South Carolina Massacre

**Dade** · 06-19-2015, 07:58 AM

Originally Posted by NCRAVEN

He's right that we won't do jack shit, but at the same time, what can you do to combat crazy?

I'm not saying don't try, but I honestly don't have a clue on that.

IMO this isn't about combating crazy or the insane. This is about confronting racism and racist attitudes in this country, things that a good chunk of the population doesn't even think is a problem. We perpetrate stereotypes, recycle dangerous rhetoric...then act shocked when people believe and act on it.

Roof said “You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”

Now where have I heard that rhetoric before?

**wickedsolo** · 06-19-2015, 07:58 AM

Originally Posted by Dade

I get your meaning about crimes of passion. Like a man walking into his home to see his wife spread eagle on some dude. He snaps and kills them.

Except this wasn't a crime of passion. Roof's roommate said he had been planning this for at least 6 months.

Oh, no no no...I wasn't insinuating that Roof killing those folks was a crime of passion. Roof is a piece of shit. Hate crime, racist, anti-Christian, domestic terrorism...they all apply IMO.

I was merely commenting on how we - as a society - could never truly find a solution for "crazy" (mental health issues as a catalyst for major acts of violence) because there are so many variables involved. Crime of Passion was just once thing that came to mind. Guys like James Eagen Holmes and Adam Lanza are nearly impossible to account for because no one thinks that those guys are capable of such things as a result of their mental issues...until they do. It's hard to develop any sort of plausible predictability for those types of things.

**darb72** · 06-19-2015, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

Did he kill them because they were white?

Not being a dick - just curious.

No, and that's the point.

Both are tragedies done for sick reasons.

**wickedsolo** · 06-19-2015, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by Dade

IMO this isn't about combating crazy or the insane. This is about confronting racism and racist attitudes in this country, things that a good chunk of the population doesn't even think is a problem. We perpetrate stereotypes, recycle dangerous rhetoric...then act shocked when people believe and act on it.

Roof said “You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”

Now where have I heard that rhetoric before?

Unfortunately, domestic terrorist groups such as the Klan still exist in small pockets around the country.

I do agree that something has to give though. I don't pretend to act like it's happened to me more than a fellow black man, but racism in general really is a two-way street.

A good example is a guy I know who is an older black guy...late 40's I think. He and I would joke around with each other because he is a Steelers fan. Sometimes he'd say things to me and some other guys we all worked with about how I (because I'm white) live in a gated community and wouldn't know what it was like in "the hood" and things like that. He'd say things like my parents paid for my college. I do white people shit like snowboarding and eating sushi. Now, he was joking around and I knew that. I wasn't offended because we are pals and share an affinity for hip/hop.

However, I couldn't help but think if he really believes that kind of stuff.

None of it is true at all (minus the snowboarding and sushi...guilty), but it just goes to show you that stereotyping goes both ways and if it wasn't me he was joking around with, someone else may have been fairly offended by that.

**wickedsolo** · 06-19-2015, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by darb72

No, and that's the point.

Both are tragedies done for sick reasons.

I agree, but the guy that killed three folks in DC may have done so for very different reasons than Roof's reasons for doing what he did.

There is a distinction.

**NCRAVEN** · 06-19-2015, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by Dade

IMO this isn't about combating crazy or the insane. This is about confronting racism and racist attitudes in this country, things that a good chunk of the population doesn't even think is a problem. We perpetrate stereotypes, recycle dangerous rhetoric...then act shocked when people believe and act on it.

Roof said “You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”

Now where have I heard that rhetoric before?

Back in the day when I used to watch the news or listen to talk radio a good bit, I heard people call in and say things like "Until there is an acknowledgement that racism exist against all races, I don't care" or "Racism isn't just white people hating black people".

Things like that cause people to not care about race issues.

Speaking for myself, I hate how the news portrays it all. Like making George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin a race issue. or Darren Wilson/ Michael Brown a race issue. Or Freddy Gray a race issue when 3 (or 4) of the 6 cops resting him were black. But completely ignoring all the black on black crime or black on white crime.

