<p>We are all looking for something that would explain how/why someone who had no history of violence would do something like this, when in reality there is no logical or valid explanation for why anyone (with or without a history of violence) would do it.</p>
<p>This was the work of someone who had no empathy or compassion for the innocent people he slaughtered and terrorized.</p>
<p>My theory:</p>
<p>He quit school. The first time in his life he couldn’t cut it. He couldn’t handle the failure. He had no support system and, as usual, he had no GF. I think the lack of a GF is a big time common theme in these loners who go nuts. </p>
<p>Low self esteem. </p>
<p>Loniliness. </p>
<p>Self-Loathing. </p>
<p>It all turns into suicidal thoughts which turn into “well, I might as well go out with a bang and take others with me and get my name in the paper.”</p>
<p>That is why I am shocked he didn’t go down shooting. He didn’t get killed. He is still alive and now has to deal with the shame to himself and his parents. That doesn’t fit the profile I have in my mind of the loner/loser with pent up rage wanting to kill others to get fame but then wanting to snuff out his own life because he was suicidal anyway and doesn’t want to face the music.</p>
<p>"A very tragic situation, with no mental background that we know of, how would anyone know this young man was going to go create such tragedy? "</p>
<p>-Would not happen if this young man knew that he wiould be promptly procecuted and better yet in public place and better yet as painful way as possible. All these innocent lives would have been saved (including a 6 y o, did not have a chance to experience life at all, while killer is still alive). Killer would not want this type of attention. Now he got what he was looking for, full attention and I bet many who will protect his rights to the fullest. We all made him a hero in his own eyes, I bet he is very proud of his accomplishment.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP, have you read *Wolf Hall *and if so, were you thinking “ah, those were the good old days” when the author described the grisly public executions of the 16th century?</p>
<p>Anyway…</p>
<p>What I can never understand is anyone killing random strangers. I mean, if someone kills their ex, or people who bullied or fired him, there is some emotional motivation there. But it seems like the only satisfaction when someone kills a stranger is simply knowing you have killed them. The link 07DAD posted pages ago about Chinese serial killers had a quote from a guy who said something to the effect of once he killed someone, he realized that he liked it and wanted to do it more. I guess that’s a feeling of ultimate power for the powerless? I, also, am surprised that such a person wouldn’t eventually kill himself…being in prison is sort of the opposite of feeling powerful.</p>
<p>The truly sad part is that everyone will cry/grieve/rant/shake their heads in disbelief at how this could happen. And then, next week the story will fade and the media will be on to the next big story, ignoring the larger issues until the next time it happens. With the so highly coveted 2nd Amendment comes the reality of appalling crime rates, a greater proliferation of guns than in practically any other country, and a startlingly higher firearm homicide rate than in any other similar country. And this in a country that also has comparatively much harsher sentencing, and overflowing prisons, along with the death penalty. There is something very, very wrong with this picture.</p>
<p>Since none of us actually KNOW what went on in the mind of James Holmes, I’m doing my own armchair psychoanalyzing:</p>
<p>I think this cascade of horror began when he failed his prelims this spring.</p>
<p>The university is not saying if he passed or failed his prelims - all they said is that he withdrew from his PhD program and they will not comment on his preliminary exams. If the PhD process there is anything like the process by which my husband and his friends got their science PhDs, then failing his prelims could easily have triggered this outpouring of anger and self-loathing. </p>
<p>Like ACCecil, I think that this is the first taste of failure for a guy who was very successful, academically, as an undergrad. (However, I did hear that there was a “failed relationship” that occured around the same time, so I don’t know how lonely he really was.) Of course, none of that really excuses or explains what happened in that movie theater.</p>
<p>Grad school CAN be an intense, pressure-cooker place. Does anyone else remember the University of Iowa PhD student who killed his advisor about 5-10 years ago? There was also an article in the NY Times several years ago about suicides in grad school (especially in science programs.)</p>
<p>“MiamiDAP, have you read Wolf Hall and if so, were you thinking “ah, those were the good old days” when the author described the grisly public executions of the 16th century?”
