It’s ultimately what needs to happen, along with turning some voters that have a conscious.
The deck is stacked. First past the post and now rejigging of constituency boundaries.
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It’s not the system. It’s people.
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No need to apologise, its not personal.
But the stigmatising of mental ill health is compounded by theorising that people are “psychiatric” when violent crime occurs.
I am never glad when a convenient mentally ill diagnosis is used to help us digest the hortor of murder.
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The thing is with premeditated murder (as this very much looks)is that it is so far beyond normality that people struggle to comprehend how someone could do this.
They can rationalise violence/losing control in the heat of the moment, to protect your loved ones, or for personal gain. However none of these look likely.
Despite not being a pacifist (and having an interest in war, enjoying shooting games) I don’t think I could kill someone even in a war situation. It’s not how I am wired. I think most people are the same. When I see such events the way I rationalise it is mental health . Vulnerable people under stress, exploited, detachment from reality suffering serious illness. The intent is not to stigmatise but make sense of the world. It’s so far beyond my box what is normal.
For the most part mental health is primary reason for premeditated murders (to be clear not mental illness). Stats vary considerably but figure seems to be approximately 60%. Most of these untreated (in US at least).
Perhaps it’s wrong but my perception is that even many terrorists have mental health issues. I guess that’s easier for me to rationalise than people being evil.
Edit.
Just thought I should clarify most people incorrectly blame mental illness (this is common mistake). This is not the same as mental health.
Actually agree it’s people dividing people. Divide and conquer. Brexit being the prime example.
Now we see Sajid Javid whipping up hatred (only word I can think of sorry) against Doctors now. Just because of telephone consultations being used. They save time but are not without problems, problems created by his party shredding the health service.
Can people who kill without justification or cogent reason simply be bad?
Surely that is as easy a concept to understand as making amateur diagnoses of mental health problems?
And I understand the human requirement of explanation, its not wrong to seek a rationale for such behaviour.
Edit: re your edit.
The comments above that I addressed referred to mental illness. Just for clarity
From the BBC
A government source told the BBC the man arrested is a British national who, according to initial inquiries, is of Somali heritage.
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It’s an interesting philosophical question.
Problem is a lot of psychology centres around moral deviance. By definition not conforming to the norms of society. Including disregarding and violating the rights of others.
But it’s a valid question and I am not sure there is a correct answer. I don’t inherently believe people are good or bad. But products of biology and environment.
To take a life in premeditated way requires multiple factors to have occurred. I have a tendency to believe murder goes against laws of human nature. Therefore reflects a problem
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And I agree that it reflects a problem, as murder does go against the laws of human nature.
But why is the awkward assumption made that the person must be mentally ill?
Paedophilia is against the laws of human nature.
But most sensible people see paedophiles as reprehensible bad people. They don’t turn to mental illness as a rationale for such behaviour.
isn’t that the truth. the government fees the media the stories to keep the public occupied whilst it pulls the rug out from under their feet. the media gobbles this up, because it maintains public attention on the media and that’s what pays their bills.
it’s a neverending cycle of bullshit.
Really? You’re in favour of leaping in before the facts are established?
Expected better from you.
When the facts were in on Jo Cox she was killed by a radicalised far right nutcase.
Shall we wait until we know what we’re dealing with here?
Edit: Oh and to compare me suggesting we wait until we know what’s happened in this case to people’s tendency to leap to racist judgements on terror attacks based on the colour of a person’s skin is spectacularly poor fucking from you on this.
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You leaped in with “the most likely scenario being that the killer is a mentally disturbed individual”
Should you wait to see what the outcome is before jumping to conclusions?
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It’s really poor timing. However I remember at the time Boris Johnson suggesting to the house that the best way to pay tribute to Jo Cox was to ‘get Brexit done’, and noting the shameless opportunism even by his awful standards.
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In the case of a random attack like this, it is the most likely scenario? Given the victim, it’s unlikely to be gang related. If there is a better way I can phrase that, perhaps you could let me know.
What I’m trying to get across is that random attacks like this are very unlikely to be a politically motivated killing. It might be. But let’s wait until we know more before embarking on this macabre ‘one of yours, one of mine’ totting up excercise done seem very keen on.
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By the way, can anyone tell me why it’s important to know that the killer was of Somalian descent. He was a British National. Is the fact that his dad/grandad/great grandad was from Africa of importance here?
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Dont automatically assume mental illness and violent crime are related? It isnt the most likely scenario.
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Fair enough. I’m probably not expressing it correctly.
You obviously have something very specific in mind when you say mental illness, which I’m not sure is the same thing I mean when I say mentally disturbed.
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Mentally disturbed is a more neutral term than mentally ill. There are diagnoses of mental disorders or mental/psychiatric illnesses.
Its just usage of terminology, unless you see disturbed as something more akin to personality disorder which is diagnosed on a seperate axis in the DSM.
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Sure. I’m missing the point. Whatever.