The Disturbing Issue That Is Emerging In America Mass shootings in America have become a regular occurrence, including the most recent shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon that killed many innocent people. Statistics show that active shootings have increased by forty percent since 2000 (McKirdy1). Some argue that this is due to social networking communities that validate one’s viewpoints toward controversial issues, the abundance of violent content in entertainment, and the dramatic increase of mental illness in our country. While others claim that advocacy groups provide positive advantages and media violence is not correlated to disruptive behavior. Regardless of age and background, one can access anything that has ever
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Some argue that it does influence these tendencies due to the fact that almost all mass shooters are publicized for having interests in various, demonstrated types of media violence. In fact, “Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooter, reportedly had an appetite for violent video games, as did the Columbine High School seniors who massacred 13 classmates and teachers in 1999” (Lyons 149). However, research is “showing that video games don’t cause people to be violent in real life" (Lyons 148) resulting in others to argue that media violence does not correlate to disruptive behavior whatsoever. In fact, most who play video games ironically claim that it helps relieve stress from their everyday …show more content…
The "media extensively covered...prior hospitalization for mental illness" (Hoffner 2) of a student from Virginia Tech University that murdered 32 and injured 15 teachers and colleagues in 2007. In this case, prior mental illnesses that are proven make it almost impossible to question if mental illness is actually correlated because the student was earlier diagnosed. However, a reporter analyst, Stephanie Wood, disagrees based on her interview with Gail Saltz, a psychiatrist. Wood believes that a majority of mass shootings are made by men who have an overall hatred for the world they live in. In fact, "even among the most psychologically ill- people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder- more than 80 percent will never become violent" (Wood 2). Does mental illness cause random, apparent mass shootings or is aggressive behavior influenced by how mental illness is viewed by
Some argue that it does influence these tendencies due to the fact that almost all mass shooters are publicized for having interests in various, demonstrated types of media violence. In fact, “Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooter, reportedly had an appetite for violent video games, as did the Columbine High School seniors who massacred 13 classmates and teachers in 1999” (Lyons 149). However, research is “showing that video games don’t cause people to be violent in real life" (Lyons 148) resulting in others to argue that media violence does not correlate to disruptive behavior whatsoever. In fact, most who play video games ironically claim that it helps relieve stress from their everyday …show more content…
The "media extensively covered...prior hospitalization for mental illness" (Hoffner 2) of a student from Virginia Tech University that murdered 32 and injured 15 teachers and colleagues in 2007. In this case, prior mental illnesses that are proven make it almost impossible to question if mental illness is actually correlated because the student was earlier diagnosed. However, a reporter analyst, Stephanie Wood, disagrees based on her interview with Gail Saltz, a psychiatrist. Wood believes that a majority of mass shootings are made by men who have an overall hatred for the world they live in. In fact, "even among the most psychologically ill- people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder- more than 80 percent will never become violent" (Wood 2). Does mental illness cause random, apparent mass shootings or is aggressive behavior influenced by how mental illness is viewed by