One word: insanity. Clear cut case of disassociation from reality. From the media perspective, because we are a culture of violence, acts like these are now more recurrent every one to two years. James Holmes was a stealth like time bomb. What scares me is how we frame this atrocity. My fear is this: were the assailant a person of Islamic faith, American news media would rush to brand this an act of terrorism. However, counter to the moral panic of Islamaphobia, Holmes was a white male, ergo mainstream media's wish to call it a senseless act of violence or massacre. Plain and simple, this was American terrorism executed by an American terrorist. Another point to consider is the push for stronger gun laws. Legal intervention or not, nothing will stop anyone from getting a firearm in this country. This has been demonstrated from ages 3 to 95. The gun, just as violence, regrettably, is a part of American culture, just as Coke, Chevrolet, racism, and apple pie. How do you disabuse a culture of it's violent discourse of which it was founded? There are multiple lessons to be learned: the seriousness of mental health, the glorification of violence, the quest for identity through violence in media, and of course taking our security for granted. I don't think any law would have stopped Holmes, in fact, I think Holmes believes he is above the law. He had/has external demolitions just like characters in the Batman movies. This guy is an intelligent sociopath as demonstrated by his ability to navigate the legal structures before and after his attack. Terrible horrific attack on the human body, human spirit, and the human psyche.
