We are being inundated with horrible news! One shooting follows on the heels of another. Could there be a reason for this? I believe that there is.
After virtually every one of these tragedies the media ink is hardly dry before the questions begin: Why did the person do this? What was his home life like? Have acquaintances noticed any signs of depression? Did the shooter have any friends? Was he or she being bullied? On and on it goes.
Suppose a potential shooter had been bullied or was suffering from depression. The person would certainly have read the newspersons’ theories of what may have triggered the attack.
If the troubled individual had been feeling that nobody listens or cares, a solution presents itself: “Those previous shooters got lots of attention! People would finally understand, and my problems would be made clear.”
Many of those who try to figure out why these terrible events are happening cry, “Gun control, Gun control!” Maybe the answer is simpler: Stop publicizing the supposed problems of the former perpetrators. Let’s avoid the possibility of putting bad ideas into troubled minds.
Lloyd Harnishfeger, Pandora
