Are therapists, psychologists, and other do-gooders?

[Steve]

in Connecticut suggesting that Adam Lanza, the gunman, went on a killing spree because he had no friends and was solitary? A lot of people have no friends and are solitary - and many people who are solitary welcome it with open arms; I would have it no other way - but that doesn't mean they are killers. Or does the solitary, friendless 'profile' not suit the social and psychological 'norm'?

[Jay]

I totally agree with you. The media likes to paint a portrait of these killers as werido loners with homicidal tendencies that finally explode. Like some character out of a movie. Unfortunately, that gives quiet, weirdo loners like me a bad name. I have no compulsion to kill, but i do spend a lot of time alone.

Also, there are many reasons why someone is quiet and alone...that has nothing to do with being a killer. And the reasons someone fiinally kills...even if they are all quiet weird loners.....is completely different and complex for each one.

Yeah ..absolutely...i agree with you

[lj1]

Loners are considered abnormal. Society automatically associates being a loner with being mentally ill/unstable. I don't talk much, and I don't have a lot of friends, so people "jokingly" make comments like "it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for." I actually had a co-worker once who said right in front of me that she was afraid that I was going to show up to work one day with a shotgun. She then started questioning me about whether or not I owned guns (I have never owned a gun).

Adam Lanza's brother told police that he was "troubled," as did other people who knew him. His aunt tried to cover it up by saying that he was a good boy, and that his parents were wonderful people who wouldn't have hesitated to get him help if he had needed it.

[Heidicakes]

Good question, I'm not sure, but I don' t think it' s a matter of profiling but a matter of FEELING like there's a need to come up with answers as to why this happened. I think that during a difficult time such as this one, we are left with many questions and try to come up with rationalizations to make sense of what happened, but nothing will ever make sense and there is no answer. We ask ourselves what could have been different, why didn't anyone see the signs, why , why why etc. and we rationalize and automatically make assumptions and focus on other things such as "oh he was a loner, he was mentally ill" and then concluding "we need to watch out for loners" and giving people who like to be alone a negative connotation amongst society.

There might have been signs, something could have happened that triggered this behavior, in fact, noone will ever know, and there's nothing that we can do about it after it's happened, except to pray for the lives of the innocent and the world and be mindful of people, including our neighbors, our co-workers, strangers at the supermarket etc...rather than focus on rationalization..which appears to be what the news focuses on followed by the "profiling".

I believe there are no excuses as to why this happened and instead of analyzing what happened, think that as The People, we need to restructure what we watch, how we think, how we act towards others, lend a hand where needed, be a listener, smile, express feelings with one another etc.. I also think federal govt. will need to intervene to remove guns from familial households as it has obviously affected many. My conclusion is that there is no point in analyzing and generalizing as nothing can change what happened, but should focus on what needs to change and MAKE that change.

[free]

You are seeing something wrong here but it's not what you think. It probably wasn't him. I know it sounds mad but research the 'shooter' yourself then research the shootings and make your own mind up.