NOT GOOD, Connecticut shooter was diagnosed with Aspergers..

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Look to our past history of public stereotyping and persecution in response to media reports on this matter...Columbine, 9/11, Virginia Tech. You would think that we were living in a country where people were wise enough to know that not every person who follows Islam is a terrorist or that not everyone that is a loner or a goth is going to turn into a violent shooter. The irony is that such killers are still a very small percentage of the populations they represent but the media's over emphasis on things such as race or interest is fed into the viewers' minds allowing them to buy such nonfactual stereotypes easily and persecute the people associated with them in return.

This isn't a clinical diagnosis. It's like when people on this forum say that Einstein or whatever famous genius had Asperger's because he was apparently a bit weird.



Social scientists' favorite phrase: correlation does not imply causation.

Are autistics emotionally unstable? I hadn't heard that. If they're disturbed maybe it has nothing to do with the autism, and as for them being loners, that's probably not part of the cause.

You're not kidding. (I am Australian.) I plan to learn to shoot one day, but what ordinary person needs six guns? I wouldn't want the responsibility of owning that many.

The debate should be on mental illness. and how to help more people with it, Mental Illness seems to be very taboo in this country and all the attention is directed at trying to control guns. wrong answer in my opinion. as the old saying goes, guns dont kill people, people with guns kill people. Unfortuneatly nobody wants to actually fix the problem. I think as soon as more people are offered mental health services, you will see a reduction in these types of crimes. Or maybe not, out of 300 milllion people you are bound to have a few that are pure evil. And I guess you cant help everyone but still.

And make the mental health services as red tape free as possible. Alot of people with "issues" struggle to even function during the day let alone hassle with some burocratic agency

I already have a very hard time making friends and if this guy is Autistic thats gonna make it all the harder for us still alive at making friends wich is depressing, who wants to be friends with a autistic guy or girl when they could possibly be murderous?

Last edited by richardbenson on 15 Dec 2012, 11:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Amen, brother.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

Actually, that has not been confirmed and is probably not even true. Apparently, a couple of policemen "speculated" that he was an aspie because they heard of his "social awkwardness" and a former classmate said someone else had told them he had it. Not exactly official confirmation there. And I'm a little tired of the default assumption being AS whenever there's a slight hint of social awkwardness, problem, etc. His mother was a survivalist gun nut, so who knows what he'd been exposed to.

I'd never get a gun because, given my history of depression, I'd use it on myself in one of my low moments. I do agree that easier access to mental health is imperative because, as it stands right now in many places, you have to jump through incredible hoops to get help. I, for instance, don't qualify for health insurance from standard carriers because of my pre-existing conditions of stroke and Asperger's Syndrome. There is the federal sponsored guaranteed health insurance program, but who's got $941/month?

Wow. This again? The first time I heard aspergers used ithis way was in "ready player one" aspergers is the "in" for when people want an answer for something. He does not have it same with Holmes but it is the only answer they can give because it is so new.

He was never officially diagnosed. However he has created a bad name for all socially awkward people like us. Some of us may be treated differently because of his actions. Possibly ignored more or viewed as potential threats. I'm just speculating however.

You assume other people, especially people in power, are sensible?

Someone who would treat someone differently over a crime committed by someone else has some serious issues them self.

Not out of the ordinary at all for someone interested in shooting. There's a lot of variety in firearms, details, all of which change how they're used. Some are purchased because of historical value and used little (all of the surplus rifles and whatnot that governments sold after the various wars in history, for example), some are purchased for specific sporting events (there's lots of different type of events), others for hunting (you can't shoot a bird with a rifle. You can't shoot a deer with a rabbit rifle. So on and so forth), and some are bought for self-defense.

Collectors tend to have way more.

I have 6 in the safe behind me. My uncle who is a farmer has 5, and he's not even that interested in shooting.

This x 1,000,000

People always asked me since like middle school "HEY MAN, YOU'RE NOT GONNA SHOOT UP THE SCHOOL, RIGHT?" "HEY MAN, YOU'RE LIKE TED KAZYNSKI LOL." For simply existing.

This x 1,000,000

TBH, what I've seen so far on some of the more NT forums I post on, the issue of his "awkwardness" has barely been touched on directly. They're all too busy debating about gun control.