Many considerations
The other day I wrote about my belief that it is important to remember that Omar Mateen was a human being who apparently had some acute emotional issues. I also wrote that I thought it important that, recognizing what we have in common with him, it is important to forgive him. Additionally I wrote that naming him is an important step in this process. In the days since I wrote this blog, I have listened to others such as the CNN Journalist Anderson Cooper, anchorman Kyle Clark and FBI director, James Comey who recommend that the name of people who commit acts of mass order not be used because of the concern that some behavior such as suicide and mass murders may be contagious.
An article in Newsweek reported:
“In July, researchers presented a terrifying idea: mass killings and school shootings may be contagious. Using a mathematical contagion model typically applied to the spread of diseases, the study found that 30 percent of mass killings and 22 percent of school shootings appeared to have been inspired by previous events. One possible reason, says lead author Sherry Towers, is media coverage.
“What we found was, in ones that didn’t get a lot of media attention there was no contagion, and in the ones where we did see a lot of media attention, that’s where we saw the contagion,” Towers says.” (newsweek.com Mass shootings and news media: A connection? By Max Kutner, 10/1/15)
I have previously discussed the work of a physician from Chicago, Gary Slutkin, who had worked extensively to stop the spread of contagious diseases in many places of the world. He used the contagious disease model to study and reduce violence in several cities in the United States.
The thinking seems to be that giving lots of media attention to the specifics of the event and the person(s) who committed the event might be copied by other disturbed individuals. This may also be true with suicides, especially among teens.
Although I had previously read some of this material, I was not thinking that, for some, the motivation for not using the name of Mr. Mateen could be related to the contagious/copycat possibility. This is largely the rationale for not only the FBI but the group No Notoriety started by Caren and Tom Teves.
Others who urge the media not to use the name of the killer are concerned about the impact of hearing about the killer over and over again on the family members of the victims. Still others seem to be concerned about giving any fame or notoriety to the killer. Consider the following:
“Most social media users agreed with comments from FBI Director James Comey that he is refraining from using the name of the shooter, who died at the scene, in order to avoid glamorizing his role.
"You will notice that I'm not using the killer's name, and I will try not to do that," Comey said during a news conference Monday on the massacre, which left 49 clubgoers dead. "Part of what motivates sick people to do this kind of thing is some twisted notion of fame or glory, and I don't want to be part of that for the sake of the victims and their families."
"I love this!" wrote Lisa Berry on Facebook. "He doesn't deserve a name or coverage of any kind. Instead, we should focus on the victims and the impact they had on friends and family. They had so much promise in life and it's a tragedy that it was stolen from them."
“The group No Notoriety, founded by parents of one of the victims in the 2012 Aurora, Colo., theater shooting, is asking the media and members of the public via Twitter not to repeat the name of the gunman so as not to "reward" him with infamy or notoriety. (FBI Decision to avoid Orlando shooter’s name gets thumbs-up Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY, June 13, 2016)”
I was certainly remiss in neglecting to discuss the fact that there may be several very valid motivations or reasons for not mentioning the name of a killer and keeping details of the event to a minimum including an effort to not glamorize and reduce the changes of copycat events. For this I apologize.
I continue, however, to be concerned about the tone of many who have commented about this terrible event. The comment by Lisa Berry on Facebook which I quoted above, “He doesn’t deserve a name or coverage of any kind. Instead we should focus on the victims and the impact they ad on friends and family.”
I continue to believe that Mr. Mateen was a very sad and sick person and deserves our sympathy, empathy and grief.
· I question the need for anyone to purchase assault weapons. I also question how it is that someone else whose behavior had already raised some red flags was able to purchase such a weapon. (Yes, I am well aware of the fact that there are so many of these weapons manufactured that it is also relatively easy to get such weapons illegally).
· All of us need to know that the mind of we humans are amazingly resilient and, at the same time, very fragile. The thinking of all of us can easily become distorted.
· As I discussed in an earlier blog, we as communities and nations must model choosing non-violent means of resolving disputes, handling our fears and stopping the spread of destructive behavior.
I am also very confused about the seemingly disturbing and often contradictory comments reportedly made by Mr. Mateen’s father. I have no idea what role his parenting played in the emotional disturbance of Mr. Mateer.
Having said all the above, I still believe that our best chance of creating a safer and more just and loving community is to follow the lead of teachers such as Jesus to love those we label as our enemy. An article in Christianity Today states:
“I believe if this were a daily prayer for American Christians, it would help us to do that which does not come naturally to us: loving our enemies—and the enemies of all those we love. And it would shape us as a people to be Christ’s presence in a hateful and divided world—a world that needs to know of his presence more than ever.” (Christianitytoday.com, Mark Galli/June 12, 2016 A Meditation on the Orlando Shooting)
One of the dangers in writing and publishing a daily blog is that one presents only some of the important issues that need to be considered on such important topics. Another danger is that one (me) “throws out the baby with the bathwater.” In other words, it is possible that someone or some groups say something which needs to be heard even if the tone in which it is presented seems to be mean spirited.
