Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Stanford Psychiatrist: The Guns Did It

As authorities admit that we may never know why Stephen Paddock opened fire, some medical authorities are offended that mental illness could have played a role.

Dr. David Spiegel:*
'The reason Paddock could kill so many people in a 10-minute span is that he had ready access to the means to do so,' Spiegel said. 'The real explanation,' he said, 'lies with guns and a culture that puts 'ridiculous firepower' in virtually anyone’s hands.' 
'There’s nothing sick about him,' Spiegel said of Paddock. 'As a psychiatrist, I deeply resent the inference that anybody who does something like this is mentally ill. It’s untrue and deeply unfair to people with mental illness.' 
link
No mention of Paddock's father's history; no public discussion of Paddock's habits up until the time of the shootings. No siree, Hillary has told us what we should do to prevent what happened.
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*The irony of a person's name: Spiegel means "mirror" in German. I believe there's a literary device called ____ when a character is named after some trait. What is it?

20 comments:

chickelit said...

The father's history is particularly important because of both nature and nurture points of view.

edutcher said...

Projection?

So, all those guys who served in the Army in all those wars just did it because they were put in a room full of guns. Somebody shooting at them, patriotism, had nothing to do with it.

And, when they went home, and hung their Brown Bess or Pennsylvania Long Rifle or Springfield 1858 rifle-musket or Sharps carbine above the mantle, it made them slaughter everyone in the family.

Riiiight.

chickelit said...

Spiegel's inference is that anyone with access to guns would do what Paddock did. The person becomes the tool for the guns.

This guy and Harvard Law's Laurence Lessig and his 5-step plan to get Hillary in office really have me doubting elite university wisdom.

Leland said...

I'm greatly offended that Dr. Spiegel is inferring a medical diagnosis of a patient without actually seeing the patient.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

What a jackass.

The Dude said...

I am going to go with Spoonerism. Or maybe Onomatopoeia. Nah, kidding, unless guy is gassy.

Verisimilitude - no, that's not it. I got nothing.

MamaM said...

As usual, there is partial truth present. The killer did have ready access to the means to do so, as do those who use knives, stones, hands, feet, pillows, trucks and fertilizer bombs. The motive, drive, desire or intent to kill, wound and terrorize so many people in a 10-minute span is another matter.

That the killer wanted to, planned on, prepared for and committed to such an act is where attention needs to be paid. .

Chip Ahoy said...

Charactonym

Aptronym

ricpic said...

Thank God for the Founding Fathers!

The Dude said...

With 300 million firearms in private hands, and probably 10 trillion rounds of ammo out and about, I think that if guns were the problem we would know about it by now.

Amartel said...

Emotional spew with an impressive* credential attached.

These expensive diplomas that people killed themselves to get have decreasing value. Now anytime I see an author/ity touting his/her Stanford/Ivy degree I pretty much know I'm going to be served word salad with liberal smug dressing. It will be unwholesome empty intellectual calories and a complete waste of my time.

Amartel said...

Dickensian?
When a name reflects character trait, like D[e]r Fancy Spiegel Nofunhouse Germanmirror. Dr. Blame Projector Rage Deflector. Person Who Is Triggered by Guns.
Speaking of which, anyone know the latest on the security guard? Disparu! Strange.

Rabel said...

I believe there's a literary device called ____ when a character is named after some trait. What is it?

sixtygritism?

The Dude said...

LOL! Of coarse!

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Ok, I cheated. I looked it up.

link

MamaM said...

Aptronym

Soft of like an odd ball Russian artist named Artzybasheff?

MamaM said...

I had to look it up too, and worse yet, didn't see it so clearly defined as SixtyGritism until the above mention, which was read after pushing send on the Russian addition!

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Ok - guns and gun culture. Who pushes guns and gun culture more than ANYONE?

Bueller?

The NRA? Why.... No. Not the NRA.

It's Hollywood.

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Anytime the path looks bad for leftists, they shut it all down.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Uh huh. Mental illness called, says it's all offended and deeply hurt. Suicidal.

AllenS said...

Behind every bad gun, is a finger.