What should we do to identify the psychos

[eyrei]

The problem with putting people in institutions is that they are rarely 'cured'. In fact, the atmosphere in most of these institutions is likely to reinforce the existing behavior, or even create undesirable new ones.

In general, psychology and sociology are inexact 'sciences' at best, so trying to use their institutions to immunize the entire species to psychotic behavior is unlikely to work. The best we can hope to do now is limit the damage they cause by denying them the tools. Banning weapons is no 'cop-out'. If your only goal was to stop shootings like this, a government could do so by removing the tools, though this would obviously take decades. However, there may be legitimate reasons for not banning weapons which are more important than stopping random mass murders every few years.

 

[eyrei]

Make a questionnaire, with a question "Are you a psycho?"

And then round up everyone who pauses to think about it.

 

[Stylesjl]

Make them wear a yellow star!

*Silence*

What? Why are you all looking at me like that?

 

[b etor]

i'm kinda psycho, but i wouldn't kill people like that.

 

[Prince_Imrahil]

Not giving guns to people who were involentarily institutionalized and photograph up women's skirts in class and stalk women over the internet.

Involuntarily institutionalize indefinetly!

 

[scipian]

We can't. The news media as usual has gone overboard. The chance of something like this happening is less than 1 in a million. I hate how people say, "He was weird and mentally unstable. They should have arrested him or had him under constant surveillance and told every acquaintance of the situation". There are millions who fit that description and it would be idiotic to follow that.

 

[Xenocrates]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=QLZ3XL2WB51YZQFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/04/20/wshooter20.xml

The student who carried out the worst mass shooting in American history had been bullied at the high school...

"As soon as he started reading, the whole class started laughing and saying, 'Go back to China'."

Stephanie Roberts, 22, who was in Cho's year at Westfield, said she would occasionally greet him in school, but he did not respond. "There were just some people who were really mean to him and they would push him down and laugh at him," she said.

"He didn't speak English really well and they would really make fun of him."

It sounds like Cho was different to many of the other mass killers. Maybe it was simply revenge for years of racism and taunting?

Perfection's on the ball:

Campus police originally did not confirm it, but now students and police confirm that Cho had stalked female students and set fire to a dorm room.

Apparently he should have had a criminal record and therefore been unable to get a gun. But the University police wanted a lower crime statistic and so didn't follow it through.

There's a good article on counterpunch about this, including the meaning of Cho's arm tattoo "Ismael Ax":

http://www.counterpunch.org/rajiva04182007.html

 

[Prince_Imrahil]

How does that make him different? So he was bullied, that explains it, racism and bullying killed those people.

 

[azzaman333]

How does that make him different? So he was bullied, that explains it, racism and bullying killed those people.

No, but racism and bullying towards an already unstable person could cause them to go too far, as it did in this case.

 

[Xenocrates]

OK a hypothesis:

1) Cho was ridiculed for his speech
2) Cho became reluctant to talk
3) Cho developed a personality to justify his lack of speech (a dark, brooding persona)
4) Dark, brooding persona slowly takes over until the breaking point.

This sounds pretty logical, and so is very unlikely to be true, but it might be.

Personally, I'd like to slap the faces of teachers that let him be ridiculed by his classmates.

 

[aneeshm]

Change your culture.

a) Get rid of the acceptability of violence, of bloodsport as entertainment.
b) Get rid of the hypocrisy about sex, treat it as just another part, even if an important or special one, of the human condition.
c) Get rid of the religious hypocrisy, where anything can be justified using religion.

It's the only way.

 

[nc-1701]

As I see it locking up psychos is to little to late, what we need to do is prevent the psychos from forming to begin with. So, while this is a society wide thing try to do your part, don't bully people, don't let other bully people etc.

 

[Bast]

I think all mentally ill people should be locked up.

 

[Bast]

a) Get rid of the acceptability of violence, of bloodsport as entertainment.

This is true though. But it means banning hunting and all types of bloodsport.

But even then you'd still have mentally ill people.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

Apparently he should have had a criminal record and therefore been unable to get a gun. But the University police wanted a lower crime statistic and so didn't follow it through.

QFS (Quoted for significance)

Remember folks: bullying doesn't kill people, people kill people.

 

[skadistic]

Well if the do gooders would let the citizenry forse medication on those deamed ill we could do more. But untill you start stripping away some rights all you can do is keep an eye out. Untill a person commits a crime there isn't much you can do.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

I think all mentally ill people should be locked up.

This is ignorant and indecent.

Well if the do gooders would let the citizenry forse medication on those deamed ill we could do more. But untill you start stripping away some rights all you can do is keep an eye out. Untill a person commits a crime there isn't much you can do.

This is much closer to a humane and effective solution.

 

[aneeshm]

This is true though. But it means banning hunting and all types of bloodsport.

I don't think so. It just means that society as a whole has to move away from it.

 

[Rossiya]

And then round up everyone who pauses to think about it.

But of course.

 

[mrt144]

Change your culture.

a) Get rid of the acceptability of violence, of bloodsport as entertainment.
b) Get rid of the hypocrisy about sex, treat it as just another part, even if an important or special one, of the human condition.
c) Get rid of the religious hypocrisy, where anything can be justified using religion.

It's the only way.

coming from you is ridiculous.