Thursday, January 10, 2013

Mass Shootings And The Copycat Effect


Media Publicity Promotes Copycats

Mentally ill or not there is little doubt in my mind that the perpetrators of the recent (and presumably more distant past) shootings of unarmed, random victims in legislated or actually gun free zones were following a copycat pattern very much reinforced by the ensuing sensational media coverage of such events.

Copycats In Waves

The notion of 15 minutes of fame may also apply here. For once these perpetrators become the center of attention. I would also venture to guess there is a higher probability of a wave like pattern of occurrence of such events.

Cowards

What seems to be another observation is that these killers are cowards who would possibly rarely commit this kind of act if the odds to succeed were against them.

Digging For More

Recommendable further reading here, a Wall Street Journal op-ed article by David Kopel titled “Guns, Mental Illness and Newtown” published on 12/18/2012.

Mr. Kopel justifiably also points out the "deinstitutionalization of  the violently mentally ill" that began in the mid-1960s.

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