There don’t seem to have been any surprises about the shooter. He reads almost like a checklist of the American Psychological Association’s warning signs of youth violence: A sullen loner with no real social network, a fascination with guns, deep and disproportionate feelings of anger and being disrespected, a history of problems with teachers, and an apparent inability to connect with or empathize with others.
“As with the student on Monday, there might be writings, drawings that exhibit violence of harm to self or others, withdrawal, a change in friends, sleeping or eating patterns, changes in grades or involvement in school activities, thinking about suicide, giving away of belongings meaningful to them, a fascination with violence or violent things,” said Jill Cook, assistant director of the American School Counselor Association
It’s easy when you get to work backwards from the shooting to declare someone dangerous.
If you locked up every angry loaner teenager we’d never be able to build enough nut houses. There would be a lot less goth kids though, so that would be a plus.
