<p>I thought Peter Lanza’s nightmare about Adam’s “evil” presence was very chilling.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>One of the problems in today’s world is that the world down the “rabbit hole” is a lot bigger than it was decades ago. You can see that in the case of the anarchist radio show that Adam phoned into, and some of the other things that have been touched on in reports about his online behavior. He was in touch with a rather large world away from what is normal. </p>
<p>I have a private speculation that it is possible that this event may have been triggered by a physical altercation between Adam and his mother. There was a report from someone that Nancy reported that Adam had struck his head and there was some significant amount of blood around, which makes me wonder whether she might have become exasperated during some conflict and struck him. This apparently happened just before she left for two days to go to New Hampshire. I believe the shooting occurred the morning after she returned. I suppose its neither here nor there, but its as plausible a “triggering event” as any that I’ve seen proposed. He was actually 6 feet tall and weighed 114, so he had very little strength. I seriously doubt that she was ever afraid of him physically.</p>
<p>Its also possible (maybe mores) that he injured himself intentionally in an attempt to keep Nancy from going to NH, and that that might have led to an argument that produced the same effect (since she went anyway). We just cannot know. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you google around, you will find plenty of articles and studies showing the negative effects of divorce on children, and in particular, increased aggression in boys.</p>
<p>Here is an article that is nicely on point: <a href=“The Corner | National Review”>http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/366405/sons-divorce-school-shooters-w-bradford-wilcox</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Interesting comments follow that story in the link. </p>
<p>Two questions Bay;</p>
<p>Is that an associated finding or a causal relationship? and
Is there a relationship between “urban violence” and mass murder? I can’t recall any of these murderers having a particularly “urban” background. </p>
<p>A lot of couples with children get divorced or were never married, so we would expect that if there was no association between divorce and mass murder, we’d see a significant percentage of mass murderers with absent fathers. Is the number out of line? Upthread, someone did an informal survey indicating that no, it’s not out of line. </p>
<p>Before we explain why mass murderers are more likely to have single mothers, we need to demonstrate that mass murderers are more likely to have single mothers. No such demonstration has been presented here.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap,</p>
<p>I am not an expert in this area (aren’t you?), I merely posted an article that was on point to frazzled’s question. I will defer to your expertise regarding the questions you have posed.</p>
<p>None of the major school shootings were in urban areas. They’re usually in suburban (on in some instances suburban/rural) areas. In most of the cases, the shooters were white, solidly middle- or upper-middle class, from intact families and with no previous history of violence. </p>
<p>Bay, I am definitely not an expert in mass murder! I do treat a LOT of kids who’s parents are divorced. Horses, not Zebras!</p>
<p>I definitely think having a single parent is associated with poorer outcomes, but I wouldn’t assume it was causal. </p>
<p>Okay. I don’t even think researching mass murders per se is the proper question. I don’t think we will ever find a sole determining cause for mass murder, it is going to be any number of reasons.</p>
<p>The question, I think, is whether Adam’s life would have ended the way it did if his parents’ marriage was intact and his father lived in the home. Studies that I have seen indicate that Adam’s life would likely have been better in that case. He would have likely been less aggressive, less violent, and there would most certainly have been two more eyes on what he was doing and why the h*ll the guns were not locked up!! Of course we will never know, but I don’t see how anyone can dispute that.</p>
<p>I guess I don’t understand the point of that line of thought. Should unhappy couples feel obligated to stay together on the off chance their son might turn out to be a mass murderer someday? What point, exactly, are we trying to make?</p>
<p>I think for some it feels really good to point out all the negatives of broken homes, while conveniently forgetting how ugly and miserable an unhappy marriage can be for the children in the house. Surely I am not the only one here with experience with that.</p>
<p>My point in raising the divorce was that Peter never mentioned it in his interview. He never took responsibility for how Adam turned out, and I think he has an obligation to explain that, including what impact the break up of his marriage likely had on Adam. Instead, he portrayed himself as the victim. A very unsatisfying, unsettling explanation of his perspective.</p>
<p>I’m going to dispute it, because you haven’t given a shred of evidence.</p>
<p>I question whether a study on neurotypical boys, looking at ordinary aggression and violence, would be applicable to an Aspie mass murderer who did not have a history of aggression or violence. Your conclusion appears to me to be unjustified. </p>
<p>In particular, we don’t see that sons of single mothers are more likely to be mass murderers. If being a child of a single mother made a boy or young man more likely to be a mass murderer, we should be able to detect that in the data. But if someone has studied that claim, you haven’t brought it to our attention.</p>
<p>Bay - He said he wished the boy had never been born. A father cannot explain, cause, or cure mental illness.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I can give you evidence that the outcome of a boy’s life is likely to be better with an intact marriage and a father in the home. But it is easy to research so I am going to leave that up to you.</p>
<p>I didn’t get the vibe that Peter considered himself a victim at all in this article, at all, and I don’t think he really owes the world a detailed explanation for the failure of his marriage, either. He said what happened, he is horrified and sorry, there is really nothing else he can say.</p>
<p>I think he owes at least the family of victims, an explanation for why he left the family and wasn’t there to support his overwhelmed wife and troubled child. I absolutely do think he owes that much.</p>
<p>Bay, I do not consider the article you posted to have answered my specific question about whether divorce is a proven factor in mass school shootings. I realize the author is an academician, but if I were able to continue reading this thread, I’d hope for a more reliable list of shooters than one found in wikipedia; I’d also want an examination of why so many mass shooters appear to come from two-parent homes. Nor do I think the question is, or should be, “whether Adam’s life would have ended the way it did if his parents’ marriage was intact and his father lived in the home.” This is beyond knowing, and I feel it is callous to presume that it would have.</p>
<p>I nearly left CC in 2012 when it became apparent that the divisions in this country, as shown in the weird little microcosm that is this forum, are so profound that even a tragedy like Newtown served to separate us more than it united us. That was a sad realization that compounded the despair I felt about the tragedy itself. That is neither here nor there regarding this thread, but it’s why I’m going to have to make my exit now. I truly can’t bear this discussion.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that a discussion about realities make you feel you have to leave. Have a nice day.</p>
<p>Bay, what reasons (if any) would be acceptable to you to mandate divorce?</p>