All that said, on this specific story, was this guy racist, yes. At this point it's looking pretty clear he was fucking nuts too, possibly on psych drugs, like many of the other mass killers out there recently.

**darb72** · 06-19-2015, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by Dade

IMO this isn't about combating crazy or the insane. This is about confronting racism and racist attitudes in this country, things that a good chunk of the population doesn't even think is a problem. We perpetrate stereotypes, recycle dangerous rhetoric...then act shocked when people believe and act on it.

Roof said “You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”

Now where have I heard that rhetoric before?

I'm sorry, but huh?

Roof was a psychopath. He could have shot those people because they were ______ (fill in the blank). Are you suggesting that we as a society hate children because of the Sandy Hook shootings?

**JAB1985** · 06-19-2015, 08:15 AM

The problem with saying we cant combat "crazy" is that I dont think we really try. Mental illness is still very taboo in this country, imo. We dont like talking about things we dont understand for the most part, so we just keep dusting it under the rug. Changing that and becoming more aware of signs/symptoms would greatly help solve these types of attacks, imo.

How often do we have to hear from the parents or friends/family that "(he) was such a good kid" only to find out that no, he wasnt such a sweet kid, and had plenty of warning signs. Aurora, Arizona, VT, Sandyhook, this D-bag. they all had clear cut signs of being completely delusional nut cases long before they made their attacks, yet their family and friends or even peers did... nothing. Either by being completely ignorant or simply ignoring it. These things should be known so we cant just ignore them. The more people aware around these individuals the less likely their symptoms and warning signs will just be ignored.

also i dont think anything is full proof. so im not naive enough to think that would solve everything, but I do think it would greatly decrease these episodes that are becoming more and more common.

**darb72** · 06-19-2015, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by JAB1985

The problem with saying we cant combat "crazy" is that I dont think we really try. Mental illness is still very taboo in this country, imo. We dont like talking about things we dont understand for the most part, so we just keep dusting it under the rug. Changing that and becoming more aware of signs/symptoms would greatly help solve these types of attacks, imo.

How often do we have to hear from the parents or friends/family that "(he) was such a good kid" only to find out that no, he wasnt such a sweet kid, and had plenty of warning signs. Aurora, Arizona, VT, Sandyhook, this D-bag. they all had clear cut signs of being completely delusional nut cases long before they made their attacks, yet their family and friends or even peers did... nothing. Either by being completely ignorant or simply ignoring it. These things should be known so we cant just ignore them.

We don't want to think the worst of people we care about. We all have a douche-bag friend that we defend to everybody else. "Oh, he's cool. That's just him."

**Dade** · 06-19-2015, 08:24 AM

Originally Posted by darb72

I'm sorry, but huh?

Roof was a psychopath. He could have shot those people because they were ______ (fill in the blank). Are you suggesting that we as a society hate children because of the Sandy Hook shootings?

You're completely missing the point.

**Dade** · 06-19-2015, 08:24 AM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

Oh, no no no...I wasn't insinuating that Roof killing those folks was a crime of passion. Roof is a piece of shit. Hate crime, racist, anti-Christian, domestic terrorism...they all apply IMO.

I was merely commenting on how we - as a society - could never truly find a solution for "crazy" (mental health issues as a catalyst for major acts of violence) because there are so many variables involved. Crime of Passion was just once thing that came to mind. Guys like James Eagen Holmes and Adam Lanza are nearly impossible to account for because no one thinks that those guys are capable of such things as a result of their mental issues...until they do. It's hard to develop any sort of plausible predictability for those types of things.

Gotcha.

**HoustonRaven** · 06-19-2015, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by darb72

Had a black guy come up to me yesterday and said something to the effect of, "I just heard what your people did in South Carolina." I pointed out that a few weeks ago a black guy killed a family of three, including a ten year old boy, in D.C. When it comes to monsters, race shouldn't be an issue.

The guy then threatened to shoot me.

Except in this case it was the issue. The shooter said it point blank.

And I don't buy for a second some dude just walked up to you out of the blue and said that to you.