Seven dead, seven injured in Santa Barbara rampage shooting

So this was a hate crime?

If that’s supposed to be a joke, it isn’t funny. If you’re asking seriously, then yes, gender is covered in California’s hate crime statutes, plus whatever of VAWA’s restitution stuff would have mattered if he weren’t dead.

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Not really a joke.

I was not questioning the gender of the targeted ladies, as much as that he was targeting white girls.

I find your response to this interesting. You thought it would be a hate crime case because he targeted women and you ignored the fact the he explicity stated that he was targeting whites?

Mod edit: No rape jokes.

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The sad fact is, saner gun control seems like a lost cause in the USA. After Newtown, more gun laws across the country were LOOSENED than tightened. The NRA and its army of stupid hicks are, unfortunately, firmly in control of the debate. I say all of this as a gun owner, btw – one who definitely supports stronger gun control laws. Many non-US citizens also don’t fully understand that gun ownership has basically been locked into our legal system, and any kind if outright bans would require a Constitutional amendment, which simply will not happen any time soon, if ever.

It’s too bad this guy sought out a murderous rampage, instead of therapy. I think therapy is way too stigmatized, and would probably offer more useful tools to people who are unhappy, lonely, etc. It’s been extremely valuable for me, just to have someone who is not a family member, friend, or coworker who you can bounce stuff off of. I’m not saying it would have stopped this maniac, but in general therapy would be soooo good for the bulk of the population.

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It’s the lyrics to Joe Jackson’s is she really going out with him. Which as a dorky teenager I related to, not so much these days.

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Mod note: This is not a topic about men’s rights. Stay on topic.

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Hi, Im not in the NRA but I am a stupid hick.

Apparently, due in no small part to my hick stupidity, I dont understand how stricter gun laws would have prevented this. As a matter of fact California is the strictest gun control, liberal haven in the country.

Can you help an idiot out?

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I realize that’s what Wikipedia says, but they are only “stricter” in the sense that not many jurisdictions have any controls at all, and only “strictest” in the amount of ink they’ve expended. Realistic goals and effective means are not in place anywhere in the U.S.

So your question has been answered, again. Do you have another talking point? I have a feeling the dragon Banhammer is as hot on gun control being “the topic” as he is on MRAism. You might want to step lightly.

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I moved a post to an existing topic: Santa Barbara shootings and MRAs

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Variety is the spice of life!

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You know the punishment of Sisyphus? That is what it feels like to be a person trying to restrict guns in the US. Most people have given up due to exhaustion.

Edit: apparently @Falcor thinks this post has something to do with MRAs.
[mod edit: nope. your comment just got moved because it was a reply to a post that dealt with it]

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Psychologists and therapists are not psychic. We also don’t go trolling the internet hunting for information about our clients. If clients hide things from us or outright lie to us when we assess them for suicide or homicide risk, there is not much we can do. Putting someone on a psychiatric hold is much harder than most people think, and even if someone says “I’m going to go shoot up that sorority!”, if they get to the ER and tell the psychiatrist on duty “ha ha, j/k!” they’re gonna be out of there within hours.

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I’m sorry to hear it. I haven’t seen them, and since the time has passed, I don’t intend to watch. Unfortunately this may have been like so many suicides where make open statements about their intent which are simply not heard for what they are (even by those who know them well) until after the act has occurred.

His delivery on youtube (and the fact that his father is a director) would have made it even harder for people to read the videos as sincere beforehand. With virals like lonelygirl15 out there, people are never quite sure what’s real and what’s scripted online. That said, in any case where safety is a concern, I agree that intervention would definitely have been warranted and something was missed.

I agree with your comments about not stigmatizing mentally ill people as violent. But mental illness and its manifestations are not de-coupled from culture.  The way mental illness manifests is heavily INFLUENCED by culture.

Some cultural differences are also apparent in the kind of delusions that occur in schizophrenia patients. Often, the delusions tend to reflect the predominant themes and values of a person’s culture. For example, in Ireland, where religious piety is highly valued, patients with schizophrenia often have delusions of sainthood. In industrially advanced countries like America, patients’ delusions tend to focus on sinister uses of technology and surveillance. Patients may report that they are being spied on by their televisions or that they are being X-rayed when they walk down the street. In Japan, a country that prizes honor and social conformity, delusions often revolve around slander or the fear of being humiliated publicly. In Nigeria, where mental illness is believed to be caused by evil spirits, delusions may take the form of witches or ancestral ghosts. (Source: The Secret Life of the Brain : Episode 3)

“We know the manifestation of mental illness is affected by cultural factors,” Dr. Swartz said. “One’s cultural context does effect people’s thinking and particularly their delusions. It gives some content and shape to their delusions. While we don know whether there was a specific relationship between the political climate that he was exposed to and his thinking, it’s a reasonable line of inquiry to explore.” (Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2011/01/mental_illness_expert_we_shoul.html)

This incident could not be any more clearly about misogyny, sexism, and a distorted sense of entitlement linked to male privilege if it were wearing a giant, blinking neon sign saying “I HATE WOMEN.” But it’s also possible that this guy had a double dose of the misogyny that all of us pick up from the culture around us (you’re soaking in it!) AND a particularly sideways relationship to reality and decision-making that was heavily flavored by the same poison.

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In many ways you could say he was a ‘radicalized’ misogynist based on his forum posts and manifesto. As far as mental illness is concerned, it is tough to say. All that is known right now is that he had high functioning Aspergers (which families of autistic kids like to point out is not a mental illness) and was prescribed antipsychotic medication (which have various uses including mood stabilization). He was also in therapy and his parents called the police after seeing threatening videos (the police did a welfare check and found no problems).

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Agreed on all counts. I find it frustrating as hell that as soon as a white guy shoots someone, the “well, he was CRAZY” narrative starts. It’s just “NOT ALL MEN” in different clothing.

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The off-campus housing for UCSB doesn’t exist within school grounds. It’s actually off-campus. There were nine shooting locations, and there were either people shot on the street or at through windows at places habituated by UCSB students (like a popular local pizza place). Basically, Isla Vista is a college town, with the population swelling while students are in residence. He couldn’t have as easily driven through the college itself to do what he did. Surface streets were more open. He technically wasn’t n college property, but he was in Isla Vista specifically to target female students.

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Psych is an American TV show on USA network where a man pretends to be a psychic detective and solves crimes in Santa Barbara.

The off-campus housing for UCSB is off-campus, got it. Thanks for the update. :smile:

Not familiar with Isla Vista and its environ. But you do see my point into how this is being characterized?

Im not so concerned with what people believe but Im very interested in why they believe it. This is being framed as a school shooting people will start calling it “yet another school shooting” IMHO.