It’s devastating to watch.
To look at this human’s face and realize how quickly something can snap, and how fragile life is. That this guy, so average in every way aside from his hair and the very troubled and troubling expressions on his face, could cause so much pain to so many… It’s almost too much to comprehend.
What do you think of this first look at Holmes? Do his facial expressions seem those of a man in the middle of a psychotic break? Or does he seem like he may be putting on an act in order to increase the likelihood of an insanity defense?
Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves whether the fascination with Holmes is healthy—is this a study in how to prevent further crimes, or are we making him a celebrity and giving him what he may want, the life and notoriety of The Joker?
About Joanna Schroeder
Dude looks triggered. How could anyone do such a heinous thing and not be crazy? Isn’t that the definition?
seems to me as if charles manson got similiar attention. i think we all want to know what is behind the face. but how do we handle someone who did not want to die after this attack. it almost seems as if he will become a cult leader in how to kill and yet survive. he really seems like a character in a violent video game.
That guy is probably chock full of medication right now.
I just want everyone to know the word crazy is a pejorative especially if Holmes is suffering from some kind of mental illness.
Crazy, insane, pyscho etc are all words that contribute to the stigma of mental illness and causes individuals to not get help.
I’m not saying what Holmes did is rational in any circumstance but we have to be careful with the words we use to describe people. Actions are slightly less sensitive.
Lastly you can’t “pretend to be crazy”. I’ve been in several psych wards as a patient. Any professional can tell you within five minutes if a person has a mood disorder, thought disorder, PTSD etc. just like you can’t fake having diabetes or cancer it’s highly implausible to be screened by doctors and social workers and pass as someone with a diagnosis.
I think this can be a huge learning moment for our country.
Well said.
This is what I can observe in this video: He looks dazed. His breathing does not look rapid, nor shallow, the opposite (usually) when in physical or emotional distress. His facial expressions in reaction to the accusations stated look ‘disconnected’ to me. He does not appear to be making eye contact with any of the people around him. I cannot look at this person and tell what he’s thinking.
There is a tremendous, valid, urgent, human need to do something, anything, when faced with horrors like this. But, absolutely no one, not a seasoned psychiatrist, not your parent, not your spouse, no one person can know with any kind of certainty the absolute truth of what is happening in another person’s nervous system—another person’s reality. An example of this: Look at someone else and attempt to really *feel* & *know* their pain as they experience it. Can you feel what a child’s broken leg feels like? You cannot. It’s impossible. You may recall your own broken leg from the past, but you cannot even recall & wholly re-experience your own pain from the past. Empathy is a learned social skill, and yet still it’s impossible for you to truly know what’s happening inside someone else. We still don’t even have medical diagnostic equipment to see, measure, or quantify any kind of psychiatric disorder.
So, no matter the horror, & even if you’re feeling the extreme urgency to do something, the question, ‘can anyone can tell if he is faking crazy’ is an easy step to exoneration for quickly deducing what we believe to be the absolute evil of premeditation. Unless clearly stated in advance, no one will know. Judgements like ‘he’s faking it’ can quickly turn to condemnation, making it that much easier to justify exacting retribution against the perpetrator, another group, or further justify thoughts or actions of hatred, revenge, more violence. The absolute truth is that violence has to stop. People like this will only be effectively dealt with by addressing our culture as a whole. This man may be a horrible, violent symptom of a violent culture. How much easier to fit into our own psyches the deduction that he’s just evil & did it on purpose. Easy to file him away as derelict garbage then, & punish him. What’s harder to face (besides the loss of someone due to violence?: He may be sick with an illness. He may be so sick, that he killed people. What does a responsible society have to do for sick people? Use compassion to understand & help them.
Other countries with guns do not have the same level of fear, deaths by guns, & violence as our country does. If someone for whatever reason already has troubles with dissociation, recognizing the humanity of others, & is without empathy, a culture of violence & fear will only stoke their fires. Gun laws, imprisonment, these things will not stop the violence. Incarcerating this person will stop him from hurting someone else again, but does nothing to heal a society. Please, if you are moved to do something about this, reach out to help the victims, your community … reach out to help a neighbor or stranger in need. Please be wise, but please also be compassionate.
I do not know anyone affected by this. I refused to turn on any news feeds to watch this person further. It’s very hard on me enough to know what happened from written news. I did not follow additional news to show ‘how fucked up this dude is/was from the start.’ I am so sorry for the people affected. I am even sorry for this person’s internal turmoil. I cannot separate him into a different category of human beings from the people he hurt. I’m sure some people will completely disagree with me, but I don’t believe any human being deserves this level of suffering & internal torment.
Thank you,
–Æ
“Mostly, we are terrified of terror without cause. It feeds no agenda, it supports no doctrine, its takes no side. The pitiful attempt to assign it purpose reveals our darkest fears-that sometimes evil has no design. Sometimes, it has no rhyme or reason.”
Aurora: No Rhyme or Reason…What We Really Fear
http://johncaelan.quebb.net/2012/07/aurora-no-rhyme-or-reason-what-we-really-fear/