Fair enough, I don’t want to push the point. My main objections are that
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It can ignore cultural problems. Regardless of the presence or absence of mental illness, events like this or the Stanford rape showed attitudes that were supported by the parents and that reflects wider cultural attitudes. The standard narrative is that there were no warning signs or cultural pattern, and this is often wrong.
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Obama may be the US president, but he’s not a Muslim - let alone their spokesperson. I’d rather he didn’t make sweeping generalisations that are not likely to be accepted by fundamentalist Muslims or conservative Americans. It’s just a contradiction of a conservative claim. But I may be wrong. I have found Christians and Muslims to be very friendly and good neighbours on the whole, but in both cases there are long and widely held beliefs that are troubling.
I think we’re both trying to get to the same place though - acceptance of multiple beliefs in society and challenging of harmful attitudes on many sides. Part of what motivated this shooter was the experience of being othered. Suspicion will not make us safer.
