Isla Vista Shooting - Page 2

Some people are just broken and malfunction if left unfixed.

On May 25 2014 07:00 EarthwormJim wrote:
When will America change gun policy?

My heart goes out to your community.

On May 25 2014 08:50 Thereisnosaurus wrote:


People are born into a society, which is in general terms a system designed to work for a wide distribution of users. As in any distribution, it suits some less than others due to circumstance. From a very cold, mechanical perspective, you are correct- this guy was a far outlier out on the edges of the curve, for whom the system was terribly inefficient at helping him achieve his desires. From that perspective he needed to be reconditioned and electro-shocked a bit until either he fit in better, or at least was vegetable enough not to be a threat.

Can you imagine, though, the kind of trauma and ongoing frustration that causes someone to snap and do this kind of thing? Perhaps not, the level of suffering is perhaps literally inconceivable, and because of that you assume that it did not exist, and somehow the existential equivalent of a toothache can drive someone to this if they are 'broken'. Madmen, from my perspective anyway, are not born, they are made, and they're made by the very same society that works fine for you and me. Events like this are a logical consequence of many cultural norms we're pretty comfortable perpetrating, putting sexuality and relationships on a high pedestal, then ostracizing and vilifying him for being frustrated at not being able to reach it. Even more toxic is the expectation that he, being a failure at the biggest status game in society, accept that as the reasonable and fair outcome rather than, say, doing what we expect 'real men' to do when the world is against them and make a stand. The expectation that he actively take part in his own dehumanization.

When all of these cultural expectations get messed up in someone's head, this is the result. In so far as anyone is responsible for their actions, he is and it sickens me to think that anyone could make those choices. But it also sickens me that the social gut reaction is not of shame and regret that our society wreaked such suffering on one of its members that they reached a state where they felt this was a legitimate course of action, but attempting to pass him off as some kind of sub-human who basically just needed to be erased and re-written. Do you have any idea how terrifying that attitude is for the mentally ill or ostracized who might read that, or the thousands of other similar sentiments flooding the net at the moment?

I wish I could just rage against people who do this sort of thing, but unfortunately, I think that kind of reaction will ultimately result in more events just like this. Westerners are deeply conditioned to respond to hostility and un-empathic judgement with aggression and the desire to prove themselves right, which is what happened here. Just a (fairly extended) thought.

On May 25 2014 08:54 Sgany wrote:
Gun regulation is not even the problem around this. The dark side of the friendzone myth. According to his self-taped confession, Elliot Rodger killed 7 people and injured 7 more in a shooting rampage because he was a virgin at 22 and saw girls "throwing themselves at obnoxious brutes" and decided there needed to be "retribution" for "every single blonde slut". This is a direct result of male entitlement and the idea that young men are in any way 'owed' sex. Sexism quite literally turned a young man into a homicidal maniac.
"You have denied me a happy life, and in turn, I will deny all of you life".

Maybe reconsider labelling feminists as whiney people who worry for no reason.

On May 25 2014 09:19 GozoShioda wrote:
Okay now I'm a bit paranoid.

I know a guy exactly like this one (except he's not as rich as the one here), who I used to go to school with and he added me on Facebook one day.
My news feed every once in a while pops up with posts from him whose contents are EXTREMELY similar to the content of the youtube videos of the perpetrator in this case. I don't mean to be judgmental but I think it's pretty evident that this guy I know is a virgin since he never really socialized with people during school events and from my knowledge he never had a girlfriend. He always makes very passive aggressive posts on people's pictures on facebooks about how they are being "lewd" and "immoral"

What the fuck am I supposed to do in this situation? What the fuck is anyone supposed to do in this situation? Is the right choice to ignore it? What if this person ends up committing a similar crime and I end up living the rest of my life knowing I could have done something to prevent it? What if he does nothing and I'm just wasting my time worrying about it?

On May 25 2014 07:12 Thalandros wrote:
Dear lord. This needs to stop. Even the biggest conservatives have to see it anytime now...

Condolences to the families, another terrible tragedy :/

On May 25 2014 09:43 FragKrag wrote:
live stream: press conference with local police

http://www.keyt.com/news/LIVE-STREAM-Isla-Vista-Shooting/18055552

On May 25 2014 10:04 AcrossFiveJulys wrote:
His 100-page manifesto is available online: http://www.scribd.com/doc/225960813/Elliot-Rodger-Santa-Barbara-mass-shooting-suspect-My-Twisted-World-manifesto

I read through most of it because I thought it would be valuable to understand how someone could go down this path, and also because I went to UCSB and am deeply saddened by this event. It was deeply disturbing. Overall, I think he had an inflated (and unfounded) sense of self-worth, and was confused and angry that people (mainly girls) did not take the initiative to serve his needs without any effort from him. He had an extremely warped understanding of people and how they perceive other people. In an effort to meet girls he would sit by himself in a restaurant for hours, and would go home frustrated that no girl came up to him to ask him on a date. He never figured out that as an individual, the ball is in your court to meet people. He wrote about social coaches and friends that tried to give him advice, but he was so fixated on his anger at seeing happy couples around him that he probably didn't listen or didn't process the advice they gave him. He didn't realize that extreme arrogance and rude behavior combined with ignorance is the worst combination of traits a person can have. No amount of hugo boss, armani, or expensive jeweley (which he was sure was the solution) can make up for this. This is why nobody wanted to be around him.

A particularly revealing event he described was a trip to London where he got VIP access to a Katy Perry concert due to family connections. When he was walking the "black carpet" amongst celebrities he spoke of people in the audience as "sheep" and mocked them. It seems he didn't realize how hypocritical his behavior was, as people dismissing him throughout his life was the root of his anger.

His frustration and anger snowballed until he finally decided that he needed to be extremely rich for people to desire him, and in hopes of getting rich he blew thousands of dollars on lottery tickets. He thought he was _meant_ to win. This alone sheds light on his underlying mental illness -- possibly some form of schizophrenia. When he failed to win, this was his breaking point, and he starting coming up with a detailed plan for his so-called "day of retribution."

Apparently his plan was to murder his little brother and step-mother, and then target the alpha phi sorority house in isla vista, and finally go on a rampage down del playa st. We know the third event happened. I just hope the first two events didn't.

On May 25 2014 10:10 BigFan wrote:

how did you manage to find this? The police never mentioned anything about his little brother and step-mother so I think he just went to the sorority first. The stream just said this last part as well.

On May 25 2014 10:12 FiWiFaKi wrote:
Are these news really necessary?

Seems like local news. In Calgary 5 people got stabbed to death a few weeks back, this doesn't seem much different.
These events happen on more than a weekly basis throughout the western world, I don't think anything ever comes out of this discussion.

Either way, shitty to hear, hope as many involved are as okay as possible.