republicans, we're in for a mess.  In the even shorter term, we are liable to see efforts from the President and Justice Department affecting the right to obtain, keep and bear arms, which will have to be fought in the courts (now more than ever, the Second Amendment Foundation needs your support!) and by public opinion.

     The fight is on.  Be in it.
______________________________________
* Actual line heard on NBC -- Lester Holt, I think.  They all want to be brilliant essayists in the style of Eric Sevareid or Harry Reasoner, only without any of that dull having-to-write stuff.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know that if we lose our guns The Dark Side of the force will be more enthusiastic in coming after us and our "stuff" and,to be sure,they will probably still have Their guns or,if not,they bwill be using what ever tool they prefer,machete,hammer,knife,etc. We,since we can no longer defend ourselves with our guns,will have to make do with what ever,machete,hammer,knife,etc.Maybe we should start practicing with the machete but this will probably be outlawed,too. We are doomed if those weasels in the white house do something very stupid.

NAVIGATOR said...

SOME YEARS AGO TERRORISTS TOOK OVER A SCHOOL IN NORTHERN ISRAEL MURDERED QUITE A FEW KIDS AND STAFF TILL THE IDF RESCUED OTHERS AND KILLED THE TERRORISTS
AS A RESULT RATHER SPONTANEOUSLY A LOT
OF MOMS DADS GRANDPARENTS AND OTHERS
STARTED MONITORING THEIR KIDS CLASSES
ARMED (WHICH THEY WERE ENTITLED TO DO)THE GRAND MA SITTING AS CLASS GRANNY AT BACK HAD A CLEAR SHOT AT THE DOOR WITH HER M-1911 SHOULD THE NEED ARISE
THE ATTITUDE WAS THEY WOULD NOT PERMIT ANY HARM TO COME TO THE CHILDREN AGAIN PERIOD

Douglas2 said...

This link gives the news programming plans for the day after the tragedy for the box broadcast and cable networks:
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/connecticut-school-shooting-saturday-coverage-plans_b158845

This article has more from Tam's expert, and others:
Johann Hari: Did the media help to pull the trigger?
Saturation-level coverage of mass murder causes, on average, one more mass murder in the next two weeks, says America's leading forensic psychiatrist

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-did-the-media-help-to-pull-the-trigger-2020927.html

The usual caveat: The blame for this crime rests entirely with the perpetrator. I'll not participate in blood libel that the media are collectively responsible for the murders. But if we, as a society, are looking for proven ways to prevent some or all of these events, the proven answer is right in front of our faces -- and protected by the first amendment of the constitution from being forced to change their practices. It will have to be voluntary, putting the good above the country above their own commercial interests.

MSgt B said...

Well put.

Robert Fowler said...

I look for something in the gun control arena to happen shortly after the new Congress is sworn in on the 3rd of January. There will be some new democrats seated and will have enough votes to screw us over but good. It could be the opening shots of something they really don't want to start.

JD Rush said...

Is the freak copying the Chinese knife attack that occupied the news first thing Friday or the mall loser earlier in the week? I'm actually quite concerned, having a kid in Kindergarten right now, if only because:
A: Copycat losers/psychos
B: My kid's school has less security than the average hot dog cart in Michigan.

It didn't help me to read this http://texasurj.com/archive/2011.pdf starting on page 39. A little half baked, but I never knew of a rash of Chinese school stabbings until now.

Roberta X said...

JD: Look at the perps:
Aurora, CO: detailed plan. A lot of prep work, including stockpiling ammunition and booby-trapping his apartment. (Mil-type gun jammed)

Portland, OR: Not Much planning or prep. (Mil-type gun jammed)

Newtown, CT: very little planning or prep until crime was underway.

Given the amount of airtime Newton got, you can count on one or two more, one of them probably before New Years; the shooter will not plan much and will have only a little previous experience shooting. If he uses a semi-auto rifle, it will probably jam, especially if he tries to use oversize magazines.

Shooter will be male, under 30, and without previous criminal history.

coachwalls said...

I'm a teacher and a combat veteran. We have one SRO in our district to cover 7 schools spread out over 25 miles. In short, our schools are not protected at all. Our SRO has tried multiple times to create a reserve school officer program so we can have armed individuals in every building and at every school event. He has been told that the school can't afford to take on that kind of liability. What about the liability of allowing crazy people to gun down our children?

When are people going to hold the schools and politicians accountable for these events? I'm not in favor of lawsuits but if I was a parent in Newtown I would sue the school district and anyone else responsible for not having armed individuals inside the school to stop this deranged idiot.

Kirk A said...

Thanks for the link to Tam's vid. As I've grown up and watched the transformation of the news from Walter Cronkite to the present-day pushers, I had frequently wondered whether graphic crime was occurring more often, or whether it was reported to a wider audience. I suppose that it is both, thanks to both the ratings-mongering media and the increasingly jaded viewer audience.