I’ve been following this story with some interest the last few days. I even just popper over to the other place to see if there was a thread on it, there wasn’t but there was some chat on the 'Murica thread. I know he can divide opinions with some, but Verbal really is hitting it out the park on this topic.
The thing that really interests me, particularly against the backdrop of the increasingly widespread unrest and resentment in certain communities is the portrayal of the shooter in the media.
This is something I have spoken about before, the media portrayal of incidients is hugely biased, in my opinion often verging on racism. If this was a crime perpetrated by a Muslim, this would be terrorism. When it’s a White dude, nothing of the sort. In fact, the news reports were actually pretty slow to even run with the event.
Instead of being seen as a terrorist (and let us not fool ourselves, this is 100% an act of terrorism), and there being a demand for all white people in the world to apologise on this mans behalf. He is painted as a loner, a lone wolf, or mentally ill. The last point is something that really fecking irks me too. As someone that has, and continues to manage some mental illness (as do a MASSIVE percentage of the population), I feel it is extremely unfair to therefore use this as a way to explains someones motives for commiting some awful atrocities.
It’s also extremely interesting that the police were totally able to capture and arrest this man, unharmed and bring him into custody. Now, a man illegally selling cigarettes on the street was set upon by police is held down and strangled to death.
It’s this that winds me up, and ultimately stokes fear, and in turn drives problems such a civil unrest and Islamaphobia.