Written June 15, 2016
The other day I wrote about my belief that it is important to remember that Omar Mateen was a human being who apparently had some acute emotional issues. I also wrote that I thought it important that, recognizing what we have in common with him, it is important to forgive him. Additionally I wrote that naming him is an important step in this process. In the days since I wrote this blog, I have listened to others such as the CNN Journalist Anderson Cooper, anchorman Kyle Clark and FBI director, James Comey who recommend that the name of people who commit acts of mass order not be used because of the concern that some behavior such as suicide and mass murders may be contagious.
An article in Newsweek reported:
“In July, researchers presented a terrifying idea: mass killings and school shootings may be contagious. Using a mathematical contagion model typically applied to the spread of diseases, the study found that 30 percent of mass killings and 22 percent of school shootings appeared to have been inspired by previous events. One possible reason, says lead author Sherry Towers, is media coverage.
“What we found was, in ones that didn’t get a lot of media attention there was no contagion, and in the ones where we did see a lot of media attention, that’s where we saw the contagion,” Towers says.” (newsweek.com Mass shootings and news media: A connection? By Max Kutner, 10/1/15)
I have previously discussed the work of a physician from Chicago, Gary Slutkin, who had worked extensively to stop the spread of contagious diseases in many places of the world. He used the contagious disease model to study and reduce violence in several cities in the United States.
The thinking seems to be that giving lots of media attention to the specifics of the event and the person(s) who committed the event might be copied by other disturbed individuals. This may also be true with suicides, especially among teens.
Although I had previously read some of this material, I was not thinking that, for some, the motivation for not using the name of Mr. Mateen could be related to the contagious/copycat possibility. This is largely the rationale for not only the FBI but the group No Notoriety started by Caren and Tom Teves.
Others who urge the media not to use the name of the killer are concerned about the impact of hearing about the killer over and over again on the family members of the victims. Still others seem to be concerned about giving any fame or notoriety to the killer. Consider the following:
“Most social media users agreed with comments from FBI Director James Comey that he is refraining from using the name of the shooter, who died at the scene, in order to avoid glamorizing his role.
"You will notice that I'm not using the killer's name, and I will try not to do that," Comey said during a news conference Monday on the massacre, which left 49 clubgoers dead. "Part of what motivates sick people to do this kind of thing is some twisted notion of fame or glory, and I don't want to be part of that for the sake of the victims and their families."
"I love this!" wrote Lisa Berry on Facebook. "He doesn't deserve a name or coverage of any kind. Instead, we should focus on the victims and the impact they had on friends and family. They had so much promise in life and it's a tragedy that it was stolen from them."
“The group No Notoriety, founded by parents of one of the victims in the 2012 Aurora, Colo., theater shooting, is asking the media and members of the public via Twitter not to repeat the name of the gunman so as not to "reward" him with infamy or notoriety. (FBI Decision to avoid Orlando shooter’s name gets thumbs-up Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY, June 13, 2016)”
I was certainly remiss in neglecting to discuss the fact that there may be several very valid motivations or reasons for not mentioning the name of a killer and keeping details of the event to a minimum including an effort to not glamorize and reduce the changes of copycat events. For this I apologize.
I continue, however, to be concerned about the tone of many who have commented about this terrible event. The comment by Lisa Berry on Facebook which I quoted above, “He doesn’t deserve a name or coverage of any kind. Instead we should focus on the victims and the impact they ad on friends and family.”
I continue to believe that Mr. Mateen was a very sad and sick person and deserves our sympathy, empathy and grief.
· I question the need for anyone to purchase assault weapons. I also question how it is that someone else whose behavior had already raised some red flags was able to purchase such a weapon. (Yes, I am well aware of the fact that there are so many of these weapons manufactured that it is also relatively easy to get such weapons illegally).
· All of us need to know that the mind of we humans are amazingly resilient and, at the same time, very fragile. The thinking of all of us can easily become distorted.
· As I discussed in an earlier blog, we as communities and nations must model choosing non-violent means of resolving disputes, handling our fears and stopping the spread of destructive behavior.
I am also very confused about the seemingly disturbing and often contradictory comments reportedly made by Mr. Mateen’s father. I have no idea what role his parenting played in the emotional disturbance of Mr. Mateer.
Having said all the above, I still believe that our best chance of creating a safer and more just and loving community is to follow the lead of teachers such as Jesus to love those we label as our enemy. An article in Christianity Today states:
“I believe if this were a daily prayer for American Christians, it would help us to do that which does not come naturally to us: loving our enemies—and the enemies of all those we love. And it would shape us as a people to be Christ’s presence in a hateful and divided world—a world that needs to know of his presence more than ever.” (Christianitytoday.com, Mark Galli/June 12, 2016 A Meditation on the Orlando Shooting)
One of the dangers in writing and publishing a daily blog is that one presents only some of the important issues that need to be considered on such important topics. Another danger is that one (me) “throws out the baby with the bathwater.” In other words, it is possible that someone or some groups say something which needs to be heard even if the tone in which it is presented seems to be mean spirited.
Written June 15, 2016
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