7 dead, 7 wounded in Santa Barbara shooting rampage

"Mannnn, it's like I'm a kid again! My mom won't let me do nothing!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VJPMeXQ6xk#t=50

 

They've been blaming TV, movies, video games and music ever since they were invented or evolved for every type of youth issues.

 

No, I wanted her to stop blaming society as a whole, or in this case putting it on the bad little boys running Hollywood, and focus on the murdering shit and the people who were close enough to him to see this coming.

 

1+1 equals 2.

Mental illness is 1.

Something else (maybe even a combo of things) is the other 1.

You need flame to light the fuse to a firecracker.
You need the trigger to release the pin to shoot the bullet.
You need (example) to verb the (example).

I'm not taking her side or defending her. But mental illness is not the sole cause of these mass murders. There are corresponding components.

This Rodger kid was cuckoo. OK, we get that. But what set him off?

I do not think that being crazy (with or without meds) triggers the need to mass murder. Are we deluding ourselves by dismissing the influence of pop culture? DO movies, TV or books set some off? Music others? Violent (or otherworldly) video games?

1+1 equals 2.

We know the 1 (mental illness). Well, what's the other 1?

Four years past his prime and the kid with mental problems still couldn't catch a piece of ass. AND he admitted he escaped into the World of Warcraft. But we're supposed to just poo-poo that part?

I'm not saying World of Warcraft is the other 1.

But can't we discuss what role it may have played in the equation?

 

The kid's final YouTube video looks/sounds/reads like a bad Hollywood script.

Daddy's a Hollywood director/insider. He craves fame and power so he can have sex with beautiful, model girlfriends.

He goes out in a blaze of glory, having produced a video, and written a manifesto.

And, we're supposed to pretend Hollywood culture had no influence on him, and his actions?

 

I wouldn't be too quick to blame it all on his parents/family.

Sometimes, you might see the potential for trouble, but also, sometimes, you're limited in what you can do really do about it.

His parents obviously knew he had issues. But they'd had him in therapy for years, so they weren't exactly ignoring that fact, and they did attempt to deal with it. They also obviously kept tabs on him, following via his online/social media presence, so there was concern. And the father obviously was also aware and included in dealing with it as the couple traveled to Santa Barbara together in an attempt to get to their son before he went off.

They tried to warn authorities in time when they realized there really might be serious trouble in this instance.

It, unfortunately, didn't work, and it wasn't enough.

Elliot Rodger was an adult. After a certain point, you really do have to let kids grow up and live on their own, or at least make their best attempt, and hope they eventually make it. Thankfully, most do, and perhaps that's what this young man's parents were hoping, praying and trying for.

In any case, I doubt there was much his parents could have done to stop their son from moving out and away from them, and attending Santa Barbara City College, or even from purchasing firearms and ammunition, as that was all done legally, too.

Rodger's parents/family might have -- and did, obviously -- know there could be possible troubles, but I doubt they could have truly anticipated quite this.

 

For the all the debate about mental illness, video games, etc., as the thing to blame, every other developed country has those issues, yet doesn't have mass shootings, or even the shooting/murder rate we do. Hmmmm, I wonder what's different.

Meanwhile, as my son's football team gathers for the start of summer workouts, they're reeling because yesterday, their starting quarterback was shot riding his bike -- at 11 a.m. He was one of three people who were Not the Intended Target who were shot.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-police-on-the-scene-of-shooting-in-dolton-20140526,0,6725632.story

This kid in the previous few days got offers from North Dakota, Northern Iowa and Illinois State, and also was attracting interest (not at quarterback) from Illinois and Indiana. He was shot in the leg, and his prognosis is unknown. Fortunately, he'll live, but is he going to play football again? One of the sounds of freedom, apparently, is a bullet ripping through this kid's leg up to his abdomen.

 

Somewhere deep in there is a usable point, but god it's buried deep under a lot of trash.

Like Songbird said, there were lots of factors that each alone don't explain this but combine to cause what happened (crazy+isolated+damaged+buying into hardcore misogyny). But it's worth breaking different ones down.

It is interesting to see someone so disconnected latch onto the idea he's the ideal (which he's not) and all the ladies should see something wrong in cocky, confident men (a theme touched on a lot in culture). Furthermore, we do live in a world where we're bombarded with attractive women often ending up with more regular, often immature men. And some people really seem to take that to heart in the worst way.

Most folks don't lose their virginity because they find that perfect, tall, leggy blond and steal her heart. They lose it because they find someone willing to take it, in any shape and form. And this kid seemed utterly unable to visualize meeting and going out with some average looking lady. Maybe just because of his particular brand of mental issues, but his tone is unfortunately echoed by more than a few.

 

We can talk about anything, but trying to put this on R-rated comedies is a bit much. Especially given that the message in those is not what she says it is.

I just get very tired of the excuse-making and the need to find a scapegoat because we can't punish the murderer.

 

Punishment and cause-effect are different subjects.

 

His parents paid for his life in Santa Barbara. From what I read, he was borderline unemployable.

A friend pointed this out to me that his dad is high enough in Hollywood circles, he probably has a pretty good sense of media narratives and PR (better than the families of a lot of other mass shooters). You see a lot of stuff attributed to "friend of the family." I'd be interested if the mom and dad were doing some damage control at a high level and crafting this.

 

News reports have the therapist calling the mother after receiving an email from Rodger, containing his manifesto.

She calls the mother, who calls the father, and then the mother eventually calls 911.

Now, based on the YouTube video, the therapist is convinced he's planning his actions for the following day.

The timeline shows that the therapist called the mother only 13 minutes before the first shooting (and probably after the stabbings). But, why didn't she call 911 as she's required to do by law? And, how long did it take her to call the mother? maybe nothing could have been prevented, but maybe the cops find him banging on the door at the sorority house, and prevent some of what happened.

Either way, the therapist did not notify authorities of a potential threat as required.