-I do not like to read. So, I read nothing of this sort or anything else that is worthwhile to take a note. I have tried,…boring activity to me, I can get entertained without reading or watching TV, all samo samo, nothing new…
No matter what is done, the crimes will continue unless much nore severe punishments are imposed. Then the rate will go down just for the fact that killers will not have another chance, dead killer cannot kill again, as simple as that. But we keep them alive at the cost of many innocent lives who deserve much better than that…As of now all killers achieve celebrity status…</p>
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<p>This is why I prefer to remain in the dark about this guy. It irritates me that it will be HIS name that will be recognized, his life that will be analyzed on TV again and again, and not the names and lives of the victims. I don’t want to know his name, or his life story, or his supposed “motivation”. Sure, those actually involved should know. But the media should give it a rest. Don’t give these individuals the “fame” they seek. </p>
<p>It occurred to H and me the other day, while watching the Red Sox…the media absolutely refuses to show any coverage of anyone that runs out on the field - refuses to encourage this desire to be seen. I wish this was the same. Maybe I’m naive.</p>
<p>Batman scored big at the box office $160+ million this weekend (record for a non-3D opening). 37 people died in flooding this weekend in China. Life and death go on as they always have.</p>
<p>Nature kills people. Governments kill people. Individuals kill people. People kill themselves. Mother kill their children. Fathers kill their children.</p>
<p>Death comes by starvation, drowning, disease, bombs, knives, guns, poison, ropes, cars etc. </p>
<p>Some people try to make sense of it all, assign blame, engage in what if. Others go on and go to the movies. Who has the better life experience?</p>
<p>i also heard that the big push on promoting false self-estime is a contributor. Self-estime has be based on certain backfround, phony type of self-estime, be confident no matter what in every area is wrong. I personally never trust people who appear to be very confident every time I involve them. You discover very quickly that many times they are wrong, so you pretty much stop paying any attention and stop asking them. When person discovers that his confidence is not based on his background, it is a slippery slop, all of a sudden, you are nobody, not a single person is paying attention to you, it might be very devasting. This is a very wrong focus in kids’ education.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why it takes an incident like Denver to spark gun control debates. These incidents are very common in the US, but they account for a tiny percentage of gun related deaths. In 2004 81 people were killed by guns every day - that surely is reason enough to regulate firearms.</p>
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<p>It was widely reported that he graduated in 2010 and was unable to find work.</p>
<p>My guess: he looked for work during the summer and early fall and he decided to apply to grad school for Fall 2011 (early 2011 deadlines), was accepted and started in the Fall, didn’t do well on his prelims, and withdrew, etc. Those that have followed the “unemployed grad” threads know how hard it can be on grads and parents.</p>
<p>I’m a bit surprised that he didn’t have more success with finding work given what his father did. It feels like there might be some distance between this guy and his parents.</p>
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<p>QFT - probably the best post here</p>
<p>“gun control” has no effect on number of guns owned by criminals or potential criminals. It has only effect on number of guns owned by law obeing citizens who are planning to use it in self-defence. The sicko like this one would have no problem obtaining the gun in additon to all other stuff that he has obtained for his clever plan to kill as many as possible. In addition, it would be very easy not to include gun at all in this plan, just use other means, remember Timothy? Gun is just an option in many ways that killers can kill. It is not even the most efficient one.</p>
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<p>I don’t see any real debates on gun control except in the fringes. The reason for that is outside the scope of the TOS of this forum. Pretty easy to find the reason at any large news site though.</p>
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<p>He took bio and chem classes and he’s exceedingly intelligent.</p>
<p>No job search woes, girlfriend breakup, and/or academic struggles could explain any of what happened in that theatre. The majority of people in the United States deal with those sorts of things AND WORSE without deciding slaughtering innocent people is a way to blow off some steam. If those sorts of circumstances can be said to “trigger” or lead to a massacre like this, this sort of massacre would be a common-day occurrence – which, thankfully, it is not.</p>
<p>@MiamiDAP personally, I don’t think gun control has to mean completely banning guns, just adding more background checks. a good, sane, responsible law-abiding citizen should still be able to obtain a gun and get past these checks. </p>
<p>also, the US has the most lax gun control policies in the Western world, as well as the most shooting occurrences and deaths, even after accounting for population differences. clearly, there is a relation.
yes, criminals get their hands on many things that are illegal. that doesn’t mean we should make everything legal.</p>
<p>“The sicko like this one would have no problem obtaining the gun in additon to all other stuff that he has obtained for his clever plan to kill as many as possible.”</p>
<p>There is no way to tell. He is not a common criminal. He got these guns from an outdoor store. It would have been a lot more expensive and harder to buy those weapons from a black market seller.</p>
<p>“In addition, it would be very easy not to include gun at all in this plan, just use other means, remember Timothy? Gun is just an option in many ways that killers can kill. It is not even the most efficient one.”</p>
<p>What other mean? I believe he wants to do it this way because he wanted to be in for the thrill of it. Making a bomb would be as damaging or even more so but he does not appear to have an agenda like McVeigh. He is smart and if he wanted to maximize the damage he would have done it the Timothy or some other way. Take this tool and opportunity away maybe it would not have happened, who knows. But why provide such tool? To me, it does not limit my freedom by not being able to buy a machine gun.</p>
<p>at the end of the day, the guy just had no compassion, no feeling in him. just like every other murderer. our culture seems to always try to find a logical explanation, some reasonable motive.</p>
<p>“The heart has reasons which reason knows not of.”</p>
<p>The quote is usually meant to portray more… “pure” emotions, but it works here too.</p>