“Some Link Economy With Spate Of Killings”

[jody]

Some Link Economy With Spate Of Killings (Washington Post)

The factor underlying the violence, some experts think, is the dismal state of the nation's economy. Criminologists theorize that the epidemic of layoffs, the meltdown of storied American corporations and the uncertainty of recovery have stoked fear, anxiety and desperation across society and unnerved its most vulnerable and dangerous.

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"The common denominator in all these is that they're all using a gun," Helmke said of the recent killings. "You don't see police officers in Pittsburgh being killed by people throwing knives at them. . . . We've always had violence, but in the old days you couldn't take out so many people so quickly. Now we make it very easy to do that."

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson called the recent spate of killings "domestic terrorism" and said he hoped the slaughter would be a wake-up call for policymakers.

"You can't grow businesses in war zones," said Jackson, who recently visited cities beset by gun violence. "You can't go to school in war zones. You can't play in the park in war zones."

IMO the eight mass homicides in the past month with 57 victims have offenders that don’t fit past homicide patterns.

FBI’s Homicide Offenders by Race, 2005 statistics show 43.7% (8,350) of homicides committed by whites, 53.8% (10,285) by blacks, and 2.6% (492)) by other.

FBI also reports Homicide Offending Rates per 100,000 Population by Race as:
-- White 3.5
-- Black 26.5
-- Other 2.8

Those statistics suggest that cultural differences might contribute to the 7 to 9 times different homicide offender rates between groups.

Recent mass murders however include several offenders who are in the “other” category suggesting that such things as the economic recession/depression may be a significant factor.

[gorfle]

1. It's not the economy.

No, there is one common thread through all of these mass murderers,and it's not the economy.

It's a sense of being picked on and ostracized by society, to the point where they can't take it anymore and want to kill themselves and take out as many of their perceived tormentors as they can before they go.

[jody]

2. Good point. I hope those driven to mass murder & suicide don't use IEDs rather than guns. n/t

[friendly_iconoclast]

5. Unfortunately, people have used explosives in just such a way in the US

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_school_disaster

45 dead in 1927

[dailydave21]

3. unlikely

i think it's unlikely. there will always be crazy people no matter what

[yay]

4. Sure there will

But how many less would we have if the economy was in good shape?