In the Aftermath of the "Dark Knight Shooting"



My head is swirling as I try to comprehend this morning's movie theater shooting at a showing of the Dark Knight Rises in Colorado. 

Is the shooter "crazy" or "not crazy"?
My immediate reaction to an event like this is that the perpetrator is not mentally stable. Hubs is adamantly against calling the young man insane. He believes that because he planned this out ahead of time, timed his attack with a shooting scene in the movie, brought in his own explosive of some sort, and had four weapons with him, he's too smart to be insane. To me, having a criminal mastermind doesn't take away from the fact that this man has to suffer from some sort of mental illness. Mental illness doesn't mean a person isn't smart. I wouldn't call him "insane" but he's certainly not sane. 

Many people are already predicting an insanity defense from him in court, and find it unfair for him to use that for a lighter sentence. The forethought that went into this proves that he knew what he was doing. I don't know how that will play into an insanity defense, but I do believe we can't ignore that it isn't "normal" to kill people in this fashion. 

What part does movies and video games like Dark Knight play in events like this?
It can't be ignored that this event could very well have been a scene in the movie. This kind of villainous attack is nothing short of a Hollywood storyline. Unfortunately this was real, and real people have lost their lives and loved ones. Is there a fault of video games and action movies for providing "inspiration" for commiting acts like this theater shooting? Do these movies and video games desensitize those already mentally unstable into not understanding the magnitude of taking a human life? We can never say movies or video games are to blame for things like this, but we have to consider how they may contribute. 

Should this stop people from going to the movies or seeing the Dark Knight specifically? 
Upon hearing the news of this theater shooting it never made me question my plans for having breakfast and a movie date tomorrow to see Dark Knight Rises with Hubs. I did however notice people questioning seeing the movie this weekend, and Hubs noted that this will probably effect the sales for the film. We need to be cautious, but we can't live in fear. So far all reports lend to this being a one-time incident. It is however up to each person's discretion if they want to change their plans or not. 

What has this movie theater shooting made you think about?

3 comments

  1. You're right. It's never a normal thing for a person to want to kill.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm hoping to hear more about the person and what exactly prompted the horror. J and I were talking about how he was at the right age to "snap" and, I mean, he seemed like an ambitious person. Yeah? I mean going to school for neuroscience isn't exactly a spur of the moment decision. Then again, the deranged aren't necessarily stupid, either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yea that's the thing. He was obviously very smart, people can be deranged and yet still very smart. I'm also waiting to hear more about/from him.

      Delete

Professional Blog Designs by pipdig