Glorified G

The worst song on Pearl Jam's Vs. album (and possibly the worst song in their entire catalog besides "Hey Foxymophandlemama, that's me") serves as the background for my latest post. 

There will be no links embedded here, because that would require me to do what I am railing against: the glorification and mythologizing of a killer by airing his 'manifesto' for the world to see. 

As I've mentioned before, America is a very individualized place.  Here, many people will do anything -- ANYTHING -- to be famous.  Anything to make a dent.  Anything to leave their mark on a surrounding environment that seems not to give a shit about their existence one way or another. 

Publishing the Virginia Tech shooter's manifesto only feeds into the other mentally-disturbed individuals out there whose insanity encourages them to choose infamy over anonymity.  Malcolm Gladwell's
 book The Tipping Point outlines how, after one highly-publicized suicide on an island in the Pacific, the suicide rate of that population increased about tenfold, and has since stayed at an incredibly high level.  One big story changed sucide on that island from a rare event to a weekly (if not daily) occurrence.  He also discussed how every report of a suicide in various areas in this country almost invariably leads to a corresponding spike in suicides.  If the suicide is by car, then suicides by car go up.  If it is by hanging, then hangings go up, etc.

This latest killer (notice I never mention him by name) even references the Columbine killers, using their names and calling them "martyrs."  He talks about how his death will "inspire generations".  Could the media frenzy and publicized nature of those children's lives have anything to do with this?  Given all of this, why would NBC make what in my view is a blatantly irresponsible editorial decision?  

I agree that the right people -- researchers, investigators, (eventually) family members and victims -- should dissect every single shred of evidence this killer left behind.  But that's no reason to lend credence to someone who feels that killing dozens of defenseless, unsuspecting people and then killing himself makes him a "martyr."  Obviously, it takes a real crazy person to confuse cowardice with martydom.  Sadly, there are too many crazy people in the world who refuse to let anyone in to help them.  

The copycat phenomenon is real, as is the pursuit of fame and infamy in the States.  It nauseates me to see the media feed into the twisted celebrity of a deranged kid who doesn't deserve it. 

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