It’s not about mental illness: The big lie that always follows mass shootings by white males

[Penny Lane 8,159]

I don't know much about mental illness. But you seem to. :devil:

Not really. But I know enough that being a bigot doesn't qualify.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Not really. But I know enough that being a bigot doesn't qualify.

Relax, it was a joke. You've been away too long.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

All mentally ill people aren't violent, probably most aren't. I should use a term like, disturbed, unstable, etc.

I don't know much about mental illness. But you seem to. :devil:

The issue is, mental illness is used to dissuade the public from addressing the real problems we have in this country when it comes to gun violence.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Racism, as any other phobia is predicated on ignorance. It is a childish fear of that which we don't know. It's not a mental illness, so much it's just good old sheer unadulterated ignorance pure and simple.

We can finally answer that question: Our childrens ins't learning.

A "normal" person may not do this, but racism should not be called a mental illness.

Bunkers across Murkha are abuzz with their RDs spilling out 'intel' on black-on-black crime... We should soon now see the all-too-ubiquitous 'Studies have shown.... ' manifestation of blissful unawareness.

Nope, you'll see it this weekend. There's going to be a count somewhere in an urban city to highlight "black on black" crime. Then all will be right again.

[Sousuke 1,214]

You forgot to highlight this central piece:

...the NRA tells us that creating a national registry of firearms owners would be giving the government dangerously unchecked tyrannical power, but a national registry of the mentally ill would not — even though a “sane” person holding a gun is intrinsically more dangerous than a “crazy” person, no matter how crazy, without a gun.

It's what I always say - a hell of a lot of these gun crimes are committed by law abiding gun owners (such as the recent mass murder) who at some point simply fail to abide by the law.

I don't want to sidetrack the discussion too much, but California has a firearms registry. Elliot Rogers was on that registry. Canada recently gave up on their registry because it didn't work.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Sousuke

[Expat1 971]

You forgot to highlight this central piece:

...the NRA tells us that creating a national registry of firearms owners would be giving the government dangerously unchecked tyrannical power, but a national registry of the mentally ill would not — even though a “sane” person holding a gun is intrinsically more dangerous than a “crazy” person, no matter how crazy, without a gun.

It's what I always say - a hell of a lot of these gun crimes are committed by law abiding gun owners (such as the recent mass murder) who at some point simply fail to abide by the law.

We agree on a few things but protection of the privacy rights of the known and diagnosed mentally unstable is not something we are going to see eye to eye on.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Expat1

[Expat1 971]

Not really. But I know enough that being a bigot doesn't qualify.

But but there's medication for everything! Surely there's a missing pill for that too.

[Penguin_ie 5,986]

***** Several posts removed for TOS violations and some for getting around the language filer. Remain civil please. ******

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

We agree on a few things but protection of the privacy rights of the known and diagnosed mentally unstable is not something we are going to see eye to eye on.

You seem to have misread the quote.

[eieio 1,594]

There are varying degrees of mental illness. It is also subjective. I believe the author of the article and many posters are trying to interchange mental illness with insanity. Insanity is also subjective, but basically it is just a severe form of mental illness. The shooter was mentally ill IMO.

[Rob L 3,811]

So if racism and irrational hatred fits into a disease model, what do we do to cure the disease? Are some of the posters on this site who have expressed specific race based prejudices curable? Will they seek help from their physician?

[spookyturtle 9,465]

So if racism and irrational hatred fits into a disease model, what do we do to cure the disease? Are some of the posters on this site who have expressed specific race based prejudices curable? Will they seek help from their physician?

Unfortunately some conditions are not curable and this probably applies to those here at VJ.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Can you really mow down a church full of innocent people and not be mentally ill

Yes he was racist but that does not turn you into a mass murder. Lots of racist people of all races that don't do this.

This is like saying Ted Bundy did WHT he did because he was horny

Not really. But I know enough that being a bigot doesn't qualify.

My point exactly However mowing down a church full of innocent people might nudge you into that column

[JohnR! 5,495]

Education is the cure for all prejudices.

So if racism and irrational hatred fits into a disease model, what do we do to cure the disease? Are some of the posters on this site who have expressed specific race based prejudices curable? Will they seek help from their physician?

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Can you really mow down a church full of innocent people and not be mentally ill

Yes he was racist but that does not turn you into a mass murder. Lots of racist people of all races that don't do this.

This is like saying Ted Bundy did WHT he did because he was horny

My point exactly However mowing down a church full of innocent people might nudge you into that column

Actually you can, and you don't need to be mentally ill to do it. Allow me to elaborate:

Think back a few decades. When folks in this country used to have public lynchings. When you could kill a black person and not go to jail for it. Those folks weren't called crazy. That's how things were. It's called hatred pure and simple. People can do bad things, sane or otherwise. Saying they're crazy makes it excusable in our minds so we don't have to deal with the REAL issues.

Think I'm not right? Go over to the 11 shot in Baltimore thread. See how no one is talking about mental illness? That's just a thug. Like Penny said, white people are ALWAYS mentally ill when they go on killing sprees, that's how you separate them from you. Black people are just thugs and it's a byproduct of the culture. Muslims get it from the Quran. This is why now, black neighborhoods will get more coverage, again. Not because they care and want to do something about it, it's how the general populace tells themselves it's okay when a white person slaughters a few folks.