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Apologies if this post is in the wrong sub-forum. It links to an article presenting a theory of why some killers, including Vester Flanagan, did what they did. http://www.newrepublic.com/article/1226 ... -manifesto Warning: it contains profane quotes of some of the profiled criminals.

Is it "profiling" to say that most of them, Flanigan excepted, are young, male, persons of pallor?

These "injustice collectors" are also the first ones to shout "I'm offended!" by anything that tends to counteract their arguments.

A radio announcer in NC named Robert Raiford calls us the "United States of the Offended". Being offended is a cheap way of negating a legitimate argument. Racism is a common theme that uses the "I'm offended" chant to blunt serious discussion.

People that whine in this way don't want to discuss, they don't want to engage in dialogue or any other give-and-take that might whittle away at their pet peeve or perceived slight, however minimal.

It takes a lot of energy to save up all the perceived, imaginary or real hurts and keep them alive. A lot of energy.
So folks who do this do it with a purpose and end in mind. Whether externally violent or self-destructive only, it serves only their mind's purpose. People like this are very scary. With the kind of investments they make in the anger needed to keep the hate alive, they're not going to simply give up and walk away without a balancing the books.

LabRat

The problem with profiling mass shooters or trying to determine what characterizes them is that for everyone that is a mass shooter there are hundreds of thousands or even millions who have the same characteristic(s) who don't shoot anyone.

For instance, every mass shooter has a gun, but a hundred million plus people have guns in this country and don't commit mass murders.

I would bet that there are at least hundreds of thousands of people who are injustice collectors who have not committed murders. I have known several people like that and none of them have committed murder.

So I don't think there is any way to predict ahead of time who will commit a mass murder. The best thing to do is to eliminate most if not all gun free zones.

Interesting article, thanks for posting. Makes me want to reach out to collectors, although the ones likely to become violent are likely beyond reach.

ScottDLS wrote:Is it "profiling" to say that most of them, Flanigan excepted, are young, male, persons of pallor?

No, it would simply be incorrect. This article might illuminate some things people believe about serial killers: 5 Myths about Serial Killers and Why They Persist [Excerpt]