• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • The Newspaper
  • Our Team
  • PDF Books
  • Archive
  • Gallery
  • Contact Us

Scena Criminis

L'Informazione al servizio della Legalità

  • EnglishEnglish
    • ItalianoItaliano
    • EnglishEnglish
    • EspañolEspañol
  • News & History
    • History of Crime
    • Criminal Words
    • Gender Violence
    • News
    • Organized Crime
  • Quotes, Interviews, Videos
    • Interviews
    • Quotes
    • Videos
  • Crime & Art
    • Recommended Books
    • Criminal Portraits
    • The Eye that Kills: Cinema and Crime
    • Violent Art
  • Criminal Biographies
    • Caserta: Crimes from the Past
    • Criminal Biographies
    • Most Wanted
    • Mysteries and Unsolved Crimes
    • Serial Killer
    • Snapshots from a Crime
  • Forensic Sciences
    • Criminalistics
      • Ballistics: Rifles and Guns
    • Criminology
      • Psychology
      • Sociology
    • Law
    • Nonverbal Communication
You are here: Home / Forensic Sciences / The Las Vegas Shooter’s Motivations by Paul Ekman

The Las Vegas Shooter’s Motivations by Paul Ekman

18 October 2017 da Webmaster Leave a Comment

4Shares

While it’s easy to understand the horror he inflicted, truly comprehending the motivations of Stephen Paddock (the Las Vegas shooter), let alone empathizing with his outlook, is a very long reach.

From news reports, it seems clear he was intent on having his actions publicly recognized. But to what end?

Could it be just as simple as a thirst for attention?

Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma Federal Building bomber, wrote that you need a high body count if you want to get publicity. Paddock certainly achieved that.

Although he frightened many people, he isn’t labeled a terrorist because that term is usually reserved for actors who seek to advance some political cause.

Paddock had none that we know about.

Did Paddock think people would admire him?

I suspect he was not so mistaken in his estimates of public reactions. It probably was sufficient that people would know who he was.

It is beyond my capacity to empathize, to feel how desperate the need for attention must be to seek it by this means, knowing that the attention so earned will not include respect or admiration, at best only interest leavened by condemnation.

The Media’s Reaction

There have been suggestions that the media agrees, in the future, to not reveal the names of these killers, hoping that will stop their horrible attempts to obtain personal publicity.

One cost of that strategy is that people who knew the killer at various points in his/her life would not come forth to volunteer information that could help us understand the killer, understandings that also might aid attempts to prevent such actions by other potential killers.

Even without that cost, there is little reason to hope the media would obey pleas for self-censorship.

My Reaction 

If I knew more about Paddock’s life, it might make his actions slightly less frightening, offering the hope that understanding could lead to successful prevention. But even armed with such information, I am not optimistic that we will be able to identify those who may become shooters before they act.

Think how disastrous a false positive would be, mistakenly identifying someone who posed no threat!

The World’s Reaction

While this shooting shows us the worst of what some humans are capable of doing, it also shows us the best of human nature.

Nevada residents lined the streets mere hours after the attack, waiting to donate blood, without having been asked to do so. Our entire country mourned as our flag was lowed to half-staff in many places. The Eiffel Tower and other major monuments around the world went dark to honor the victims.

Yes, human beings can and sometimes do terrible things. It is noteworthy because they are rare.

It is the compassionate wish to help those who suffer which is common to our nature.

Source: http://www.paulekman.com

Related posts:

Le Nuove Droghe: anche in Italia si sniffa l'OKI
Sequestrata dall'ex Fidanzato, salvata dalla sua famiglia a colpi di pistola
Ennesima Strage di Innocenti in Siria: 58 Morti, tra cui 11 Bambini. Si sospetta l'uso di Gas Nervin...
What motivates female Serial Killers?
4Shares

Filed Under: Criminology, Forensic Sciences, Psychology

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Make a donation to support our activities

Stay updated in real time

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Loading

Follow us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

Safe and prudent use of Internet

Categorie Articoli

Last Articles

Info

  • Business Contacts
  • Disclaimer

Tags

America american most wanted art artist Chicago crime crimen crime scene criminal Criminalistics criminology disorder Dna fbi forensics forensic science homicide killer law most wanted Murder Nonverbal Communication oil on canvas painting police prison psicólogia psychology psychology today research reward scena criminis science sciencedaily serial killer sex sex offender terrorism terrorist treatment US USA violence violent art war

Footer

Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy

Scene Criminis aims to bring together – around a “round table” – experts, students and simple onlookers, who want to confront, update and find new stimuli.

The largest Italian Community on Forensic Sciences that collects news, studies, curiosities and contributions on Criminology, Criminalistics, Crime Report and Law.

Scena Criminis is also a Non-profit Association, active throughout the province of Caserta (Italy), which has 3 fundamental purposes: Defense of Legality, Fight against all forms of Violence, Education to Gender Differences.

Follow us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Instagram

scenacriminis

Gli è andata male... 👮‍♂️ Gli è andata male... 👮‍♂️
Seguimi ➡️ scenacriminis.com 💪 Seguimi ➡️ scenacriminis.com 💪
➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️ ➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️
➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️ ➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️
Falso allarme... 🤦‍♂️ ➡️ www.scenacr Falso allarme... 🤦‍♂️

➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️
Altro che Jackie Chan! 😆 Altro che Jackie Chan! 😆
➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️ ➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️
➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️ ➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️
➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️ ➡️ www.scenacriminis.com ⬅️
Carica altro… Segui su Instagram

Copyright Scena Criminis Testata giornalistica registrata presso il Tribunale di Santa Maria Capua Vetere (CE) n. 849 del 26/04/2016 © 2023 ·

Direttore Responsabile: Gianfrancesco Coppo

Created by BDM | Log in