Image courtesy of BBC
It’s always difficult to discuss the death of a controversial figure without attracting the rage of somebody. So, I will restrict my comments to the reactions of others.
Creation of a Martyr
Assassination always carries the danger of deifying the victim. The threats of his widow, while understandable under the circumstances, were chilling. Make no mistake, you have heard the manifesto of the beginning of a new Hitler Youth. The most dangerous of characters is one who can indoctrinate the young.
The Perpetrator (s)
It must be of great puzzlement to thinking members of the Right. Why are right-wing victims being targeted by right-wing fanatics? Especially in this case: well-brought-up, religious, right wing college kid.
The Creation of a Killer.
Right wing families are basically dictatorships. Father knows best and all that. Even the most benevolent dictator is still a dictator, with all the effects on its citizens.
So, no matter how obedient and clean-cut this shooter seems, you can’t tell what resentment and urge for independence he carries at the deepest level of his being.
No matter his upbringing, he is reported as saying his victim was wrong. In other words. this lad may have been a Republican, but he was not a very good one.
And one lesson that these people don’t forget is the idea that guns can solve all problems.
The basic picture I get is a victim of bullying who goes after someone he considers a prime example of his tormentors, and he uses the only tool he has been taught to use.
And in Canada
There we have, on CBC, the worst bullying, name-calling, trolling politician in recent decades moaning about the safety of his wife and children. He ought to have a sign around his neck that says, “I just don’t get it.”
PS
There was some talk in the news about the visual atrocities young people are watching on social media and wondering how that will affect them. It was the same with the Vietnam war, the first such conflict to be shared on television screens in the living rooms of America. The solution was self-regulation of the media.
As an example. The proliferation of dash cams means that social media is swamped by shots of accidents. I think it appropriate to remove any footage that shows an accident where someone is likely to die.