this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
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politics

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[–] polonius-rex@kbin.run 261 points 4 months ago (7 children)

the media:

we'll stop naming school shooters due to copycat killers

also the media:

his name was thomas matthew and here's a 90 minute special about his preferred breakfast cereal

👀 👀 👀

[–] David_Eight@lemmy.world 109 points 4 months ago (2 children)

If this encourages these psychos to stop shooting children and shoot politicians instead, I'll take that trade.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 22 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I'll say the name of anyone that takes a shot at a fascist, for any reason. Even being the wrong kind of fascist.

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[–] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 98 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Did the media ever really say they'd stop naming school shooters??

[–] atx_aquarian@lemmy.world 88 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Also, I'm told this wasn't a school shooting.

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[–] KingOfSleep@lemmy.ca 50 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The media is not one thing. Media is plural. Good luck getting "the media" to agree on anything.

[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 38 points 4 months ago (14 children)

They sure can agree on a few things:

  • Ads make money.
  • More ads make more money.
  • Money.
  • More money.
  • 🦀 money money money 🦀
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[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 27 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Wish.com Lee Harvey Oswald didn't shoot up a school though

[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 15 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I guess they made the call that releasing this information is the lesser of two evils, the other one being to withhold it and to let speculation run wild in a heated political climate, in which one side is not shy about threats of violence.

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[–] ASDraptor@lemmy.autism.place 147 points 4 months ago (3 children)

The more we know, the more this looks to me like a suicide by cop that wanted (and failed) to leave a huge thing done so people remembered him.

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 63 points 4 months ago (7 children)

Which is definitely why the media is posting his picture and personal details everywhere right? To make sure other people aren't persuaded to seek fame in the same way.

[–] ASDraptor@lemmy.autism.place 51 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (22 children)

The guy tried (and almost managed) to kill an ex-president and candidate for a second term. Of course the media is going to cover all the shit they can. It gives them clicks and that's all that matter.

On the other handl, apparently, the guy had some mental health issues was bullied and honestly, what other outcome can you expect if not a very fast death when you try to do what he did in the way he did it?

Either he was out of his mind and was completely delusional, or was trying to leave the world with a huge kill in his name to be remembered.

Edit: typo

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[–] Dkarma@lemmy.world 47 points 4 months ago (3 children)

He was a self proclaimed Pedo Hunter

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 90 points 4 months ago (3 children)
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[–] NevermindNoMind@lemmy.world 20 points 4 months ago (6 children)

Here is my irresponsible speculation: kid did it to get back at his dad. Dad was a republican flying trump signs in the yard, mom is registered democratic. Kid grows up wearing hunting outfits to school, trying to get on the shooting team, getting bullied (even after that time he tried to fit in by getting on the antitrump bandwagon following j6), trying to be the version of manliness his conservative father believes in, seaking his father's approval, and paying the price socially with his peers. But as much as he tries, and fails, to get dad's approval, mom is always there for him. Mom is a dem, probably secretly, with dad forcing strict "traditional" family roles (hence the signs in the yard, mom probably didn't agree with but was powerless to stop). Kid seems to fit the stereotype of young man, bullied in school, working a dead end job, few if any friends, no future to speak of, just generally mentally unstable, ripe for suicide by cop alreadt. Then something happens, dad hits mom, dad cheats on mom, dad screams at kid calling him a loser and also yells at mom for rasing a mommas boy, something like that. Kid snaps, betrayed by his father again, but also protective of his mom who was always there for him. Kid decides rather than killing his dad (either because of unshakable childhood fear, or a desire to cause more pain to his father then death would afford), he would kill something his dad loved more than anything, more than his dad loved his mom, and especially more than his dad loved him. He'd kill dad's god king Trump, and go out along with him. His dad would lose his hero, and the world would know his dad was responsible because he failed as a father, and thus his father would be the greatest traitor to the Maga movement ever.

I base this on no evidence other than the couple of facts we know about voter registrations and the yard signs and the like. Again this is just my speculation, which it is completely irresponsible to engage in right now (fun though!).

[–] bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 81 points 4 months ago (2 children)

really thought you were going to end that with the source of the truma being because in 1998, The Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell.

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[–] SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 121 points 4 months ago (7 children)

ITT: Look at the parents, this kid was just rebelling!

Press X to doubt

Or… He was a conservative that saw MAGA as the existential crisis that it is. He decided that he had nothing left to lose. He went for it.

Let’s be real here. The only shame was that he missed.

I think he died for a cause. But that could just be my bias showing.

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 70 points 4 months ago (10 children)

I just want to go back in history and ask at what point people would've considered it appropriate to use political violence against someone like Hitler, or was it never okay? Like was it post first coup? Post second coup? After invading Poland? Did they need to wait for gas chambers? I'm curious when public sentiment shifted.

[–] PeterLossGeorgeWall@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Well people tried to kill Hitler loads of times. 42 times according to Wikipedia. First was in 1932, before he became dictator.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_attempts_on_Adolf_Hitler?wprov=sfla1

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[–] Sweetpeaches69@lemmy.world 17 points 4 months ago

Bitchass conservatives are always pushing for political violence. I'm tired of the left always trying to by the better man.

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[–] EleventhHour@lemmy.world 64 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

I feel that everyone should resist the urge to act like psychics or psychologists right now. We know far too little at this point to speculate on this kids state of mind before or during the shooting.

As we learn more, perhaps that will change, but - and this is the terrible truth - we may never know. and we’re ALL going to have to learn to process and move on from this either way.

[–] Veneroso@lemmy.world 40 points 4 months ago

Seriously. It might not have been political at all.

When John Hinckley Jr took a shot at Reagan, he was trying to impress Jodie Foster......

https://youtu.be/ogp4o1d4p3E?si=yzTdwdadV7Qcdjy9

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[–] recapitated@lemmy.world 96 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Makes sense, most shooters show warning signs.

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[–] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 77 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

This guy looks like a dorkier HP Lovecraft

Also

there have been pro-Trump signs on display in the yard of his family's home.

Is a much different message than "signs in his yard." Don't worry though, I'm sure all of the kid's life is being scrubbed by every agency in America and in sixty years we'll know why he really did it.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 24 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Because of woke. And ~~Auntie Fa~~ Anne Teepha.

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[–] Suavevillain@lemmy.world 59 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It is crazy how missing one shot could have changed the course of history. People are really trying to paint this guy as a leftist because of a donation lol.

[–] meliaesc@lemmynsfw.com 20 points 4 months ago (13 children)

The donation of a 69 year old man with the same name...

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[–] workerONE@lemmy.world 43 points 4 months ago (8 children)

Do records show that he donated to a progressive PAC? I thought they show a person with the same name donated but that the age was different

[–] Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee 45 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Look at the timing - Jan 20th, 2021. The day Biden was sworn in.

$15 is not much and could very well be him delivering on a bet over the election

[–] negativenull@lemmy.world 31 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Or a friend donating in his name as a joke

[–] Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world 19 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

No. Giving 15$ dollars to a liberal cause is a clear indication that you are a political dissident willing to die for the DNC. End of story.

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[–] kromem@lemmy.world 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The address on the filing has his street address and zip but the wrong city.

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[–] MagicShel@programming.dev 14 points 4 months ago

This one has gone back and forth a couple of times, but snopes says it really was him. shrug

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[–] randon31415@lemmy.world 40 points 4 months ago (6 children)

Wasn't that $15 from a 69 year old veteran with the same name?

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[–] Sorgan71@lemmy.world 19 points 4 months ago (6 children)
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[–] stevedidwhat_infosec@infosec.pub 17 points 4 months ago

Who’s seen the new season of the boys

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